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Sangfor NGAF vs Sophos UTM comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate
Sponsored
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
575
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (2nd), Firewalls (1st), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (1st), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st), ZTNA (2nd), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)
Sangfor NGAF
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (20th)
Sophos UTM
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
115
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (5th)
 

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.
Zaid Farooqui - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced threat detection with integrated security features and good support
We are using application firewalling, WAF, and SD-WAN. The capabilities are mostly within the box. For example, you will get web application firewall WAF as part and parcel of this. SD-WAN is also bundled. It integrates with their SIEM and SOAR solutions very nicely. Lastly, the pricing point is very cost-efficient as well.
Samaila Yusuf - PeerSpot reviewer
Network protection strengthens through effective threat management features and secure access control
The zero-day protection and firewall rules are some of the most effective features for threat management. I can set the rules and features, and also use IPsec to connect all my on-premises servers and link them to Sophos UTM so that they are protected even when in the cloud. Additionally, I use it to control access into the building through a captive portal integrated across all the PCs we have, ensuring secure access only for authenticated users.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall has a very high ROI"
"Allows for firewall rules to be programmed and named in a way that makes it “readable”"
"FortiGate is easy to use, and I also like its VPN."
"The solution is very, very easy to use."
"The dynamic segmentation feature in Fortinet FortiGate is pretty good."
"The most useful features in Fortinet FortiGate are the security features, where we can analyze what kind of traffic is inside our network, and we also utilize ZTNA for limiting and managing our network access."
"The user interface is relatively easy. The devices are easy to deploy and figure out when you have experience with other security appliances."
"The SD-WAN feature of Fortinet FortiGate has been most impactful in maintaining our network's integrity."
"It offers application control features."
"Sangfor NGAF specializes in ransomware detection and helps to protect our network from ransomware threats and malware."
"It seems to be a durable, stable product."
"It enables us to not only detect but also prevent various types of incoming threats, allowing us to take appropriate corrective actions and exercise control over the network."
"In four steps one can configure the entire firewall."
"In terms of the most valuable features, the IPS report is quick and updated. Performance is also valuable."
"The capabilities are mostly within the box."
"So far, the performance and reliability of the product have supported our company's critical network traffic."
"Sophos UTM is the simplest of these products to setup."
"The packet filtering's great. You get out what you put into it. It works great as long as you know your security and configure everything adequately. If you just pop one in and it's not configured, then it's basically wide open. It kind of depends on the admin skill, but it's an excellent product."
"The most valuable features of Sophos UTM are the ease of use, it is very user-friendly. You can understand what they implement in the new firmware, and it's easy to manage the firewalls."
"It is easy to manage."
"It helps us with protection, with concurrent use of the VPN."
"We find all of the features valuable because together they fit the needs of our customers."
"Configuration troubleshooting is eased by the use of the color-coded, live firewall log."
"The product is extremely intuitive."
 

Cons

"Technical support for this solution can be improved."
"In FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW), my concern regarding improvements is the licensing model."
"In an incident, after a restart, Fortinet FortiGate did not connect to FortiGuard servers. Due to that reason, on the customer end, all websites got blocked. I don't know why this happened. The firewall of a bank in Sri Lanka rebooted yesterday, and after that, FortiGuard servers did not connect properly, blocking all customer environment websites."
"They could simplify their deployment process, especially when customers have existing devices."
"The graphical interface could be improved."
"The product's data guard feature should support a USB port when the internet connection is unavailable."
"There should be better customization in the IPS."
"Maybe they can offer a smaller scope for a cheaper price for smaller organizations."
"Sangfor NGAF could improve the policies and default criteria. They could be much better."
"The solution has too many bugs and these slow down the implementation."
"The reporting and log management could be improved."
"Lacks consistency in terms of filtering certain websites and applications."
"Sangfor could improve by providing better real-time reporting, as the current reports don't offer the level of detail we need, especially for runtime insights."
"I feel Sangfor should follow the hierarchy and close deals via resellers instead of closing it all with their own team."
"The web interface needs to be improved, making it more user-friendly."
"Our experience with its customer support was quite challenging."
"There is still room for improvement in wireless protection. I don't mean their WiFi device is bad, but there are still things to improve on, such as WiFi roaming."
"Sophos customer support could use some improvement."
"It is a little too CPU resource intensive, so we would like to see improvements there."
"Sophos UTM's firewall is a bit weak, and some of its features lack depth compared to other products like F5."
"The initial setup was straightforward. The full deployment takes approximately two days which could be simplified to reduce the time. The major part of the process is the configuration and the policy setup."
"The memory and processing were problematic. The interface could be better."
"We need to speed up the support."
"I didn't like it much. It suits only small businesses. It isn't scalable and reliable. There is a very critical issue with the power supply."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is highly competitive when compared to other brands that offer similar functionality."
"We have the full version of Fortinet FortiGate and we are on a three-year contract with a commitment of five years."
"The cost of Fortinet FortiGate is competitive and not expensive compared to other enterprise- grade solutions. On average, the license cost per year is around seventy percent of the firewall's purchase price."
"It is an inexpensive solution."
"The price is fair compared to the other competitors."
"I give the pricing a nine out of ten."
"There is a licensing fee; it is on a yearly basis."
"Other firewalls are more expensive than Fortinet FortiGate, such as the Azure firewall."
"Sangfor NGAF price is reasonable and there is an annual license. However, the maintenance cost can be a bit high."
"The license of Sangfor NGAF can be purchased at different interval lengths, such as annually or three years. They offer a range of packages to choose from, such as combo or hybrid packages. We are using the complete solution package which includes IM, NGF and SSL VPN, and WAF."
"We purchased one year technical support and return to factory support, and we also purchased one-year technical support services. So those were additional."
"I rate the product price as one on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."
"Price-wise, I would not consider Sangfor NGAF to be a cheap product. It is an expensive firewall solution, though not as expensive as something like Palo Alto, which is costly. However, the higher price point is justifiable given the feature set the tool provides that other firewalls may not offer in a single dedicated appliance."
"The solution has a TCO that is 32% to 50% less than Sophos, Fortinet, and SonicWall."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"The price could be more competitive."
"Purchasing it through the AWS Marketplace went smoothly. We did not have any issues and the pricing was decent."
"The licensing model is very straightforward, it's a bit pricey, but for what you get, it's well worth it."
"Sophos offers free training when selling their products from within the partner portal.​"
"The appliance should be purchased and there is a fee for the license."
"I rate the product's price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"The pricing is pretty reasonable. I don't think that it is overly expensive."
"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."
"Pricing for Sophos UTM is OK. Here in Egypt, many companies use the solution because of its price and features. My company pays the Sophos UTM license fee yearly."
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Comparison Review

it_user216600 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 3, 2016
Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate
I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business351
Midsize Enterprise130
Large Enterprise187
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise10
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business71
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise26
 

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?
When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...
What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...
What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?
As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...
What do you like most about Sangfor NGAF?
I think Sangfor NGAF is more valuable than Cisco products because of its simplicity and ease of management. If I comp...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sangfor NGAF?
The licensing cost is quite high compared to other available firewalls in the market.
What needs improvement with Sangfor NGAF?
The cost of licensing is very high compared to other firewalls available here. There should be improvements in hardwa...
What do you like most about Sophos UTM?
The most valuable feature of Sophos UTM is the endpoint protection feature.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos UTM?
The value between what I receive and what I pay is the best in the industry.
What needs improvement with Sophos UTM?
For the challenges I've faced, zero trust is one area where I haven't worked much or have sufficient experience.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Sangfor NGAF Firewall Platform
Astaro
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya
The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Indonesia), Lawson, Inc. (Philippines), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (Indonesia), TEK Automotive (Italy), etc.
One Housing Group
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