


Sophos Firewall and Palo Alto Networks PA-Series compete in the cybersecurity solutions category. Palo Alto Networks seems to have an edge in threat prevention and machine learning-driven security, while Sophos Firewall offers good value for money and centralized management.
Features: Sophos Firewall provides web and application filtering, wireless integration, email protection, and robust reporting. It includes centralized management through Sophos Central, advanced threat protection, and seamless VPN integration. Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is known for its machine learning-driven security, threat prevention technologies, and cloud-based security integration. It also excels in in-depth traffic analysis.
Room for Improvement: Sophos Firewall faces issues with reporting and scalability, with users noting a lack of advanced GUI features and configuration complexity. Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is criticized for its high cost, slow technical support response, and the need for improvements in its user interface and SD-WAN features.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Sophos Firewall is straightforward to deploy, supporting hybrid and on-premises environments. Although initial configuration can be challenging, customer service is generally helpful. Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is praised for deployment across infrastructures, but configuration complexity is challenging for newcomers. The support system is robust but may be costly, with some lag in response times.
Pricing and ROI: Sophos Firewall is competitively priced, appealing to small to mid-sized businesses, offering a good return on investment by integrating multiple services. However, rising license costs and additional features can be concerning. Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is more expensive, targeting enterprises needing extensive security capabilities. Its comprehensive feature set justifies the price, but may not suit budget-constrained organizations. Both solutions enhance security and provide ROI, with financial feasibility varying by company size and budget.
Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.
The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.
It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.
The return on investment with this product is a hard question because security tends to be a cost center rather than a profit center.
The costs have increased with Sophos XGS in the last few years, with license prices going up by 30%, doubling from $2,500 to about $5,000, which is a big challenge for us.
The graphical interface of Sophos XG simplifies configurations, saving time in support and troubleshooting compared to the Linux-based solution I previously used.
We purchased endpoint security for the first time last year, and even without endpoint security, it provides comprehensive security.
The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.
I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.
They're constantly following up after a case has been opened to ensure that it has been resolved properly.
Initially, it took one or two hours to get a Palo Alto engineer, which is quite slow.
I am happy with the technical support from Palo Alto.
I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.
Their team was quick to diagnose and resolve the problem by exchanging the equipment within two weeks.
Any issues are quickly addressed by their support team, which is not common among all OEM manufacturers.
They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.
The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.
We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.
The solution can handle more than ten thousand users in my organization.
There are no restrictions in scalability.
You can scale up to multiple firewalls with centralized management.
You can't upgrade memory or storage on a specific model, which limits scalability.
I rate the scalability a nine out of ten.
We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.
It is rated at nine out of ten for stability and is very reliable.
Sophos XG is very stable, even when serving as a DHCP server.
Sophos XGS is stable now, and I would rate its stability as a ten out of ten.
These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.
The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.
It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.
You can buy cheaper products, but I believe in the value they're giving us.
The interface of Palo Alto Networks PA-Series should be made much more user-friendly.
For the next release of the Palo Alto Networks PA-Series firewall, I would like to see logs monitoring included.
The solution should have the ability to be up to date with the most recent threats.
This suggests a vulnerability that needs addressing to ensure administrators can update patches without losing access.
Business cannot stop just because of issues with support.
Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.
It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.
It is about 20% cheaper.
The firewall is expensive for every company, but the cost is worth it to ensure maximum security.
The price of Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is expensive.
Regarding value for money, we brought this Palo Alto Networks PA-Series firewall last month, and we have taken up to 3 year renewals.
I rate the pricing a ten out of ten.
Currently, it costs about four million shillings in Kenya.
The cost depends on the package you are in, such as full threat management or basic.
These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.
The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.
We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.
Integrated threat intelligence has empowered my organization to adapt to threats by taking a lot of the burden off us; there's just no way we would see the same breadth of knowledge that a vendor or manufacturer would have.
The most effective features of the solution are its Magic Quadrant positioning, making it a leading firewall on perimeter areas and internet edges.
The most valuable feature of Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is that it is highly customizable.
The firewall feature of Sophos XG has been the most effective for threat prevention.
Integration with endpoint security products ensures seamless traffic flow and rule enforcement, even when endpoints are not directly connected to the firewall.
Visibility features are included in XDR. This provides information on user impact, potential threats on specific machines, source and destination IPs, setup firewall details, and unique identifiers for each machine.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Fortinet FortiGate | 18.7% |
| Sophos XG | 8.4% |
| Palo Alto Networks PA-Series | 1.0% |
| Other | 71.9% |



| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 357 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 133 |
| Large Enterprise | 188 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 13 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 5 |
| Large Enterprise | 15 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 203 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 62 |
| Large Enterprise | 52 |
Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.
Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.
What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is essential for firewall implementation, perimeter defense, securing infrastructure boundaries, web filtering, VPN, and threat prevention. Organizations deploy it for secure cloud connections, internet security, and managing network devices.
Companies trust Palo Alto Networks PA-Series to protect corporate networks from external threats, control traffic between networks, and meet regulatory compliance. Integrating well with applications, it offers centralized management and advanced security features such as IDS, IPS, and GlobalProtect. It ensures stable performance, application-based policy enforcement, and decryption of SSL traffic while providing efficient resource usage and comprehensive logging.
What are the key features?Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is implemented across industries like healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing. In healthcare, it ensures patient data protection and compliance with HIPAA. Financial institutions utilize it to secure transactions and meet regulatory standards. Retailers benefit from protecting customer information and securing online payments. Manufacturing companies deploy it to safeguard intellectual property and control plant floor operations.
Sophos Firewall provides comprehensive network security with web filtering, VPN capabilities, and cloud integration. Users highlight its effective threat prevention and flexibility for customizable policies, enhancing network visibility and management.
Renowned for its robust security, Sophos Firewall simplifies network protection through advanced features like intrusion prevention and endpoint protection integration. Its user-friendly interface allows seamless remote management and tailored rule creation, making it ideal for varied environments like healthcare and education. While the system excels in threat detection, areas such as interface navigation, support response times, and VPN integration face challenges. Enhanced reporting and bandwidth management are essential for improved performance.
What are the standout features of Sophos Firewall?Industries such as healthcare, education, and finance implement Sophos Firewall for secure VPNs, improved threat management, and effective traffic monitoring. Its load balancing and email security features support compliance and governance, ensuring robust protection tailored to sector-specific requirements.
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