We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiGate-VM and Sophos XGS based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Firewalls solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."Initial setup is straightforward. There weren't too many issues with setting it up. It takes one hour or so."
"The tool is a nice product and easy to handle. The software's user interface is also good. You can easily implement remote access in the solution."
"It's very fast and easy to configure."
"The CLI is robust and powerful, enabling rapid, consistent changes via SSH."
"The base firewall features are quite valuable to us."
"Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use."
"It is a good source for firewall protection."
"The scalability is good in Fortinet FortiGate."
"Technical support has been super responsive and dedicated to getting any challenges resolved."
"The performance overall is very good."
"It's very easy to set up, even for more junior developers."
"Regarding specific features, I appreciate the option for external selection, where you can choose either to use a default or create a self-description. This simplifies the process compared to other vendors that require creating a test extension profile and then applying it to the installation. With FortiGate, there is a streamlined approach. From the benefits perspective, clients mainly see cost reduction, especially with FortiGate VM Firewall, as it eliminates the need for additional hardware."
"Good for the servers and can stop network attacks, including spam."
"The product can scale."
"The EPM bundle is a good feature."
"I've found the UTM features and the SD-WAN to be most valuable."
"I like the Sophos UI. It interface has a more comfortable feel than the competitors."
"Sophos XGS's most valuable feature is content filtering."
"The most valuable feature of Sophos is the VPN solution. I also value their threat management, IPS IDS features and login features with single sign-on."
"It is very stable. I have not heard of any issue where clients would have to replace hardware. It's been really stable for a long while."
"It's easy to use and user-friendly."
"It is scalable."
"The most valuable features in Sophos XGS are identity and VPN. It is a very good solution that is able to detect and prevent a lot of malicious activity."
"There are good KCL rules and policies as well as NATing rules."
"I have to say that the initial setup was complex. The deployment took a few days to get set up. Initially, we were using an IPVanish. We switched to this tool since we thought it would be easier. But it turns out it wasn't easier to set up and run."
"I don't like that anything more than very basic reporting is not included."
"In terms of what could be improved, the SD-WAN is quite difficult, because if you install the new box, 15 is okay, but if you change from an old configuration, if there is already configuration and a policy when you change to SD-WAN, you must change the whole policy that you see in the interface."
"Lacks training for new features."
"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having more storage in the hardware for log data."
"Fortinet FortiGate could improve if it had a cloud-managed solution."
"The search tool needs improvement. It's very difficult to search for policies right now."
"In the balance between links feature normally you can just choose one option to balance. It would be better for the solution to have more than one option, preferably three."
"The scalability feature of the solution has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required."
"The performance could be better. Some features need to have quality control when the switch is working. The dedicated bandwidth for some users is not reliable."
"Compatibility and integration with other products or vendors such as Cisco SD-WAN products need improvement."
"In the next release, we would like to see full integration with VMware NSX virtualized networks."
"I have had a data issue with physical devices that could improve."
"The stability of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"In terms of improvement, there have been some problems with the bandwidth of the security layer."
"Fortinet devices are acknowledged as highly potent and come with a notable cost. These devices offer extensive visibility, an array of configurations, and a range of security features. However, there's room for enhancement in their routing and switching security aspects, akin to Cisco's offerings. A noteworthy aspect here is Meraki, which offers cloud controllers. If FortiGate were to introduce a similar cloud management solution, it could strongly compete with both Meraki and Cisco products. Cisco operates in two sectors: enterprise and SMB. Particularly in the SMB market, they hold sway due to their convenient cloud management features. For instance, Meraki's cameras and wireless access points can be easily controlled through their cloud management portal. If FortiGate were to provide cloud-based management solutions for SMB customers, it could cater to a significant portion of the market, considering that a substantial number of customers fall within the SMB and mid-level enterprise categories."
"Sophos XGS could improve the automation system. It could be better if there was some level of automation, attacks automation, meaning if this happens, then it automatically executes a particular process."
"When it comes to different interfaces there is some speed issue that can be improved in Sophos XGS."
"The reporting could be better."
"There are some issues with conversion and user roles when upgrading to Cyberoam."
"It would be good if we could do dual customization."
"Sophos' technical support has degraded in the last couple of years. They seem to need to ask a lot of questions, even with simple problems, and take a long time to provide solutions."
"Sophos XGS's response to zero-day attacks could be improved."
"Sophos XGS would benefit from further development in the SD-WAN area."
Fortinet FortiGate-VM is ranked 9th in Firewalls with 113 reviews while Sophos XGS is ranked 18th in Firewalls with 58 reviews. Fortinet FortiGate-VM is rated 8.4, while Sophos XGS is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate-VM writes "An easy-to-manage and configure tool that provides ample documentation to help with the setup phase". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XGS writes "Highly stable, scalable, and priced well". Fortinet FortiGate-VM is most compared with Azure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, Fortinet FortiOS and OPNsense, whereas Sophos XGS is most compared with Sophos XG, OPNsense, Netgate pfSense, WatchGuard Firebox and Juniper SRX Series Firewall. See our Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Sophos XGS report.
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