The solution is used to create intelligent policies and users, and to manage bandwidth. You can also use it to deploy wireless access points. I use it to deploy the access points and also control them, linking it with my active directory for authentication purposes.
ICT Manager at National Geospatial and Space Agency
Protects my IT infrastructure from attacks
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is that it protects my IT infrastructure from attacks."
- "SSID authentication has to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it protects my IT infrastructure from attacks.
What needs improvement?
SSID authentication has to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos Central since 2021.
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Central
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Central. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
872,922 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a highly stable solution. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. Ninety users are using the solution. I rate the scalability a nine out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is an affordable solution.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
A highly scalable and stable solution that enables users to manage and monitor firewalls
Pros and Cons
- "The tool enables me to see the security of my customers’ PCs at a glance."
- "The product must be made a little bit quicker."
What is our primary use case?
My clients have 120 firewalls. They are all on Sophos Central. The tool can be used for firewall management.
What is most valuable?
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.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is very, very stable. We have had no issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is very, very scalable. Our customers are medium to enterprise-level businesses.
How are customer service and support?
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.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
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.
How was the initial setup?
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.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
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.
What other advice do I have?
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.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Central
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Central. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
872,922 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Information Technology Security Officer at South African National Accreditation System (sanas)
Provides a comprehensive overview of all endpoints but the firewall needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Sophos Central is its visibility."
- "The firewall capabilities of Sophos Central need improvement."
What is our primary use case?
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.
What is most valuable?
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.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos Central for roughly five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Sophos Central as eight out of ten since I have never really tested its limits.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
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.
How are customer service and support?
I have not communicated with technical support for Sophos Central.
How was the initial setup?
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.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate Sophos Central as six out of ten.
There is significant room for improvement, particularly in the firewall features.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Leader at Die Ambulanten - Home Care GmbH
A simple and flexible solution that is easy to use and provides excellent features
Pros and Cons
- "The product is easy to use."
- "The solution must provide a separate app for Tamper Protection."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to protect our network.
What is most valuable?
The policies and the management of the services and computers are valuable features. The product is easy to use. It is flexible and simple.
What needs improvement?
The solution must provide a separate app for Tamper Protection. Now, we have to go to Sophos Central to look for the station and take the passwords to disable the antivirus for PC maintenance. If we had an app where we could get the Tamper Protection password for admins, we could work more easily with it. It would be easier for administrative purposes to have a universal app where I can see all my stations with the Tamper passwords.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for four to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have had no issues with the tool’s stability. It runs well. We can see all the problems on Sophos Central and correct or fix them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable. The only thing we have to do is talk to our partner to buy more licenses, and we get the licenses one day later. About 25 people use the solution in our organization.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Sophos Central, we used Avira. It had a management center similar to Sophos Central. Sophos is better. Avira doesn't support networks anymore. Avira only serves private people. That is why we moved to Sophos.
How was the initial setup?
The product is easy to install. The deployment takes a few minutes per station. I just double-click on the setup, and everything works on its own. The solution is cloud-based. It is easy to maintain. One person is enough to maintain the tool.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is moderately expensive. We pay the licensing fee every three years. There are no additional costs associated with the product.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the tool a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Network Security at Gofaster
Easy-to-manage product with an efficient integration feature
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to manage and configure."
- "There could be more integration included in the product."
What is our primary use case?
We use Sophos Central to manage Sophos Endpoint integration and Sophos Firewall.
What is most valuable?
The platform provides smart integration between Sophos Endpoint and Firewall. It is easy to manage and configure. We do not require any technical assistance for integration. We can execute the process with the help of activation code.
What needs improvement?
There could be more integration included in the product.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Sophos Central's stability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Sophos has a helpful support team. However, we have never contacted them.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process of the cloud solution is easy. It is a two to three-step implementation and takes an hour to complete.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Sophos Central a ten out of ten. I recommend it to others as it enables users to work with Sophos Endpoint and Firewall. We can manage the operation through one dashboard.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Monitoring Expert at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Provided reports on which devices were being used in the company area, and it prevented unauthorized devices
Pros and Cons
- "The most important feature is definitely the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) tool. It allows us to track malware and other incidents in our environment."
- "Maybe the license pricing could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
For me, it's a great solution for endpoint management features like responding to threats and monitoring.
How has it helped my organization?
When I worked with large call centers, the most important thing was the device control feature. It provided reports on which devices were being used in the company area, and it prevented unauthorized devices from connecting to the computers. This was especially helpful because certain devices could be dangerous.
What is most valuable?
The most important feature is definitely the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) tool. It allows us to track malware and other incidents in our environment.
The product feels very complete in terms of providing information and functionality.
What needs improvement?
Maybe the license pricing could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
I started with the on-premise version, then I switched to the cloud version when it became available. I've been using the cloud version for a year and a half now, and I much prefer it.
The cloud version is definitely easier to set up. The documentation online is also helpful, so we didn't have any trouble getting it up and running.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
It was my first product tested in terms of antivirus and firewall.
What other advice do I have?
I strongly recommend the usage of this product. Have proper licenses in place. Sophos XG Firewall and Sophos Central because those are good products to use.
Overall, I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Technical Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Offers user-friendly and centralized security management
Pros and Cons
- "One of the most valuable features of Sophos Central is its Synchronized Security."
- "One area I would like to see improvement in Sophos Central is the multi-factor authentication process."
What is our primary use case?
My customers choose to use Sophos Central for centralized management of their cybersecurity. A key scenario is combining Sophos Endpoint and Sophos Firewall, using features like Synchronized Security. This ensures that if an endpoint is compromised, the information is quickly shared with the firewall, allowing for automatic protection of both endpoints and the network. The convenience of managing these security aspects together is a major benefit for organizations.
How has it helped my organization?
I have noticed a significant improvement in how Sophos Central functions for our organization. With recent upgrades, the automatic synchronization of licenses in firewalls stands out. This eliminates the manual hassle of entering license renewal details, making the process seamless and worry-free for our customers.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features of Sophos Central is its Synchronized Security.
What needs improvement?
One area I would like to see improvement in Sophos Central is the multi-factor authentication process. Currently, it involves multiple steps with email, phone, and Sophos Authenticator, which can be cumbersome. I faced issues when I lost my phone, making it challenging to log in. Finding a more user-friendly MFA solution would be great. Overall, apart from that, Sophos Central has made significant improvements in the past year and is now a competitive and reliable product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Sophos Central for a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not had any stability issues so far.
How are customer service and support?
I find Sophos' technical support to be very good. I would rate it as an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Besides Sophos, I have worked with Zoho, Check Point, Kaspersky, ESET, and CrowdStrike.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process for Sophos Central is straightforward. You sign up at Central.Sophos.com, confirm via email, and provide the required information. It is a quick and simple process, typically taking about 10 to 15 minutes for the initial account creation. One person is sufficient for deployment, and it doesn't require a lot of time or resources. Maintaining Sophos Central is generally straightforward, requiring about 5% maintenance. This includes monitoring events and addressing issues flagged by Sophos Endpoint. The IT admin may need to manually intervene in cases where the endpoint detects a file it cannot remove independently. Overall, maintenance is minimal but involves occasional attention to ensure optimal security.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
No, there are no additional fees for creating a Sophos Central account. It depends on the services needed. We can connect a limited number of firewalls to Sophos Central without extra charges. However, for managed endpoint centers with Cisco, there may be auto-query license fees in some scenarios.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for new users would be that for those managing both endpoints and firewalls, especially in scenarios where comprehensive security is crucial, I strongly recommend Sophos Central. The use of Synchronized Security provides data visibility and protection, ensuring that malicious activities on endpoints are promptly detected and isolated by Sophos firewalls. This significantly reduces the burden on IT admins and enhances overall network security. Overall, I would rate Sophos Central as a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Comprehensive cybersecurity solution with user-friendly centralized management, competitive pricing and robust features
Pros and Cons
- "The primary benefits include complete control over hardware devices and the valuable assistance provided in log shipment."
- "There were challenges we faced with generating reports for the physical firewall in certain instances."
What is our primary use case?
We use it to centralize, manage, and upgrade our security infrastructure. This includes applying policies, revoking access, and working within established guidelines, all without the need for physical access.
How has it helped my organization?
It streamlines our operations, allowing us to remotely handle tasks, saving time and eliminating the need for running around to different locations.
What is most valuable?
The primary benefits include complete control over hardware devices and the valuable assistance provided in log shipment. Additionally, the analytics tools proved instrumental in effectively utilizing and interpreting data related to these aspects.
What needs improvement?
There were challenges we faced with generating reports for the physical firewall in certain instances. Despite escalating the issue through tickets, we haven't received a fully satisfactory resolution. Additionally, accessing user logs on the central platform is not as straightforward as we'd prefer.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with it for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't encountered any significant downtime while working, ensuring a stable experience.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate its scalability capabilities nine out of ten. Currently, there are five individuals responsible for overseeing and managing approximately twenty-five to twenty-eight firewalls.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support in India is somewhat slow. They often require a considerable amount of time, and contacting them sometimes involves odd hours, which can be challenging, especially when it falls outside regular business hours.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We collaborate with two other vendors, Fortinet and Palo Alto. We recently adopted Palo Alto about a year ago, and while they make promising claims, we are still in the process of familiarizing ourselves with their offerings. Fortinet, on the other hand, has been part of our operations for the past two years, with our team gaining experience and expertise. Among the three, Sophos is the longest-standing partner.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and user-friendly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It offers the most competitive pricing compared to other vendors. When considering security effectiveness, Sophos stands out as a cost-effective choice, especially in comparison to other prominent solutions available in the Indian market. It provides a comprehensive package that includes most features, making it more scalable and accessible for security needs in smaller organizations like ours. I would rate it one out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Central Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2025
Product Categories
AI-Powered Cybersecurity PlatformsBuyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Central Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.







