Sophos Firewall Reviews

You can use Sophos XG in small or large companies. In a small company we are using it as a router and firewall. In larger company, like in the Bangladesh government, they are using Sophos Firewall in various sites, including the Bangladesh Navy. Many of the sites are using Sophos Firewall as a router and firewall and also for security purposes.

Sophos XG Firewall is for security purposes and we are also using it as a router. Wherever we are deploying it as a router we are mapping and also port forwarding. More clients take it as a router and also a firewall.

Sophos XG Firewall is very usable, very easy to install, and very user friendly.

The features that I have found most valuable are the infiltration prevention and data protection. We provide immune security. There are also many features on the VPN. We provide a social VPN. We deployed so many features.

We are facing some problems on this firmware version, version 18, that require improvement. We want to improve the email security because it doesn't give proper security with the data protection. Also, our clients are facing some problems where most of the sites which they're accessing are getting blocked. I want to improve those sites, that email security, and the data protection on the Firmware version 18. Also, sometimes it gets frozen and we cannot access it. After we shut it down and restart, then it's perfect. That's a point that we want to improve. 

In the next release, I want them to please improve version 18 so that it has more features and is more user friendly and it should have a VRF option.

We are using Sophos XG for five years. 

Sophos XG is stable.

Maintenance, once it is established on the network, requires about two to three people dedicated to Sophos Firewall. We have to give about two to three days monthly.

Scalability is good.

We have about a thousand or more users and have plans to increase usage of this product.

The Sophos support team is good now.

Initial setup is easy. It took about one hour to do the initial setup.

I am an implementer so I deployed it by myself.

Sophos XG is on a subscription basis. We can take a one year or two year subscription.

On a scale of one to ten, I will give Sophos XG a seven.

We use and implement Sophos XG for our customers for border security, just to make sure that nobody gets in and that everybody who tries to get out will have some kind of filter or protection.

I can say that it has not exactly improved how our the organization functions, but on the security side it makes everything much more secure, especially for the users. They can't surf the web without some kind of protection for safety and control, and we are alerted if somebody is trying to access some strange websites or trying to access something the company does not allow.

The features that I have found most valuable are first the Web Filter and the Web Application Firewall SD-Wan on Version 18. Additionally, RED Tunnels allows a Sophos vital to speak to another Sophos vital in headquarters.

The main problem with Sophos XG today is that it doesn't have a feature where you actually know the quality of an international link, which would allow us to we know if the link is operational or not. We need more information. It's losing packets on the network. It's high latency. So, we need more information to know if the link is really bad or really good, and today, we only know if it's working and this just isn't enough.

I have been using Sophos XG for about six, seven years.

Sophos XG is really robust because of all the implementations you currently have active. We don't have problems on the hardware or a bug on the software or anything like that. It's really, really rare. Most of the problems are from requests for our customers asking to make a particular website available for some parts of the company and things like this. Just some little configurations on the web filter.

We actually do studies to already know before implementation which firewall will be able to handle all the operations. It is really rare to need to change the firewall or to miss a configuration and put in equipment that can't handle the network. We have never had a case where we had to replace a hardware because it couldn't handle the network. It has always been easy to make a survey to get the right equipment for the right amount of people, and every time we need to make a new implementation we have the study making scalability easy, because each hardware is for a specific customer.

If I were to rate support from zero to 10, I would say about six or seven. The Portuguese Support is really bad. It's really not good. Every time you have an issue that's a little bit more complex, it's better to speak to the Global Support than the Latin American Support.

Today the initial setup is simple since we have been using it for a long time and have implemented it for several customers. So now it is really easy for us.

We are the resellers.

My advice to anyone considering Sophos XG is that it has a good cost-benefit. Let's just put it that it does the job right.

On a scale of one to ten, I would say Sophos XG is a nine.

We provide Sophos XG to customers. We work at deploying this solution from scratch to the customer, from unboxing, racking, or stacking, and doing licensing and upgrades for the box. Then we establish the process and security profiles that the customer requires. 

This solution is deployed on-prem. 

Some of the most valuable features are filtering and application control. The DDoS detection also shows traffic jamming and traffic shaping. 

This solution could be improved with more effective bandwidth. I found that when I enable DDoS detection for our clients, bandwidth is reduced. If DDoS detection is disabled, the bandwidth will be high, but it isn't secure. We recommend that customers enable DDoS detection, but if they need high bandwidth, we recommend Palo Alto and FortiGate instead of Sophos. 

I have been using Sophos XG for about six months. 

This solution is not as stable as other products. In terms of stability, our number one recommendation is Palo Alto, number two is FortiGate, and number three is Sophos. 

Sophos is scalable, but not enough. 

Sophos technical support is effective. 

The installation takes two days. It is easy to deploy, and not as complicated as Palo Alto or FortiGate. We make it in our company labs and, for deployment and maintenance, we recommend one or two people. 

We provide and implement this solution for customers. 

The licensing for Sophos XG is based on the number of users, so I get the module from the sizing of the customer. 

We also recommend that customers use FortiGate and Palo Alto, since these solutions are more stable and have more effective bandwidth. 

I rate Sophos XG a seven out of ten. I would recommend it to others, based on their needs, but the stability could be better. 

We have five to seven customers who are using Sophos XG. 

The firewall is used to maintain security. Basically, it's used to make sure that our clients' corporate network is secure. We want to make sure that their email is scanned, protected, and so on.

In terms of the functionality, I think it's pretty straightforward. It's easy to pick up. It's also user-friendly.

Support could be improved.

I have been selling Sophos XG for two years. It is deployed on-premise. 

When it comes to scalability, of course we can upgrade. A lot of firewalls don't allow upgrades. An upgrade would mean changing the box. For our customers, a lot of the functions of the firewall don't reduce. We just need to make sure they enable the security, and then make sure it's giving the protection to the client.

For scalability when it comes to the server, I can add the RAM, the hard disc, and the CPU to boost up the performance. 

The principal tech support is not very present in Malaysia. We are relying on the distributor. Most of the technical things we can handle on our own, like when it comes to setup. When it comes to the issues related to product hardware or software bugs, we will reach out to them. But the response is from the distributor.

The support could be a bit better.

Installation for each version, like Fortinet and Next Generation Firewall, is simple. Based on how familiar we are with the client, it can take a day or two.

We only need one or two people for deployment.

For every firewall, you will need to pay the license for the following year. If they don't pay for the license renewal, they basically won't get the support from Sophos.

They do have their own integration, so I don't really have much to comment about Sophos because we basically just maintain the Sophos Firewall that we supply. We don't do a lot of fancy design work.

We are currently still evaluating the solution.

We use Sophos XG with medical institutions and corporate banks that we work with. There are approximately 20 employees working with this product in our company.

Being centralized, Sophos provides us threat protection there. Even with standalone, we are able to provide the Sophos firewall. Having an internal dashboard and a single dashboard with some endpoints is also valuable. By using Sophos endpoint and the firewall, synchronized security is easy.

I would like to see improvement with service and support. LAN inbound and outbound traffic requires more control and an additional stop. 

We have been using Sophos XG for almost 10 years. We are partners with Sophos.

Stability and performance is good.

The solution is easy to scale.

There is no maintenance required with Sophos XG because it is a cloud product.

Previously I was using Cyberoam and Fortinet. We switched because there was a lot of hardware, and the performance was not satisfactory. We were experiencing space concerns with the hardware, the dual processor, and even the single processor. This also meant that synchronized security was not there as well.

The initial set up of the solution was simple. It took about 20 minutes.

We implemented the software on our own.

The price is cheaper compared to others.

I would recommend Sophos XG because it is easy to deploy at customer locations and it is priced well. I would rate this product a 10 out of 10.

We use Sophos XG for network security as a firewall for our company.

I have found configuring the ports to be easier in Sophos XG compared to the other devices.

Sophos XG could improve the policies, they are a bit confusing when creating them. There are many options that make it confusing and it could be simplified.

I have been using Sophos XG for approximately two years.

The Stability and performance are quite good. We haven't seen any problems.

The solution is scalable.

I would rate the scalability of Sophos XG an eight out of ten.

We have approximately 10 people using this solution in my organization.

My customers are using this solution on a daily basis.

I have contacted support once or twice to receive some clarification. I had a good experience.

I have used other solutions preciously and FortiGate's user interface is much easier to use when compared to Palo Alto and Sophos. Additionally, in Palo Alto, assigning the ports are more user-friendly.

The installation is straightforward.

I did the implementation of Sophos XG myself and it took approximately 20 minutes.

There is no maintenance is required for this solution.

Our networking team is approximately 10 people that use the solution.

The Palo Alto solution is expensive and the FortiGate is less expensive than Palo Alto. The Sophos XG would be priced in the middle of the two.

There are some fees but you can purchase a bundle package.

My advice to those wanting to use this solution is if you don't have experience, don't use it.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Sophos XG a seven out of ten.

We use this solution for VPN, client VPN, malware filtering, and antivirus scanning.

It has definitely improved the way our organization functions. Previously only using free tools, and once we started using Sophos XG, the number of threats dropped dramatically. We had a lot of threats to our network, but they have dramatically decreased since we started using this solution.

All of the features in Sophos XG are valuable.

Web publishing is important, as well as the importance of the antivirus patch. 

The firewall is also essential, and the VPN.

Our clients use Karios, and while it integrates well with it, the integration could be improved.

I have been using Sophos XG for three years.

We are using the XG version.

We encountered an issue with the hardware when we first purchased this solution. We called Sophos, who replaced the device, and we have not had any issues since.

We have no issues with the scalability of Sophos XG.

In our organization, we have 150 users, and all are required to maintain this solution.

We don't have plans to increase the usage at this time.

We have not really used technical support. If we have an issue, we resolve it ourselves.

Previously, we were using older versions of Microsoft. We used it for almost 10 years before switching to Sophos.

The initial setup was easy.

We completed the installation ourselves. I took a maximum of two weeks.

I have not calculated our ROI.

We have a three-year license.

I am the Chief IT Officer. I don't have all of the technical details of this product. We have technical staff who use this solution for their daily routines and activities.

It's a very good product. I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.

I implemented this firewall for my clients. They're small offices. One has got half a dozen computers, and the other one has about 30 computers on the network. Both utilize VPN to remotely access their workstations in the office.

It is sized based on the client. So, there are actually two different versions that I've utilized.

VPN setup is great and easy to implement for outside users to access data or workstations in the network.  Easy to manage and set up.  No major glitches.  Runs reliably.   Setting up iPhones and Macs is a bit more involved since you have to use VPN apps that are compatible with Apple for VPN and remote desktop.

Compared to other firewalls that I had looked at, I thought Sophos was the better solution. It just seems to be easier to manage versus Cisco, Fortinet, or one of the other options I was looking at.

I'm not going to say that it's easy to configure, but I can understand how to configure it. There is a certain amount of support available to do the configurations. 

I'm just a sole proprietor for IT support, and from my perspective, there could be better ways to educate a proprietor, such as myself, on how to set it up, program it, and manage it. They do tend to have support, but a lot of times, it is for larger networks. I need something simpler and more rudimentary to set up and configure the firewall, set up the rules, and that type of thing. So, if there is a missing component there, that would be it. 

Any firewall will need rules for how it protects the network against a variety of threats or various degrees of protection.  My comments are not aimed at Sophos specifically.  As a new person just learning about firewall protection, it would be helpful for any vendor to have an education area that runs through various scenarios and implements them in the firewall.  Videos would be helpful.  From my initial research on which firewall to choose,  Sophos appeared to have the most straightforward interface. 

I purchased the units from www.firewalls.com, and they worked with me to do the initial setup.  That was very helpful to get started

I have been using Sophos XG for 4 years.

It is very stable.

It is scalable. There are different models, and you really need to choose a model that is appropriate for your current situation. You can buy something with a certain degree of scalability. Because I purchased it through firewalls.com, I was able to have that discussion, describe the application, and then choose a model that would suit that particular client with a degree of scalability. Now, for instance, if they went from 20 employees to 500 employees, then it is not scalable to that degree, but if they went from 20 employees to 50 employees, then it would be scalable. So, you've got to define the criteria in terms of what you're trying to protect, the number of users, the bandwidth that is going through it, the speed, etc. When I purchased them through firewalls.com, they explained and helped me choose the most appropriate appliance for what I'm doing.

I did have a circumstance where the firewall had been damaged during a lightning storm or something like that, and I called them to help me diagnose what the issue was. They were good about the diagnostic. They were good about spending the time with me to figure out what was wrong. In the particular case that I was researching, it turned out that one of the ports was bad for some reason. It was either because of the lightning storm or some other reason. It was under warranty, and they replaced it with a new unit. So, I'm satisfied with Sophos' support.

Previously used a small $100 cisco unit.  Not easy to implement VPN.  They may have an app, now, but at the time it was problematic and way too  complicated. 

I purchased it through firewalls.com. They're an online vendor, and they did the initial setup and configuration on both firewalls. My experience with them was good.

I used firewalls.com and they were excellent

Fewer management headaches

The pricing was reasonable.  VPN licensing is included.

I looked at Cisco, Fortinet, and one of the others, and compared to them, I thought Sophos was the better solution. It seemed to be easier to manage. After the implementation, I could figure out what to do with a Sophos interface. If it was something like Cisco or other vendors, it would be far more complicated to deal with. So, that's one of the reasons why I chose Sophos.

For someone who is not acquainted with firewalls, whether it is Sophos or anything else, dealing with a third party for the implementation is kind of a must. 

I am satisfied with this solution. I don't really have any hands-on experience with other firewalls that I can compare it against, but I'm satisfied with it. I like it, and I'd buy it again.

I would rate Sophos XG a 10 out of 10.

We primarily use the solution for gateway purposes, in order to provide us with gateway security.

The product is good in terms of routing multiple ISP Internet and also it's good in internet traffic control.

The updates are helpful and add to the solution in a positive way.

The initial setup is simple.

The solution is stable.

For the most part, you can easily scale the solution.

I'm not seeing any such things that require any improvement. It's good. From time to time, some updates will come through. It's meeting our requirements right now.

The pricing has gotten much higher. 

We've been using the solution for three years. It's been a while now. 

The stability and performance are excellent. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable. 

We have 50 users spread across three devices. 

The solution, in terms of scalability, has its limitations, of course. Scalability in the sense of if I want to add more ISPs all depends upon my port availability. Transitions and migrations are fine and doable. I don't find any challenges there.  

Technical support from Sophos has been brilliant. We deal with them on any L3 issues and they are always helpful. 

The initial setup is very straightforward and simple. it's not overly complex or difficult. 

The deployment was quick and took maybe one day.

In terms of maintenance requirements, We have an L1 technical person who will take care of all the routine maintenance of the firewall, and we also have L2 support with the vendor. We have an L3 support from the Sophos team itself. 

We did the implementation with the assistance of a vendor. We did not completely handle it ourselves. 

While, at first, the pricing was very good, it's since crept up. Now, upon renewal, it's pretty high. They've increased the costs. 

Currently, we have three devices that are similar. Only the capacity varies.

I'm a customer and an end-user. I don't have a business relationship with Sophos. 

I'd recommend the solution to other users and organizations. I'd rate it at a ten out of ten. it's the best. 

Sophos is a comprehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos' firewall, Endpoint and Encryption features. 

A nice feature of Sophos is that it offers in sync and heartbeat security. When my clients have a perimeter involving Sophos firewall and endpoints with Sophos Endpoint, they can communicate with each other. 

Heartbeat security is a great feature. 

In light of all the firmware upgrades, maintenance, feature and general releases of firmware, I really appreciate the support offered by Sophos. It is really good. 

However, the response time could stand improvement, as I do not benefit from immediate support. There is a delay involved. This can be problematic when I need urgent support, such as when my device is in a production environment. 

The support is really good. With all the firmware upgrades, maintenance, feature and general firmware releases which occur nowadays, I really appreciate Sophos support. It is really good. 

This said, it could be faster, as it is not immediate. This can be problematic when I require urgent support, such as when my device is in a production environment. 

When it comes to the firewall, everything hinges on the configuration. Every firewall is good, but one can see the importance of the configuration in the firewalls of Sophos and SonicWall. This is the most important thing, since users occcasionally disable the app control, IPS or anti-spyware features. They do this out of a lack of familiarity with the security, something which allows attacks to occur. Therefore, the configuration is key. I configure every firewall I employ, be it Sophos, SonicWall or Fortinet. 

I have not encountered any issues when it comes to the configuration. 

I was a gold partner with Sophos XG. As such, I make suggestions about the appropriate model in line with my customer's requirements. Essentially, over the last two years of the COVID-19 crises, most users required an SSL VPN license, something for which SonicWall charges but which Sophos offers for free. 

SSL VPN involves two factor authentication. This is free of charge. Both email and key OTP are options. While SonicWall also offers SSL VPN capabilities, it is problematic. When I needed a license, I purchased an additional perpetual SSL VPN license. 

SonicWall makes available all the different models, such as TZ and NSA. I am familiar with all the models. Sophos only has an entry-level model, which is actually 87, 107 and 116. 

Fortinet offers the Forti ATF model. 

I recommend the solution to other clients, but make certain to first understand their individual needs. I would be doing them a disservice were it otherwise.

I really like Sophos.

In the past, when Sophos employed XG firewall, I was forced to deal with a slow GUI. This is because its back-end kernel is Linux. Now that XGS is provided, many changes can be seen in the hardware appliance. The hardware has been upgraded. The XGS firewall is faster than the XG series, so the problem has been resolved. 

While I rate Fortinet as a nine out of ten, I give Sophos XG a rating of eight.