Sophos Firewall Reviews

We have experience with Sophos XG, which is the older version as well. It has been around three or four years that I have been working with Sophos XG.

We are the partners of Sophos XG, and we are in the partners platform.

For Sophos XG, we are not using it in our on-premise environment, so we pitch it to customers based on their requirements.

In some scenarios, we offer maintenance for the firewalls, especially in high availability situations.

The interface of Sophos XG is basic, and we can manage it easily compared to other firewalls; for example, it is much easier for configurations than Palo Alto.

Regarding the security level in Sophos XG, we need to see the Gartner reports because there are competitors such as SonicWall that we have to consider.

As for valuable features in Sophos XG, I am not able to recall many at this moment, but it has good integrations with Active Directory Protocol and others.

I do not have any specific ideas on what disadvantages Sophos XG could improve upon.

Everything has been good; I have not encountered any major challenges or problems.

AI could be one of the area for improvements.

It has been around three or four years that I have been working with Sophos XG.

We have found that Sophos XG is stable; I would say it is stable overall.

I am not sure how scalable Sophos XG is.

We have not reached any enterprise customers pitching for Sophos XG, so I have no clarity on its effectiveness for them.

The technical support from Sophos XG is good, and the response times are also good.

The installation of Sophos XG is quite easy, and we have not found any difficulties in the process.

That is the older version of Sophos XG.

Generally, Sophos XG is used in an on-premise environment.

Adding AI features would be practical, especially given the current trend of integrations across products.

Clients would use AI in the product for addressing configuration issues or simply to query the AI when they face problems.

Regarding disadvantages, only the potential for AI in configuration seems to be the area for improvements; I cannot clarify any more disadvantages.

I give Sophos XG an overall experience rating of nine out of ten.

On-premises

The primary use case for Sophos XG is for two reasons: the firewall capability for protection against malware and Sophos XG's extended capability in routing and IP routing. I use it in a small organization.

The most valuable feature of Sophos XG is its routing and network routing capabilities. I particularly appreciate the routing capabilities that Sophos XG has.

There is room for improvement in the cybersecurity and personal information protection areas of Sophos XG.

I have been using Sophos XG for about seven years.

The initial setup was complex, but since our last conversation, I am happy with what I have.

I rate the stability of Sophos XG as nine out of ten.

I would rate the scalability of Sophos XG at about an eight.

The technical support directly from Sophos is not that great, which is why I had to employ a local company that deals with it more to assist me.

Negative

I used a different solution before Sophos XG, but it did not provide the routing capabilities that Sophos XG has, which is why I switched.

The initial setup of Sophos XG was complex, but after our last conversation, I am content with the product.

As an end user, I am not involved in the installation process.

The problem with the return on investment for Sophos XG is the three-year license. The license fees are extremely expensive, and in most cases, once the license has expired, Sophos requires the purchase of new hardware if one decides to run it online, which is a major drawback.

Sophos XG is extremely expensive compared to other products, but its capabilities warrant the cost. However, the three-year license fees are significantly high.

I looked between Sophos and FortiGate before deciding on Sophos XG.

Based on my experience, I would recommend Sophos XG to other people. The overall rating I would give this solution is seven.

On-premises

I sell Sophos XGS and SonicWall products, recommending them for both small and large companies. I handle selling around 100 to 200 units each month. My firm works with Sophos for enhancing network security, reporting on user base vulnerabilities, and managed protection.

The most effective features of Sophos XGS in enhancing my network security have been its ability to report on larger user bases and identify vulnerable users. It provides good protection services. The AI and ML capabilities are beneficial, and it offers a wide range of connectors with competitive brands.

Sophos should work on its marketing strategy as it seems to lag behind Fortinet. Their pricing strategy creates difficulty due to high availability, causing price undercutting without maintaining regular margins.

I have been using their products for 14 years.

Their support is excellent. Any issues are quickly addressed by their support team, which is not common among all OEM manufacturers.

Positive

The main competitors in the region include Fortinet.

The initial setup was very easy and intuitive.

The company is quite aggressive with its pricing, offering discounts. The competitive pricing is beneficial, although a lot of stock in the market affects margins.

I would definitely recommend Sophos XGS to others. I rate the overall solution ten out of ten.

On-premises

Other

I use Sophos XGS for networking purposes, particularly for wireless LAN and security. It is used as a firewall.

Sophos XGS is cost effective and provides all necessary security features and throughput. It includes internal control policy and security features comparable to other brands like Cisco but at a more affordable price.

The user interface has improved significantly over the past few years, and having a more competitive price model could make it a preferable choice for customers. It would be beneficial if Sophos XGS offered an end-to-end solution with competitive pricing.

I have been using Sophos products for more than four years, specifically using the XGS product for about two years.

I have no issues with the stability of the product and love using it.

Scalability is possible with Sophos XGS, and I would rate it an eight out of ten for scalability.

Technical support from Sophos is always available and not a challenge.

Positive

For technical people like me and my team, setting up Sophos XGS is not difficult. The setup process is manageable for those who know the basics and core of the technology.

If the pricing model is more flexible or lower, it would be highly preferable, making it a more competitive option for users.

Palo Alto and Fortinet are some of the competitors. However, Sophos is preferred due to its cost-effectiveness and comprehensive feature set.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Hybrid Cloud

Other

Sophos XGS is deployed as a gateway firewall with VPN in our network environment, excluding the web server feature and the email filtration feature.

Sophos XGS has been helping us manage the threats specific to our industry, although we have yet to fully utilize its AI capabilities. Its deployment has been pretty good, enhancing the clarity of filtration systems and reducing security costs.

The only filtration works quite nicely. Sophos XGS has been really better, providing clearer filtrations than its predecessor. It is extremely easy to deploy and fast to learn.

The interface is really showing up on the edge now. It needs to be more modern and faster, with more rules visible on a single screen for better details rather than just six rules. The threat detection system could be more GUI-based or provide templates for common threats. We also need more updated version 20 study materials.

We have been using Sophos XGS for close to one year. We started shifting from XG to XGS almost a year ago, and now all our systems have been changed to XGS. XG was used for the previous six years.

Sophos XGS has worked well in terms of stability, with no significant issues reported.

The customer service and support from Sophos have been quite good, with timely and effective responses. Although we rarely need support, when required, it has been prompt.

Positive

We previously worked with SonicWall but switched to Sophos because it was found to be pretty fast. We also briefly considered Palo Alto, which offered great machine and filter systems but had concerns with the support in India at that time.

The initial setup was straightforward and not problematic, as we could deploy it by ourselves without needing external support.

We usually go for three-year subscriptions. For the data center, we deployed units in dual mode and failover mode, which involved significant costs estimated at six lakh rupees.

We evaluated Palo Alto but ultimately chose Sophos due to concerns about Palo Alto's support in India. However, Palo Alto XGS has improved in terms of security and support.

The antivirus aspect of Sophos needs improvement as the current solutions don't complete the job adequately in today's market. There should be templates to address repeated attack modes, saving time instead of relying heavily on detailed engineer setups.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Our main use case at the moment for Sophos XG is to create a site-to-site VPN with one of our clients. We cannot use AWS VPN, so we use Sophos XG.

We only used the VPN functionality. We did not explore other aspects of the product beyond the VPN capabilities.

The IPsec VPN is the only feature we utilized in Sophos XG. We did not explore the web and application filtering capabilities, and these features have not helped our organization in managing bandwidth or access to malicious sites.

The user-friendly interface of Sophos XG is acceptable but too complicated. There are many options and configurations, but it is very complicated to navigate through all those options if you are not familiar with the product.

Sophos XG can be improved by making the UI more user-friendly. They should add packet capture functionality in the UI instead of requiring users to access the server directly for this purpose, as it is a very useful tool that everyone needs. Additionally, it can be confusing when working in the AWS Marketplace, as users might mistakenly purchase the old version of Sophos XG.

I have been using Sophos XG for three or four months. It is new, and we may discontinue using this product because it has not met our requirements.

Considering the deployment flexibility of the Sophos XG firewall, hybrid deployments have not supported our organization's diverse technological infrastructure.

It is a bit early to tell, but Sophos XG is adequate for my company's growing needs at present.

I have not tried their customer service and technical support.

Positive

I have considered other solutions before Sophos XG, including pfSense, AWS firewall, and Kato firewall.

I was previously using AWS firewall and Kato firewall before switching to Sophos XG.

My experience with deploying Sophos XG was easy.

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing was through AWS.

I do not use the security heartbeat functionality.

I have not tried the synchronized security feature of the Sophos XG firewall.

I am not particularly interested in being a reference to the vendor. We do not use Sophos extensively, so I may not provide substantial insights.

What led me to consider changing was that we thought the VPN configuration was not working because of the product we used to work with, so we tried other alternatives.

On a scale of 1-10, I would rate Sophos XG a seven or eight, though this rating is limited by our minimal usage of the product.

Public Cloud

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

We mostly deploy Sophos XG to our customers because we are an IT system integrator. Our primary use case involves working with small to medium businesses to control internet usage, perform web filtering, application control, and manage bandwidth.

Sophos XG is popular among small to medium businesses, allowing them to control internet usage, perform web filtering, application control, and manage bandwidth. Additionally, AI assists in configuration, offering clues when users are stuck, which enhances user convenience and efficiency.

There is interest in seeing more features related to AI and customization in future releases.

I have been working with Sophos XG for at least five to six years.

The installation process is straightforward and easy due to the training we receive. In new site setups, it's quick, but migrating from one vendor to another requires more planning and can take a couple of days.

I would rate the stability of Sophos XG as nine out of ten.

I would rate the scalability of Sophos XG as nine out of ten.

Customer service and support for Sophos XG is excellent, and I would rate it as a ten.

Positive

I worked with other vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto, and Microsoft long ago.

The initial setup varies by scenario: it's quick for new sites, but it takes longer for vendor migrations due to the need for seamless planning.

I have a dedicated team of five engineers who handle installations.

There are cost savings compared to competitors, providing more financial benefits.

Sophos XG offers good pricing compared to competitors. While there are extra expenses for additional features, overall licensing costs are well-regarded.

I would rate Sophos XG as a nine out of ten. The cost savings make it suitable for small to medium businesses with 50 to 300 users. Overall, I am very satisfied with the product.

On-premises

Our primary use case is focused on renewing outdated firewalls and providing VPN capabilities without additional licensing costs.

The firewall helped by providing VPN licensing for free, unlike other vendors that charge for VPN.

The application filtering, especially cloud filtering, is valuable. It's able to detect cloud applications like Zoom or Microsoft Teams and allows traffic shaping based on the application.

VPN setup could be improved. Fixing some bugs would also be beneficial.

I have been working with Sophos XGS firewall for approximately two years and one month.

The solution is very stable as long as there's no power outage or similar interruption.

The firewall is quite scalable. I would rate its scalability seven out of ten since modules can be added.

Customer support is generally good. There may be delays with standard support due to inexperienced first-level support. Overall, I would rate it seven out of ten.

Neutral

The initial setup for the XGS firewall can be rated as seven out of ten due to VPN setup challenges.

Sophos XGS is quite expensive, potentially a nine out of ten in terms of cost, making it much pricier than other firewalls.

I recommend it for its user-friendly interface. Even novice users can catch up quickly without confusion.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

On-premises

The primary use case for Sophos XG is basic firewalling and configuration. We use it primarily for installation purposes.

Time-saving and cost-saving benefits are realized, with stability contributing to these advantages. It provides approximately 10% to 15% savings in time and costs.

The most valuable features of Sophos XG include having rules and policies as a firewall. It is easy to configure.

The areas needing improvement are support and configuration. The delays in technical support can be handled better. Sometimes, configuration gives some issues.

I have been using Sophos XG for almost one year.

No hardware or software solution is 100% stable. I would rate it at about 99% accuracy.

Sophos XG has excellent scalability features. It is already available on cloud as well as on-premises, and you can scale up to multiple firewalls with centralized management. No limitations have been faced regarding scalability.

Customer service and support can be improved as there are delays. I would rate the support at eight out of ten.

Positive

Sophos XG is easy to install, generally requiring one person and takes about two to three hours depending on the rules and policies.

One person is usually sufficient for installation unless multiple dynamics are involved.

The return on investment is judged to be around three point five out of five in terms of stability, time saving, and cost saving.

The solution is considered cheap in terms of pricing.

For small and midsize enterprises, Sophos XG is a good choice without any major issues.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

I am a customer and end-user support using Sophos XGS.

Sophos XGS has provided good efficiency and good sharing.

I find DLP, API, IP, SDK, and web control to be valuable features. I also like the dynamic roles, application visibility, and policy test.

All the security features could be better.

I have used Sophos XGS for one year.

The solution has high stability, rated ten out of ten.

The solution is highly scalable, rated ten out of ten.

I rate the customer service and support as ten out of ten.

Positive

Before Sophos XGS, I used a CyberPro product, however, it was outdated and did not provide sufficient support.

The initial setup was easy, and the documentation was very well-written.

The deployment was done in-house by three to four people.

The pricing of Sophos XGS is not very high or very low; it's medium.

I recommend Sophos XGS because it is easy to use, more secure, and scalable.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

Private Cloud

Other