Sophos Firewall Reviews

We encounter difficulties while navigating through certain features and functionalities of the product. The GUI could be much more transparent.

We have been using Sophos XG for two years. At present, we use the latest version.

I rate the product’s stability an eight out of ten.

We have around 15 to 20 customers using Sophos XG. It is suitable for larger companies. We have around 200 technical engineers in our organization managing it. I rate the scalability a nine out of ten.

The technical support team is friendly and supportive in terms of technical assistance.

We are working with CheckPoint, SonicWall, and FortiGate.

The deployment method involves navigating through several pages, such as selecting the country and configuring LAN and WAN ports, before reaching the manual configuration stage. Instead, simplifying the process by allowing users to log in directly to the dashboard and initiate configuration without additional prompts could be helpful. The implementation time depends on specific firewall requirements.

The product is more expensive than SonicWall. Our customers compare devices for office compatibility, such as Sophos XG 4100 and SonicWall NSA 2300, and question license cost disparities.

I rate the pricing a six out of ten.

The product’s new variant allows for faster processing of data packets from LAN to WAN, surpassing the capabilities of an 8G firewall. It provides threat prevention features, including WAF, IPS, and AV. We have configured SSL VPN capabilities for different branches, which have been working efficiently. For our minimalistic usage, it has been performing well in transferring data from on-premise devices. It helps us generate detailed reports on the dashboard. The product’s integration with Sophos Central enhances security architecture by enabling centralized management under a single dashboard.

We recommend Sophos XG as a priority as it is much more reliable and has efficient technical assistance. It is much easier for configuration, web filtering, or web extension than one of its competitors.

I rate it a seven out of ten.

I use Sophos XG for network security and VPN policies. It is crucial for safeguarding data, enforcing user access controls, and ensuring secure communication. The firewall features, like application control and intrusion prevention, provide a strong defense against cyber threats. With centralized management, setting up and monitoring policies becomes easy, and the VPN capabilities ensure secure remote access for our team.

What I like about Sophos XG is its versatility in tailoring security features to our specific needs. In our environment where certain services are only needed part-time, the flexibility to deploy services selectively is valuable. The comprehensive protection, from firewall to market inspection and routing, ensures a robust defense. I particularly like the visibility it provides into network traffic, allowing us to identify and address issues efficiently.

While Sophos XG has been reliable for remote troubleshooting sessions, it would be beneficial if the platform provided more flexible support for a variety of devices. The user interface is intuitive for those familiar with it, but improving accessibility and user guidance could be beneficial for newcomers. Additionally, although the features are comprehensive, fair pricing and more flexibility with device compatibility could make it even more appealing in the market.

I have been working with Sophos XG for two years.

It is quite stable.

I would give it a ten out of ten for scalability. We have approximately 100 users.

Tech support for Sophos XG is great. They are professional, respond quickly, and help resolve issues effectively.

Previously, I have used Fortinet and SonicWall.

The initial setup of Sophos XG is not complex, especially with familiarity and experience. As you work with it over time, it becomes more straightforward, and mastery comes with continuous use. Deployment depends on specific organizational needs, but in general, it involves configuring the connection between the internet and the local network, setting up VLANs, and defining firewall rules. For me, as a consultant, the process varies based on different client scenarios. Sophos XG simplifies the deployment process, and once configured, it efficiently manages network access for different user categories.

I have done both in-house deployments and collaborated with integrators based on the client's preference. As a consultant, I assess the needs, design the setup, and can either guide the in-house team through the deployment or handle it myself. The process involves configuring the live site for optimal security, and in some cases, I work remotely on existing setups. Sophos XG's flexibility makes it feasible for both in-house and external experts to manage the deployment effectively.

The payment structure can depend on the reseller or partner. Typically, it involves getting the device first, and then the licensing is managed, often in US dollars, through the partner or reseller. The process ensures proper handling and support through authorized channels.

I would recommend Sophos XG for anyone looking to build robust IT systems. It is ideal if you have a clear vision of your IT infrastructure and want a solution that can seamlessly integrate and enhance security. The flexibility to tailor it to specific needs makes Sophos XG a valuable choice for building a reliable and secure network. Overall, I would rate it as a ten out of ten.

I use the solution in my internal network for my home office, for which I have applied a router in my home. I have deployed a couple of switches in my home network, but I need to secure my network from attacks.

Adaptive security is the most usable and most efficient feature in Sophos XG. The performance and scalability of the tool are advantageous areas.

With the firewall part in Sophos XG, it is not very flexible if you want to block access to a particular site during your internal usage. The tool is not able to block access to a particular website instantly or easily since it takes a considerable amount of time to configure a few things. If you specify that a user should not be able to go to www.google.com, it should be denied for sure.

The support engineers of the product are not very tech-savvy, making it an area where improvements are required.

I have been using Sophos XG for four years. I am a customer of the product.

At times, there are some issues that I have faced with the stability of the product. Not many firmware updates pushed into the tool are bug-free, and because of this, I face issues.

I rate the tool's stability a seven out of ten.

It is a scalable solution.

Based on my experience with the product's support team, I feel that Sophos provides good technical support to its users.

I rate the technical support a six out of ten.

Neutral

The product's initial setup phase was easy, especially compared to Cisco.

The solution is deployed on the cloud. I have also worked with the on-premises model.

The solution can be deployed in only a couple of hours.

The product has improved the security posture. Sophos XG provides features that are almost the same as those Cisco Firepower devices provide. I would say that a couple of features in Sophos XG are the same as the ones provided by other Cisco devices, which are top-notch.

The management tools or log-related solutions that are presented with Sophos are okay but not top-notch when it comes to Cisco. I rate the reporting and visibility tools in Sophos XG a six out of ten compared to Cisco.

Sophos xG's integration capabilities do not apply to a limited number of security tools. Cisco provides integration capabilities with many products, while Sophos XG offers integration with a limited number of products. Cisco provides integration capability with almost any tool that is present in the world. Cisco works day and night to ensure that it provides good integration capabilities with the solutions.

I recommend the tool to those who plan to use it, especially if you own a very small office where you don't need a product with too many functionalities.

I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

We use Sophos XG for ensuring security, implementing web filtering, enforcing policies, and blocking traffic as needed.

I appreciate its interface, but I find that the available ports are insufficient. I've encountered limitations, often finding that three to four ports are not adequate for our needs.

It stands out with its side-to-side VPN and SSL VPN capabilities.

The most significant aspect is the protection it offers.

I encountered an issue while implementing web filtering for users. Specifically, when attempting to access reports detailing which sites users are visiting, the diagnostic report fails to display the complete URLs of the websites visited. This becomes particularly problematic when users utilize proxy software to bypass the firewall, as it renders tracking their website visits nearly impossible. Training presents a major challenge as there are numerous features available, such as IPS and IDS, which many network administrators are unfamiliar with and tend to leave disabled. Users are unable to enable these features themselves due to their lack of understanding of their functionalities and configuration processes. The training manual provided to users lacks proper guidance on configuration procedures. The content outlined in the user manual differs significantly from the live configuration process.

I have been working with it for approximately six years.

There are several glitches in the new firewall. One particular issue arises when applying filtering settings. The firewall fails to unblock sites without requiring a restart to save and execute the changes properly.

We have a multitude of distinct sites, amounting to a total of six to seven thousand users in total.

Our experience with Fortinet was better compared to Sophos. Also, configuring Fortinet is much easier than configuring Sophos.

Installation is not straightforward; it's a bit complex. For instance, when setting up two ISP connections and terminating them on two firewalls, the process involves configuring LAN and WAN interfaces separately, along with DNS and routing configurations in different tabs. Many users may find these functions unfamiliar. It would be more convenient if all functions related to traffic routing were consolidated into a single tab for easier management. Maintenance is also challenging.

The price of Sophos in PTR is significantly higher compared to Fortinet.

Overall, I would rate it three out of ten.

My environment is virtual and i use Sophos to cover all incoming and outgoing traffic as well as creating VLAN's covering all me needs accordingly. 

Sophos has helped my organisation creating all networks (physical and virtual) i needed for securing my network setup plus integrating it with another Cyber Security solution it helped have a more clear understanding of our security network. 

The firewall feature of Sophos XG has been the most effective for threat prevention and in collaboration with the integration of another Cyber Security solution.

The solution’s reporting could be improved.

I have been using Sophos XG for seven years.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.

Around 250 users are using the solution daily in our organization.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten for scalability.

No i didn't. 

On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution's initial setup a nine out of ten.

We implemented the solution through an in-house team in half an hour. One person was involved in the solution’s deployment.

After integrations with several other security solutions i can say that the ROI is much higher than just using a single firewall solution.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a eight out of ten.

I found it in my organisation and after using it i figure out how it can really be helpful. 

Sophos XG has sufficiently improved the security of our network. We found the solution's user interface very user-friendly for our daily operations.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

The prominent use cases for Sophos XGS depend on the type of customer. Local governments, schools, production companies, sales companies, and the finance sector use it.

It’s popular because it’s easy to manage, the cloud console is excellent, and it supports VPNs. It can also integrate with endpoints, though this is optional. Regarding threat intelligence, customers in Central Europe often prefer managing their threat hunting rather than using the more expensive service from Sophos. This feature is handy for large international companies with many employees. Threat intelligence requires separate licensing and is optional. Customers can either manage it themselves or purchase the additional service from Sophos, which includes further actions and is more expensive. Smaller companies often don’t have the budget for this.

One area for improvement would be including automatically generated certificates for HTTPS, which was available in earlier versions but might not be in the latest.

I’ve worked with Sophos XGS for over ten years, starting with Astaro and then Sophos.

Sophos XGS is not expensive and is scalable. It can fit small schools and companies with just ten employees, showing its flexibility for different sizes.

Sophos has two levels of support. The first level is qualified but may not handle complex issues well. I usually skip it and go straight to the second level for better results.

Positive

Deployment is quick and easy. Small installations take about three hours, and even remotely if necessary. It might take up to two days for more extensive infrastructures, including initial setup and follow-up checks.

Sophos XGS does use AI, particularly for sandboxing and analyzing suspicious documents in the cloud. It’s practical, as I haven’t had any major security breaches in the past five years.Overall, I’d rate Sophos XGS as nine out of ten. It has improved significantly over the years.

The product has improved our network security posture. We got some phishing and malware attacks. We found out that someone was attacking our network. Since we installed the solution, we are not facing any attacks.

IPS works smoothly. The policies and rules work fine. The network performance and reporting tools of Sophos XG are good.

We are facing a little bit of an issue with the product's web filtering capabilities. It must be improved. SD-WAN can be improved.

I have been using the solution for almost two years.

I rate the tool’s stability a seven or eight out of ten.

I rate the tool’s scalability a seven or eight out of ten. Almost 5000 people are using the solution in our organization. We have installed the firewall. It is always running.

The support takes a lot of time to resolve issues.

Neutral

I rate the ease of setup a seven out of ten. The deployment took a few weeks.

The deployment was done in-house. We needed two to three people for the deployment.

I rate the pricing a seven or eight out of ten.

I will recommend the product to others. The solution is not extremely good, but it is good. Overall, I rate the product a seven or eight out of ten.

We use the solution for the firewall.

The configuration is fantastic, highly efficient, and robust. We don’t have to spend more considering the organization’s size. It's easy to configure what you want to do. The response time is very good. VPN connections have been stable.

The payment plan could be improved.

Sophos XGS comes with mostly eight ports, excluding the five ports. It would be better if they could increase the eight ports to ten. Most times, we don't want to use two. I will need to get another switch if I have five ISPs. Sophos engineer should look into that.

There were issues while switching the firmware to an upgraded version.

I have been using Sophos XGS for five years.

The product is stable.

The solution's scalability is good. It depends on what you have and the advanced structures from purchasing a particular version.

We have 80 users and 30 servers in our organization.

The initial setup is straightforward but a bit complex on production. You will need to configure the IP addresses of each device. We have scheduled downtime to safeguard stakeholder data periodically. We anticipate smooth transitions during these times. However, there may be instances where complexity arises, particularly regarding backups. For instance, when transitioning from firmware version 19.0 to 20.0, you must first downgrade the new device to version 19.04 before restoring the backup. This process requires a good understanding of the techniques involved. While we aim for simplicity, complexities may still arise. The migration takes two hours to complete.

We terminated one cable and continued the conversion using the backup from production. We quickly transferred it and pushed it into the new one. When we noticed it was running, we didn't even remove the whole one. We pushed it to the top and started to unplug the cable, then plugged it in again, repeating the process while waiting for the new box to learn the IP addresses of all the devices.

The solution’s pricing is good.

The first thing to consider is the size of the organization. When evaluating pricing, consider your current needs and what the device offers. You may not need all the features immediately. For smaller enterprises like mortgage institutions and microfinance, we recommend Sophos. It's suitable for them. However, larger organizations can also integrate it, perhaps for specific functions. The configuration, efficiency, and scalability are excellent.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

The time taken by Sophos XG's support team to respond to and resolve an issue is an area of concern where improvements are required.

I have been using Sophos XG for four years. I use Sophos XG 210.

My company is a customer of the product.

It is a very stable solution.

The scalability of the product is okay. The users of the product in my company can use the product with all the rules and policies I have applied to the tool that made the implementation process easy.

It is easy to add more users or devices to the product.

Our company has around 300 devices on which the product is used. Our company has 50 to 60 end users of the product.

The solution's technical support is good but needs to improve in certain areas. I rate the support an eight out of ten.

Positive

Our company uses different products from Fortinet in some different locations.

Sophos XG is good for the modules it offers and if there are a large number of users. From a price perspective, Sophos XG is also good if the number of users is less.

The product's deployment process was easy.

I was the only person involved in the deployment of the product in my company.

The product can be deployed in three to four hours.

Sophos XG enhanced our company's network security and threat management since the speed and the connectivity of the VPN that it offers make it very easy to manage and don't get disconnected. When we were having CyberOne in our company, we faced some VPN connectivity issues. The VPN connectivity issue in our company was resolved with Sophos XG. With Sophos XG's username and password, users generally don't face issues related to VPN disconnection.

A scenario where Sophos XG was good for your organization stems from the fact that the performance offered by the tool is good.

The most effective feature of Sophos XG m that protects my company's network stems from the fact that it is able to protect the network by filtering out all the threats from the internet. We never faced any problems in our company's network. My company has hardly faced any problems with our computers since it hasn't been infected with any viruses for four or five years.

Sophos XG's interface facilitated our company's security management tasks since it works in an okay manner in our organization. The interface offered by the product is easy to manage since my company has three lines connected to our environment, and whenever we get a new line during which there are some disturbances, the interface allows us to manage such areas easily.

It is very easy to maintain the product.

Speaking about the cost-savings or efficiency gains from the implementation of Sophos XG, it is an okay product from a price perspective that provides the functions of a firewall.

I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.

Mainly as a firewall, and in some cases, as a firewall with camera surveillance integration. But primarily, it is used for firewall functionality.

I find the firewall functionality and unified threat management to be the most useful features.

The VPN has been a persistent problem for us. It's not straightforward to configure. We often encounter issues with setting up the VPN. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and we haven't been able to determine the cause.

So the VPN configuration could be less cryptic. It should be easier and more straightforward to configure. A simplified installation process and clearer instructions would be helpful. The current VPN configuration is a bit convoluted.

In additional features, it would be beneficial if Sophos XG could have an enhanced feature for aggregating bandwidth. Currently, it supports load balancing to some extent, but it would be even better if it could aggregate the bandwidth. For example, if I have multiple links, say two or three, it would be great if the solution could aggregate the bandwidth from those links. 

Ever since Sophos acquired Cyberoam. I used to use Cyberoam, and then Sophos took over Cyberoam. So I would say it's been about five to seven years since that transition happened. 

I have various versions because I'm a network service provider. I offer the high-end enterprise edition as well as the mid-range and basic versions. There are several different models available.

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. It is very stable. 

When deploying on-premises, if you need to scale, you have to purchase additional hardware. So, on-premises scalability would be around six out of ten. You have to size the solution for future needs.

The cloud version is much more scalable. However, when it comes to on-premises deployments, scaling can be challenging. If you need to upgrade to a higher level, you have to acquire another hardware box. So, it's not as straightforward as cloud scalability, but it's still possible, though not as easy. 

There are about 200 users. They are small and medium businesses. 

I would rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. It required some experience in designing networks. It's not a simple "click-click-click" process; it requires the expertise of a network professional. So, if you're not experienced, it can be challenging.

It can be difficult for inexperienced users, but with the right knowledge and experience, it is manageable.

The deployment process involved acquiring the device, planning the network design, configuring it according to the desired network setup, and then connecting the necessary cables. It's a relatively straightforward process.

It only took an hour to deploy the solution.

It is fairly priced. I would rate it an eight out of ten. Mostly, I only purchase the standard license because I don't usually require the other features. It would cost approximately $2,000 on an annual basis.

Overall, my experience has been positive. I haven't encountered any major issues with it. It's easy to use and not cryptic. It's also quite stable, and I rarely experience any hangs or similar problems.

I would rate this product an eight out of ten because there is still room for improvement in VPN.