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Management Board Member and Network Engineer at NewLogics
Reseller
Top 5Leaderboard
Offers considerable protection and employs a very well-structured pricing scheme
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is easy."
  • "The application control is really bad. It needs a lot of enhancements. The traffic shaping and bandwidth control, and application control need a lot of work."

What is our primary use case?

Sophos UTM offers considerable protection and employs a very well-structured pricing scheme.

It's a good choice for businesses that need a basic security solution with a good price-performance ratio. However, it's not a good choice for businesses that need a complex security solution. That's why I'm also considering Fortinet, which can provide a more comprehensive security solution.

What is most valuable?

I like the simplicity of Sophos UTM and the web filtering features.

What needs improvement?

The application control is really bad. It needs a lot of enhancements. The traffic shaping and bandwidth control, and application control need a lot of work.

In future releases, Sophos can enhance its quality of service. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for 11 years. 

Buyer's Guide
Sophos UTM
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos UTM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There are two aspects to consider: software stability and hardware stability. The software is a bit stable, but the hardware needs a lot of improvement. So the software can be rated nine out of ten, but the hardware is only seven out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The software solution is not very scalable. So, it can be improved. 

We have about 50 customers right now using this solution. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. It took half an hour to deploy. 

What about the implementation team?

It is a complex security solution for firewalls. So there are a lot of implementation concerns. It's not like a wireless solution or something like that. So there's no direct answer for this one, especially for security solutions.

For the deployment, maintenance, and management, you need two security engineers. You need security engineers, not just regular engineers.

What was our ROI?

The ROI is extremely high.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost of the license depends on the size of the firewall appliance. There is a huge variety of pricing models.  

Sophos UTM has very reasonable pricing. 

What other advice do I have?

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

It's a good firewall solution for small and medium businesses, but it's not the best choice for businesses with complex security requirements. 

I would recommend that businesses carefully consider their requirements before choosing Sophos UTM. If you need advanced application control, you should look for a different firewall solution.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Daniel  Elías - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at a training & coaching company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 10
I like the web filtering options and the link to Sophos antivirus (Close all connections from-to infected PC)
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the web filtering options."
  • "I would like some features that are available in other brands. For example, I sometimes a person is using too much bandwidth, and it isn't easy to find this information in Sophos. Also, we have to switch connections manually when we are using a VPN and lose the MPLS connection. It isn't automatic."

What is our primary use case?

We use Sophos UTM to secure Internet connection inside our company and to provide secure remote access to the in-office network.

What is most valuable?

I like the web filtering options and the link to Sophos antivirus (Close all connections from-to infected PC).

What needs improvement?

I would like some features that are available in other brands. For example, I sometimes a person is using too much bandwidth, and it isn't easy to find this information in Sophos. Also, we have to switch connections manually when we are using a VPN and lose the MPLS connection. It isn't automatic. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Sophos UTM for five years.

How are customer service and support?

I rate Sophos support seven out of 10. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Sophos UTM is a little pricey, but it's reasonable if I compare it to Fortinet. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Sophos UTM eight out of 10. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Sophos UTM
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos UTM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Account Executive at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
MSP
Highly granular, communicates with other Sophos solutions, and offers good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
  • "I don't really have any notes for improvements."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for firewalls. 

What is most valuable?

The firewall in general is very good. It is comparable to other firewalls. 

Since any environment needs a firewall, it's been helpful in its ability to be highly granular in its configurations. 

Sophos is a security-focused company, which I like. I like that all Sophos products can essentially talk to each other. For example, if a computer has the Sophos antivirus, and it detects something, it actually talks to the Sophos firewall and says, "Hey, I think something is going wrong on this computer." Then, the firewall goes, "You know what? I'm going to shut it down for a while. I'm going to close off all incoming and outgoing connections from that unit until an IT admin comes in and tells me to release it."

It's very scalable.

The solution is stable. 

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. 

What needs improvement?

I don't really have any notes for improvements. I don't need additional features. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for three or more years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution's stability is excellent, and it is reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable and easily expands. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I'm also familiar with Meraki. Sophos, however, has the ability to talk to other Sophos products. 

Meraki would be all isolated, meaning you have a different antivirus. It'll try to block and scan and do its thing, however, the firewall will always allow the connection to go through. Nothing is stopping it from isolating it. From a Sophos perspective, every single thing talks to each other, whether it's Sophos Central, Sophos email security, Sophos antivirus, or Sophos firewall.

They all talk to each other and look at how attackers come in because attackers don't just, poof, appear on a computer. There's a route it needs to take and different layers of protection it has to go through. If all of your layers, your roads, and everything is all Sophos, they all jive, and that's great.

How was the initial setup?

The ease of setup is dependent on the level of technical expertise. If you are a qualified tech, all firewalls should be pretty simple to deploy, depending on the environment. It's simple enough to implement in general. 

What was our ROI?

We have witnessed a positive ROI while using the solution. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Price-wise, you get the bang for your buck. You get a huge value set. Ask for HA, high availability, since a lot of Sophos resellers sell two firewalls, the second one being free. Then, you only pay for one license. If your first firewall fails, the license migrates to the second one.

What other advice do I have?

We are using a variety of different versions of the solution right now. 

It's really, really cool to look into Sophos. I highly recommend it. From an infrastructure, stability, and security perspective in terms of configuring in a granular way, Sophos does it all. It's a really good product and something to look into. 

It's also a lot cheaper than Meraki. It does way more than Meraki. Dollar to dollar, Sophos will likely beat Meraki. For example, with Meraki, you're going to be paying two or three times more for nothing spectacular, nothing different. You just get a portal. It's okay. With Sophos, you do have to know what you're doing, however, any network admin should be able to figure it out. It's not like an ancient hieroglyphic language. It's quite straightforward.

I'd rate it nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Senior Network Engineer at Dejpaad
Real User
Reliable with good mail security and good scaling abilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution can scale."
  • "It needs a better user interface. The one they have is not so good."

What is our primary use case?

This is a next-generation firewall. I use it for mail security for clients. 

What is most valuable?

The mail security is very good. 

It's quite stable.

The solution can scale. 

What needs improvement?

The sanctions make it difficult for us in Iran to take full advantage of this product, like many others. 

It needs a better user interface. The one they have is not so good. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable. The solution is very easy to expand as needed. That's not a problem.

We have 500 or 600 clients on the solution. 

How are customer service and support?

I do not use technical support. Having never dealt with them, I cannot speak to the level of service they provide. 

What other advice do I have?

For sharing and mail security, the solution is very good. I'd recommend it to other users. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. If they offered a better user interface, I would rate them higher. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Faruk Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
Support Engineer at Ensure Support Services Limited
Real User
Excellent synchronized security
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos UTM's best feature is synchronized security."
  • "Sophos UTM's internet security could be better."

What is our primary use case?

I mainly use Sophos UTM to provide network security.

What is most valuable?

Sophos UTM's best feature is synchronized security.

What needs improvement?

Sophos UTM's internet security could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Sophos UTM for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate Sophos UTM's stability eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos UTM is easy to scale.

How are customer service and support?

Sophos's technical support is very good and easy to connect to.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was simple.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Sophos UTM is moderately priced, but it could be improved.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Fortinet, but Sophos UTM is easier to manage and more efficiently priced.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Sophos UTM eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
AlaaMady - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at a insurance company with 51-200 employees
Real User
A useable solution for small businesses who are willing to rely on cloud-based, centralized management of the software
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup was easy."
  • "I would like this solution to support ICAP. Also, they no longer support on-premises management, and are forcing clients to use centralized management via the cloud, which I don't agree with."

What is our primary use case?

We use it as an internet firewall, and as our web application firewall.

How has it helped my organization?

I don't believe it has improved our organization; I don't actually like the product because of the features it is missing.

What needs improvement?

I would like this solution to support ICAP. Also, they no longer support on-premises management, and are forcing clients to use centralized management via the cloud, which I don't agree with.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't find this to be fully stable; we have had to restart the firewall on a few occasions.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support is not very good. They are quite slow, and there are delays in response to an issue being raised.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Negative

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was carried out in-house, and the deployment took around eight hours to complete.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There was an up-front charge of around $70,000, to purchase the hub and license.  Beyond the initial cost, licenses are charged for annually, but they are good value for the service we receive.

What other advice do I have?

I would only recommend this product to small businesses. I would rate this solution as a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Wisnu Nursahid - PeerSpot reviewer
General Manager of Technical Division at VTI
Real User
Top 5
Good visibility and protection against ransomware attacks
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos UTM's best feature is SIM in the cloud, which combines the gateway solution and endpoint solution to send telemetry data to the cloud and provides full contact visibility regarding security."
  • "Sophos UTM's firewall is a bit weak, and some of its features lack depth compared to other products like F5."

How has it helped my organization?

Sophos UTM gives good visibility and prevention against ransomware attacks because they focus on unknown threats, so it's successful in protecting customers.

What is most valuable?

Sophos UTM's best feature is SIM in the cloud, which combines the gateway solution and endpoint solution to send telemetry data to the cloud and provides full contact visibility regarding security.

What needs improvement?

Sophos UTM's firewall is a bit weak, and some of its features lack depth compared to other products like F5.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Sophos UTM for about eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos UTM is quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos UTM is quite simple to scale.

How are customer service and support?

Sophos' technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup takes around seven to nine days.

What was our ROI?

I would rate our ROI from Sophos UTM as three to four out of five.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Sophos UTM's pricing is on the cheaper side.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise starting with the basic firewall before adding other features. I would give Sophos UTM a rating of seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partners/integrators
PeerSpot user
reviewer1134810 - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Information Technology Officer at a engineering company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reseller
Top 5
It's a good value and priced better than many competing solutions, but it should integrate more advanced threat detection
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos UTM provides security for our network here and access through a VPN connection for our remote users. It also offers the flexibility to create different tools for accessibility."
  • "I would like to see Sophos UTM add support for all the new threat-detection technologies and the ability to respond to novel security threats that come along every day."

What is most valuable?

Sophos UTM provides security for our network here and access through a VPN connection for our remote users. It also offers the flexibility to create different tools for accessibility.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see Sophos UTM add support for all the new threat-detection technologies and the ability to respond to novel security threats that come along every day.

I'm in the process of switching every UTM device in all branches to Sophos, so I need visibility into each branch to see the activity. I need alerts for any threat that enters the network. If there is unauthorized access or some specific action that can threaten my network, I want to be notified.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Sophos UTM for the last three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos UTM is stable so far. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't had the need to scale up Sophos UTM so far, but I believe it's scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We have excellent technical support. The company that supports us is highly experienced with Sophos.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously had Cyberoam. After Sophos acquired Cyberoam, we purchased new Sophos hardware devices.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Sophos UTM is priced in the middle range. Okay. It's a good value and a far better price than many competing solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Sophos UTM seven out of 10.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos UTM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: July 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos UTM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.