We use it for antivirus.
Solutions Architect at National Renewable Energy Laboratory
It meets our compliance needs for antivirus, but the printed provisioning needs improvement.
Pros and Cons
- "It meets our compliance needs in an elastic computer environment."
- "It meets our compliance needs in an elastic computer environment."
- "It is a little too CPU resource intensive, so we would like to see improvements there."
- "It is a little too CPU resource intensive, so we would like to see improvements there."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
It meets our compliance needs in an elastic computer environment.
What is most valuable?
It meets our compliance needs for antivirus.
What needs improvement?
The printed provisioning is the primary thing that needs improvement.
Buyer's Guide
Sophos UTM
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos UTM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a little too CPU resource intensive, so we would like to see improvements there.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are running about a couple hundred EC2 instances. Overall, the AWS Marketplace product should be a better fit, but it is a little pricier.
How are customer service and support?
When we need technical support, we just engage the vendor, then figure out what our requirements are from there.
How was the initial setup?
The integration and configuration of this product on our AWS environment is a little clunky right now.
The product is a standalone in terms of integration.
What other advice do I have?
Going forward, we need to look at the provisioning pieces and the resource utilization.
The AWS version is easier to provision than the on-premise version.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
It works well without any maintenance
Pros and Cons
- "It works well without any maintenance. So far, it has worked pretty well regardless of the traffic."
- "It works well without any maintenance, and so far, it has worked pretty well regardless of the traffic."
- "The product could be simplified and made more self-explanatory."
- "The product could be simplified and made more self-explanatory."
What is our primary use case?
- Firewalls
- Developer access
- VPN traffic
- Rerouting and routing.
I am using it to route traffic for developer access or regular traffic for my instances. I have a web application, and I control access to and from it in one of my environments.
How has it helped my organization?
All my needs are met at the moment.
What is most valuable?
Our policy is launch and forget. It works well without any maintenance. So far, it has worked pretty well regardless of the traffic.
What needs improvement?
The product could be simplified and made more self-explanatory.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I am stressing it quite a bit, and the stability is great. I haven't performed any maintenance on the instances in quite a while now. It works. I am happy because everything works well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My throughput is moderate versus high throughput applications.
I am always holding a predefined number of instances, so I haven't had any issues.
How is customer service and technical support?
I have not used the technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The configuration was pretty complex on my side compared to OpenVPN. However, this might imply that Sophos has more use cases and capabilities. It depends.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I am also using OpenVPN.
Partially, for historic reasons, things were built prior to me being able to evaluate stuff. At the moment, we are using both solutions. In terms of pricing, when I need to spin up anything small with smaller requirements, I am using the free OpenVPN instead of Sophos UTM.
What other advice do I have?
Do your homework. Compare products. Use what you need depending on your needs.
We are only using the AWS version of the product.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Sophos UTM
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos UTM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Architecture and DevOps at hc1.com
It has allowed us to have a solution that we can maintain and not have to babysit all the time
Pros and Cons
- "It has made our organization more secure, because we are using a VPN. We are not accessing services directly. It allows us to segregate some of the traffic for individuals which may be more of a developer role rather than an operational role needing access to developer resources, but not necessarily production operational resources."
- "It makes it a lot easier for us to maintain things. Prior to it, things were more difficult. This means less time on us. We can focus on other things. The recovery is more in man-hours for us than anything else."
- "It has made our organization more secure, because we are using a VPN."
- "The documentation during the AWS integration was a little fuzzy on getting it to work with how the whole public exposure versus private exposure, then routing some of the traffic."
- "The UI on it could stand a little improvement."
What is our primary use case?
Our Sophos UTM provides a secure VPN solution. It allows us to have a VPN solution that limits access to certain sensitive areas in our environment.
How has it helped my organization?
It has made our organization more secure, because we are using a VPN. We are not accessing services directly. It allows us to segregate some of the traffic for individuals which may be more of a developer role rather than an operational role needing access to developer resources, but not necessarily production operational resources.
Previously, it was all intermixed, and access was kept under control by other means. This makes it easier and more streamlined.
What is most valuable?
- The VPN side of it.
- The ease of configuration of the VPN.
- Some of the end user self-serviceability of it without having to have a whole lot of touch from our operational group
What needs improvement?
The UI on it could stand a little improvement. In some areas, it is a little slow and clunky. It is sometimes not easy to find something. However, once you get used to it, it is pretty normal to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had an issue with it yet.
Any given day, we have easily ten to 15 users on it constantly, plus some other ancillary services which go across the VPN to access resources in our environment.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It works for what we have, as we only need a couple of them. Scalability-wise, we don't need a whole lot.
How is customer service and technical support?
We have used technical support one time for a weird upgrade issue. Their response was good.
How was the initial setup?
It integrated well with AWS. The documentation was a little fuzzy on getting it to work with how the whole public exposure versus private exposure, then routing some of the traffic. However, once you read the documentation carefully, it comes out well. This goes back to the UI issue.
What was our ROI?
It makes it a lot easier for us to maintain things. Prior to it, things were more difficult. This means less time on us. We can focus on other things. The recovery is more in man-hours for us than anything else.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Purchasing through the AWS Marketplace is pretty straightforward. Because were entirely on AWS and don't have anything anywhere else. It made the most sense for us as a one stop shop.
The pricing is pretty reasonable. I don't think that it is overly expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at a couple other products. However, overall, Sophos UTM seemed to fit the bill. It has allowed us to have a solution that we can maintain and not have to babysit all the time.
What other advice do I have?
It is definitely worth looking at. It is a pretty good product.
It is integrated with our LDAP solution, and that integration is okay. Any LDAP integration can be hit or miss. It doesn't matter what it is, because it's LDAP. Since we use LDAP as a service, it's a little different, but it does work well.
We use it for the AWS version.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CIO at Quartesian, LLC
It provides a solid firewall, but they could improve on the support
Pros and Cons
- "It helped to connect our satellite offices to the main Amazon infrastructure in a circular way."
- "We are very happy with the product so far."
- "We had some problems with the configuration. They had provided a CloudFormation template, and we had to go several rounds to make it work."
- "They could definitely improve on the support, especially in other countries."
- "We had some problems with the configuration. They had provided a CloudFormation template, and we had to go several rounds to make it work."
What is our primary use case?
We are using as a firewall product.
How has it helped my organization?
It helped to connect our satellite offices to the main Amazon infrastructure in a circular way.
What is most valuable?
It provides a solid firewall.
What needs improvement?
We had some problems with the configuration. They had provided a CloudFormation template, and we had to go several rounds to make it work.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's pretty stable. For our usage, it has been pretty good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are a small company with a small infrastructure. For our infrastructure, it is perfectly solid. I don't have experience using it on a larger scale.
How is customer service and technical support?
They could definitely improve on the support, especially in other countries. Right now, it is just average. For example, we have a team in India. When they face issues, they have to go to Australia or talk to somebody in the US to receive support. They should be more responsive and have more local offices.
What about the implementation team?
AWS has been pretty good. It is well integrated and pretty user-friendly. Initially, we experienced issues with the configuration because Sophos provided us a CloudFormation template, which caused us some back and forth. By now, the process may have improved.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Purchasing it through the AWS Marketplace went smoothly. We did not have any issues and the pricing was decent.
We decided to purchase through the AWS Marketplace because of the integration with the AWS infrastructure, firing it up and configuring it was very seamless.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We originally considered Barracuda and another solution.
We chose Sophos because we thought that it provided superior service. Also, they have a long history in the market, and I received a recommendation from one of my consultants.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend to take a look a product, as it is a good product apart from the improvements that I mentioned. We are very happy with the product so far.
It is used as a standalone. We don't integrate it with other systems.
We are using the AWS version of this product.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Director of Cloud Technology at Avalere Health\Inovalon
It has a single pane of glass which allows me to manage all my VPCs from a single instance, managing all my firewalls from one place
Pros and Cons
- "Sophos has a single pane of glass which allows me to manage all my VPCs from a single instance, managing all my firewall from one place."
- "Our company trusts Sophos without even seeing it, as it provides us comfortability while allowing for flexibility."
- "I would like them to move from the Classic Load Balancer to the Network Load Balancer. This would make it easier to do certain things with Amazon. They are able to do some enhancements with Network Load Balancer that they are unable to do with Classic Load Balancer."
- "The only issues that I have experienced with technical support are when I get a Tier 1 support person who knows about the on-premise product, not the AWS side of the product."
What is our primary use case?
Every single Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) has Sophos in front of it. I also use it for Outbound Gateways in my WorkSpaces environment.
How has it helped my organization?
Our company trusts Sophos without even seeing it, as it provides us comfortability while allowing for flexibility.
What is most valuable?
Its scaling capability.
Sophos has a single pane of glass which allows me to manage all my VPCs from a single instance, managing all my firewall from one place, which is huge for me. When you have multiple VPCs and multiple accounts, it becomes too cumbersome to use a product that you have to look at individually. With Sophos, I can look at one place and see everything: my logs, filters, firewall rules, etc.
What needs improvement?
I would like them to move from the Classic Load Balancer to the Network Load Balancer. This would make it easier to do certain things with Amazon. They are able to do some enhancements with Network Load Balancer that they are unable to do with Classic Load Balancer.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have never had a stability issue with Sophos. It self-heals.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have not run into a scalability issue since it is scalable past my license.
How is customer service and technical support?
I have had great technical support. The only issues that I have experienced with technical support are when I get a Tier 1 support person who knows about the on-premise product, not the AWS side of the product.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation and configuration through AWS is easy. They have cloud configuration templates, which are easy to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We originally purchased the solution through the AWS Marketplace. I started my proof of concept doing pay-as-you-go, then moved to a VAR for a 'Bring Your Own Licence' (BYOL) licensing model. The BYOL license still requires you to accept the terms of the AWS Marketplace to deploy.
It is easy to purchase through the AWS Marketplace. In addition, if you have a budget for the AWS Marketplace, then your purchases will appear on your regular Amazon bill, which makes things even easier.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I went and looked at Check Point eight years ago, because back then, I loved Check Point. They also weren't many solutions like this back then. AWS Marketplace did not even exist eight years ago!
After comparing Check Point and Sophos pricing, I questioned whether the decimal for Sophos was in the wrong spot. Sophos's competitors were so much higher in price.
Originally, cost sold me because Check Point and Sophos had the same features. Now, Sophos has surpassed Check Point's features.
What other advice do I have?
If you haven't tried it, do so.
Amazon has their products (e.g., Amazon GuardDuty). However, when you are working in a multiple VPC environment along with digital enhancements and features, some of those enhancements and features are not always available with Amazon, but are with Sophos.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Solutions Specialist at centerprise international
It has ease-of-use and fits the purpose of our firewall protection needs.
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is that it is easy to administer."
- "The most valuable feature is that it is easy to administer."
- "The pricing is an issue."
- "The price is an issue to consider for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case for using this product is as a firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
It has ease-of-use and it fits the purpose of our firewall protection needs.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it is easy to administer.
What needs improvement?
The price is an issue to consider for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the product is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are not a very big organization, so we do not see any issues going into the future. We feel that it will continue to scale appropriately for our organization's needs.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have experience with Sophus, as well.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is something that one will need to consider.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. I am a reseller.
We have a better level of protection and we have the ability for our devices to be more of a self-sustained type of resource.
Pros and Cons
- "I have no problem with the cost or licensing of this solution. This is a primary reason whay I wanted this solution. It does the same thing cheaper than other name brands."
- "I have no problem with the cost or licensing of this solution; this is a primary reason why I wanted this solution, as it does the same thing cheaper than other name brands."
- "The memory and processing were problematic. The interface could be better."
- "The memory and processing were problematic. The interface could be better."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case is as a VPN, a firewall and a web filter.
How has it helped my organization?
We have a better level of protection and we have the ability for our devices to be more of a self-sustained type of resource.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are:
- Firewall protection
- Intrusion detection
What needs improvement?
The memory and processing were problematic. The interface could be better.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I have no problem with the cost or licensing of this solution. This is a primary reason whay I wanted this solution. It does the same thing cheaper than other name brands.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Cloud Network Administrator at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
We cannot use our network on a weekly basis without it.
Pros and Cons
- "It helps us with protection, with concurrent use of the VPN."
- "This solution improved our firewall capability, and we installed an identity process that is extremely helpful."
- "During initial configuration, I encountered a few issues."
- "During initial configuration, I encountered a few issues."
What is our primary use case?
It helps us with protection, with concurrent use of the VPN.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution improved our firewall capability. We installed an identity process, and this is extremely helpful.
What is most valuable?
The security is the most important, and without security, we cannot use our network on a weekly basis.
What needs improvement?
During initial configuration, I encountered a few issues.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution was easy. It was not complex.
What was our ROI?
When considering a product, I think support from the solution is very important.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not have experience with a firewall prior to installing this solution.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: February 2026
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