Sophos Central Reviews

My role is to bridge the gap between customer needs and my team's technical expertise. We collaborate to design and implement solutions that fit their specific requirements.

We cater to a wide range of organizations, from large enterprises in banking to small and medium businesses, call centers, and warehouses. Essentially, any company registered in Pakistan that requires endpoint security, next-generation firewalls, or other cybersecurity solutions can consider us.

The ransomware protection is exceptional, offering a strong defense against outsider attacks and viruses. This has proven extremely valuable to customers facing ransomware threats.

One significant advantage is its competitive dashboard compared to Trend Micro. 

I did encounter a limitation during a Proof of Concept with a large customer. The DLP (Data Loss Prevention) functionality wasn't fully functional when enabled in the central dashboard. I reported this to the distributor and technical team but couldn't get a definitive answer.

In future releases, I would like to see a complete XDR solution in Sophos. I want to see its capability. I want to understand how it works compared to Trend Micro, specifically its features and how it gears up.

Moreover, integration options with Trend Micro would be ideal, too.

I've been with Sophos Central for about three and a half years now, so I've been exposed to Sophos Central through customer interactions and team collaborations.

We work with a range of solutions, including Sophos XDR, Endpoint Protection (both cloud and on-prem), and Central. Additionally, we've sold the XG Firewall in the past.

The stability is almost a ten out of ten. We haven't encountered any issues.

The solution has been very stable. 

I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. It is very good in terms of scalability.

We have around seven to eight customers using this solution.  We have large enterprises and small to medium enterprises as our customers.

The OEM support is excellent, and the second-level distributors like SoftStack and Avan Distribution have the technical expertise. 

As a partner, we also have sales and after-sales teams with expertise in troubleshooting and resolving customer issues. 

Positive

Setting it up is easy. Compared to Kaspersky or Trend Micro, it's no more difficult. Sophos is user-friendly. 

I would rate my experience with the setup a nine out of ten; one is difficult, and ten is easy. It is very easy; there's always room for improvement.

We have both cloud and on-premises deployment models. The cloud is a bit expensive compared to the on-premises version. The deployment model depends on the customers. 

We actually operate as a cloud solution provider ourselves. We have a sister company called CloudKind, and we offer various cloud environments through our own data centers. We deploy HCI solutions and complete cloud solutions and even offer VM solutions for customers. They can get Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, Software as a Service, Disaster Recovery as a Service... everything comes from our cloud, not AWS or any other external provider.

I focus on commercial aspects like pitching features and convincing customers. Once we receive a confirmed order and payment, we send it to our distributor, EZ Technology, which handles license key distribution and activation over email. The post-sales team then takes over, working with the customer to configure and manage the deployment based on their specific needs and devices.

The deployment usually takes around three to four weeks. It's safe to say three to four weeks. It depends on our team's workload and the customer's availability. Since customers are running live applications, they usually provide us access outside their working hours, like after 6:00 P.M. or 8:00 PM. That's why deploying the DDR and Central dashboard solution takes three to four weeks.

I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with one being the cheapest and ten being the most expensive. It is rather expensive. 

Compared to Kaspersky's EDR and centralized solution, which offers more discounts, Sophos Central seems a bit more expensive. That's our observation so far.

I always tailor my advice to the customer's specific needs. If their top priority is protection against ransomware and ICS/IDH attacks, I recommend Sophos. 

For complex networks with a large threat landscape, Trend Micro's XDR solution might be a better fit. Ultimately, I analyze the customer's network and requirements before suggesting the most suitable solution. I don't favor any specific brand like Trend Micro, IBM, or Kaspersky.

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

We incorporate it into our demo for its cloud-based security solution, similar to Trend Micro Logistics, ensuring robust security for both client machines and servers. The inclusion of features enhances the user experience, providing a friendly and intuitive interface.

It's highly valuable as it ensures that no unauthorized installations occur without the IT team's permission, maintaining a secure environment. This allows for precise application of security measures, similar to a firewall, where connectivity and application definitions are meticulously managed. The protection and enterprise-level features are commendable, offering robust control and firewall management for designated machines. Additionally, encryption can be applied seamlessly through the support center, providing comprehensive control over all aspects of security. The backend protection further enhances the overall security posture.

Vulnerability protection and monitoring any changes are crucial aspects that require attention. Considering the specific requirements of the banking sector where constant internet usage may not be permissible, it might be worthwhile for the company to reconsider offering an on-premises solution. This would cater to users who prefer or require an in-house solution due to security and permission concerns associated with internet networks. The DLP feature is present, but it may not be considered a comprehensive DLP solution and it should be improved.

I would rate its stability capabilities seven out of ten.

It caters to a wide range of customers, including small and medium enterprises. It is versatile and adaptable, working effectively in various scenarios and meeting the diverse needs of its user base, regardless of the size or type of business.

I would rate its customer service and support eight out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup posed some complexities in the process.

Being a cloud solution eliminates the need to set up client-server arrangements for databases as everything is readily available. You just need to create a login account, sign in, download or deploy the agent on servers, and apply policies. However, a lightweight agent is essential to prevent any adverse impact on machine performance during evaluation. The deployment process can be completed in five minutes.

The price is relatively affordable. When compared to other vendors, it is a more cost-effective option. I would rate it six out of ten.

If you're focused on client security, I recommend opting for Sophos Central. Overall, I would rate it seven out of ten.

We are a vendor. In the last company, we were a platinum partner of Sophos. So we provided services to other businesses, like corporate businesses or many businesses.

I have deployed it in many scenarios. Many customer days come to us, and they're migrating their services, like, services to Sophos, like the other firewall to Sophos. They deploy a new one. So we tried different scenarios, like an active firewall with central services, central with active-active firewall, and the support central endpoint services. There are so many scenarios.

Sophos Central is good. It's also free for all those firewalls because, from Sophos Central, we manage the firewalls and push the policies to the firewall. 

Also, we manage the Endpoint with the endpoint and firewall, with Sophos Central in view, monitoring all the policies, logs, and various features in the Sophos Central orchestration features. 

We can push templates to all the firewalls, and they are updated automatically with the Central. It syncs automatically, and all the firewalls appear in Sophos firewall in our environment. So we can manage all firewalls, push policies, log our endpoint to endpoints, and update endpoints. Also, see the protection policy and all the various features.

There are areas of improvement because there are license restrictions.

In future releases, I would like to see more awareness about this product. Most customers don't know about Sophos Central. Sometimes, I have to ask customers to use Sophos Central because they don't know it exists. 

It's not well-marketed, so many customers don't know about this feature. Many vendors use firewalls, but they don't use Sophos Central. For example, if you have five firewalls, the reporting limit might be reached. So, many customers don't know about Sophos Central, and I sometimes have to force them to use it.

The stability of Sophos Central is generally good. Sometimes, issues arise due to server distribution, particularly from my region in Pakistan. There are two data centers, which can cause browsing delays. Overall, most of the time, it functions well, but there are occasional lapses due to these data center issues. Overall, I would rate the stability as seven out of ten.

I've noticed regional difficulties, such as high latency from the vendor's server. Generally, it's about eighty percent effective, but there are times when it's problematic.

I would rate its scalability an eight out of ten. As a partner, we handle multiple scenarios. Sometimes it's hundreds of end users, sometimes thousands, and sometimes it's even more. The number of end users varies from time to time.

The support is good. Initially, they escalate issues through the L1 and L2 engines. Often, the first few emails or days can be less productive, but after that, the L2 team becomes more engaged. For partners, I suggest a different support channel, which should allow direct quality reporting.

Neutral

We worked with Kaspersky and other key solutions. Each has its strengths, but for robust security and support features, Sophos Central is preferable. I find its antivirus software and firewall solutions to be highly effective.

The initial setup is easy. It's very user-friendly. We can push policies through the GUI, like threat protection and file protection. Scanning protection begins with the GUI. It's no problem. 

But for deployment, it's difficult, just like deployment purposes. If you're going to deploy the endpoint, it is difficult to deploy the central. We can go through the systems or through the active directory or something, but there are no other features like this.

There's no need to deploy. It's on the cloud. We have to create an account and sync our antivirus. It takes about three to five minutes to sync.

The pricing is very competitive. When compared to other vendors like Fortinet, Sophos stands out, especially in terms of firewall and endpoint pricing. It's more affordable than other American brands, and while not as cheap as Chinese brands, the quality and pricing balance is excellent.

On a scale, I would rate it a ten out of ten.  I would emphasize the range of features like DLP, file label protection, and user policies that align with your organizational needs. Sophos Central offers comprehensive protection and a variety of policy-based solutions that are highly beneficial for any organization.

We use Sophos Central to ensure compliance activity.

Sophos Central is a user-friendly solution, and its configuration is very easy. The most valuable features of Sophos Central are total threat hunting and detection response.

Sophos Central must incorporate a diagrammatic graphical user interface for its practices and compliances.

I have been using Sophos Central for two years.

I rate Sophos Central a nine out of ten for stability.

Sophos Central is a scalable solution. Around 1,500 users are using the solution in our organization.

I rate Sophos Central a nine out of ten for scalability.

The solution’s technical support is very good.

Positive

The solution’s initial deployment is very easy.

One engineer can deploy the solution in around three days.

We have seen a return on investment with Sophos Central because its threat-hunting detection is very good. The solution has saved around 60% of our organization’s money.

Sophos Central is moderately priced. We have to pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate Sophos Central's pricing a six to seven out of ten.

Before choosing Sophos Central, we evaluated other options like SonicWall, Juniper, and WatchGuard. We chose Sophos Central because of the cost and better endpoint detection.

Sophos Central is deployed on-cloud in our organization. The solution’s maintenance is easy and can be done by one person.

As the endpoint and applications increase in an organization, Sophos Central can detect and protect from Trojans, viruses, and spyware.

Overall, I rate Sophos Central an eight out of ten.

Sophos Central provides a unified security platform that simplifies the management of our firewall, EDR, XDR, endpoint security, email security, and access points. The synchronized collaboration among these components ensures a cohesive defense against cyber threats through a streamlined, centralized console. This integrated approach not only enhances security but also simplifies administration.

Our clients have found significant advantages in using Sophos extensively. One key benefit is its efficient use of bandwidth, especially in medium-sized organizations. In the Bangladesh market, where enterprise solutions are common, Sophos stands out for being cost-effective.

What I find most valuable in Sophos Central is its clear and detailed threat visibility on the dashboard. Unlike some other security products, Sophos shows every threat it catches and it makes it stand out in my analysis. In my monthly reports, Sophos consistently outperforms others, especially in inspecting and handling threats. This transparency is a big plus, especially when managing clients.

I would like to see improvements in the password recovery process within the Sophos Central solution. Currently, the process of recovering a forgotten password involves unnecessary complexity, and it takes a considerable amount of time, often up to 15 minutes or more. This aspect doesn't seem to be a security feature but rather a system-related issue.

I have been working with Sophos Central for four years.

The solution is very stable. A while back, some clients got hit by ransomware, so I installed Sophos Central on over four hundred PCs, and there haven't been any more ransomware issues since then.

Sophos Central is quite scalable. 

The initial setup was incredibly easy, more than easy. There is zero task provision support, making the process smooth and straightforward. Deploying Sophos Central to a customer's side is straightforward. I create an account using the client's email on Sophos Partner Central, manage their chosen products, and configure everything to fit the needs of each department. It is generally a speedy deployment.

The pricing structure of Sophos is notably lower compared to other security vendors, making the ROI percentage higher for our clients.

Unlike pricier and less customer-friendly alternatives, Sophos provides a robust solution at a reasonable price.

Sophos Central is great for syncing security across different tools and works well with Azure Cloud. However, some competitors, like Palo Alto, don't have the same level of security sync in the cloud dashboard. Sophos might be the better choice for streamlined security.

My advice to new users would be to focus on Sophos XDR and EDR, as they have proven to be excellent products in my experience. While Sophos Central is not a standalone product, the XDR and EDR services offer robust cybersecurity solutions. However, I have encountered some issues with Sophos firewall, particularly related to firmware updates causing productivity disruptions. To avoid these challenges, I suggest prioritizing Sophos EDR, XDR, and MDR services, as they consistently deliver reliable performance in the Sophos portfolio. Overall, I would rate the solution as a seven out of ten.

Regarding use cases, our main focus with the solution is on endpoints and endpoint security. We've acquired around a hundred licenses and deployed them to our employees to ensure comprehensive security and avoid any potential security risks.

The user interface of Sophos Central is excellent. One standout feature is the ease of identifying endpoints. If you have the serial number, that's sufficient to fetch the relevant endpoint. For instance, if you want to identify devices with the solution, you can easily do so using the serial number. Another noteworthy aspect is the real-time visibility into malware threats. In the malware alerts, you can precisely see the issue, where it occurred, and the recommended actions for IT personnel. This real-time insight is incredibly valuable.

Integration with third party applications should be improved.

I used the solution for around three years but last used it in September 2022, about a year ago.

The solution is stable.

We have had 100 people using the solution in our organization.

I contacted them two or three times, and they responded promptly each time. They addressed my queries and concerns quickly.

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward.

The product's pricing was somewhat high. We paid Rs. 1500 INR per license, approximately equivalent to 20 USD.

Users can check out other solutions like CrowdStrike too.

My clients have 120 firewalls. They are all on Sophos Central. The tool can be used for firewall management.

I appreciate the fact that all my firewalls are in Sophos Central. Some of our customers do not have public static IPs. They're on DHCP through service providers, and I can manage and monitor my firewalls through it. It makes my life a lot easier. The tool enables me to see the security of my customers’ PCs at a glance.

The product must be made a little bit quicker. It sometimes takes me up to three to five minutes just to log in and see my dashboard. Once we’re in, it’s alright. The initial login is time-consuming.

I have been using the solution for more than five years.

The tool is very, very stable. We have had no issues.

The tool is very, very scalable. Our customers are medium to enterprise-level businesses.

We had a small language barrier with the support staff. The call center is in India. They have great knowledge, but they have very heavy accents. A lot of times, we struggle to understand what they are saying. Normally, I ask them to put it in an email to me and do my research about everything.

Positive

I have worked with Symantec. Broadcom and Veritas bought it. However, none of these solutions are anywhere near Sophos. When I used Symantec, I struggled to log in to the enterprise console in the cloud. Symantec used cookies to authenticate my browser.

Once, the cookies were changed and were not updated on my side. So, I had to re-authenticate and run through the whole process again to find the latest version of the software and download it. I had to physically log a support call just for them to point me in the correct direction of where I could download the latest software. It became a very tedious and time-consuming operation every single time I had to do an update.

The solution is very easy to install. One person can install the product in about five minutes. When I deploy the tool, I copy the initial setup file onto my server. I go through all the PCs and click on the setup. Upgrades and version updates are automatic. I don't have to worry about anything. When there's an alert on my email, I log in to Sophos Central and do some checks.

The tool is a little more expensive than other solutions. However, we get more value for money from Sophos. We pay an annual license fee for the tool. The monthly licensing option is more expensive than the annual license.

I would recommend the solution to others. Anyone who wants to do a trial with Sophos can engage with the software support people. The team will help do a case study, which will help convince the management to choose the product. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

I primarily use Sophos Central to monitor endpoints with active antivirus. It helps me check which endpoints are active and have the Sophos disk encryption solution installed.

The most valuable feature of Sophos Central is its visibility. It provides a comprehensive overview of all endpoints in my system that have Sophos agents running, offering a single pane of glass. This visibility allows me to see that I have a hundred devices that are up to date.

The firewall capabilities of Sophos Central need improvement. I have found it somewhat limited, and I prefer to work directly on the device for firewall management.

I have been using Sophos Central for roughly five years.

I would rate the stability of Sophos Central as eight out of ten since I have never really tested its limits.

I only use it for a couple of functions, such as availability and monitoring elements in the environment, and thus I would rate it a five.

I have not communicated with technical support for Sophos Central.

I participated in the initial setup for a couple of systems, and I would rate the experience as seven out of ten in terms of ease.

Overall, I would rate Sophos Central as six out of ten. 

There is significant room for improvement, particularly in the firewall features.