Sophos Firewall Reviews

Our primary use case is focused on renewing outdated firewalls and providing VPN capabilities without additional licensing costs.

The firewall helped by providing VPN licensing for free, unlike other vendors that charge for VPN.

The application filtering, especially cloud filtering, is valuable. It's able to detect cloud applications like Zoom or Microsoft Teams and allows traffic shaping based on the application.

VPN setup could be improved. Fixing some bugs would also be beneficial.

I have been working with Sophos XGS firewall for approximately two years and one month.

The solution is very stable as long as there's no power outage or similar interruption.

The firewall is quite scalable. I would rate its scalability seven out of ten since modules can be added.

Customer support is generally good. There may be delays with standard support due to inexperienced first-level support. Overall, I would rate it seven out of ten.

The initial setup for the XGS firewall can be rated as seven out of ten due to VPN setup challenges.

Sophos XGS is quite expensive, potentially a nine out of ten in terms of cost, making it much pricier than other firewalls.

I recommend it for its user-friendly interface. Even novice users can catch up quickly without confusion.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

The primary use case for Sophos XG is basic firewalling and configuration. We use it primarily for installation purposes.

Time-saving and cost-saving benefits are realized, with stability contributing to these advantages. It provides approximately 10% to 15% savings in time and costs.

The most valuable features of Sophos XG include having rules and policies as a firewall. It is easy to configure.

The areas needing improvement are support and configuration. The delays in technical support can be handled better. Sometimes, configuration gives some issues.

I have been using Sophos XG for almost one year.

No hardware or software solution is 100% stable. I would rate it at about 99% accuracy.

Sophos XG has excellent scalability features. It is already available on cloud as well as on-premises, and you can scale up to multiple firewalls with centralized management. No limitations have been faced regarding scalability.

Customer service and support can be improved as there are delays. I would rate the support at eight out of ten.

Positive

Sophos XG is easy to install, generally requiring one person and takes about two to three hours depending on the rules and policies.

One person is usually sufficient for installation unless multiple dynamics are involved.

The return on investment is judged to be around three point five out of five in terms of stability, time saving, and cost saving.

The solution is considered cheap in terms of pricing.

For small and midsize enterprises, Sophos XG is a good choice without any major issues.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

I am a customer and end-user support using Sophos XGS.

Sophos XGS has provided good efficiency and good sharing.

I find DLP, API, IP, SDK, and web control to be valuable features. I also like the dynamic roles, application visibility, and policy test.

All the security features could be better.

I have used Sophos XGS for one year.

The solution has high stability, rated ten out of ten.

The solution is highly scalable, rated ten out of ten.

I rate the customer service and support as ten out of ten.

Positive

Before Sophos XGS, I used a CyberPro product, however, it was outdated and did not provide sufficient support.

The initial setup was easy, and the documentation was very well-written.

The deployment was done in-house by three to four people.

The pricing of Sophos XGS is not very high or very low; it's medium.

I recommend Sophos XGS because it is easy to use, more secure, and scalable.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

We work with the entire portfolio of Sophos as we are a Sophos partner. We always wish to sell Sophos's entire portfolio to the client.

The features that I find most effective in enhancing network security include EDR and XDR.

Sophos needs to do a lot of roadshows to attract enterprise customers. Their marketing strategy is quite low, and they need to enhance engagement with partners. There's room for improvement in their response time for technical support.

It's been almost four years.

Technical support is good enough. That said, since the changeover of their ERP system, they are facing problems, and the partners are also facing problems in the portal. The response time should be improved.

Positive

We are dealing with other vendors like Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Check Point. When the client uptake is known for Sophos, then we try to pitch Fortinet.

When it comes to email security and endpoint securities, Sophos pricing is higher than other vendors when compared competitively. For firewalls, to some extent, it is okay. People don't consider Sophos as an enterprise product; they consider it as an SME product.

I recommend Sophos Next. Js to others. But when people don't consider Sophos as an enterprise product, we try to pitch Fortinet.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

We can recommend Sophos XGS for industrial software companies, small businesses at the entry-level, as well as enterprise companies. We offer it for a range of customers, from entry-level to high-end.

The reporting in XGS is a major benefit for us. In other platforms, we can't get reports for one or two months. Secondly, it's very easy to handle and understand, and the deployment process helps enhance our skill set. 

The integration with Azure SSO and IPsec is also great. I like the remote access feature, and I would like to see IPS included as well, where we get more detailed reports and can identify and block issues from a single source.

There are a lot more features I haven't explored yet. We just implemented it based on our colleagues' recommendations and are currently working through the support checklist.

Migration and support processes are improving. Even people new to Sophos are finding it easier to manage now.

A lot of training is required. When I train our engineers, they aren’t able to get sufficient training from Sophos-hosted sessions. We only find textbooks and some videos on Sophos portal. 

More live sessions or time-bound training would help us understand how to pitch the firewall or use specific features, like advanced photo settings or integration with SD-WAN. 

We need to know which feature is suited to different environments. Right now, that knowledge gap makes us more dependent on OEM support, which could be reduced by up to 40% if more training was available.

For me, reporting is a major area for improvement. Detailed reports help pinpoint issues like usage bottlenecks or abnormal activities, allowing us to fine-tune the firewall. IPS in XGS is great because it provides timely attack reports we can present to management. Integration with Active Directory could also be better. Sophos Central integration is good, but the firewall’s performance is slow when accessed through Sophos Central. Our clients also experience slow access when using their credentials. That’s a bottleneck I’d like to see resolved.

I have been using it for the last three years.  

The customer service and support have been very good. It's much better now than it was a year ago. Back then, responses were slower, but now their technical support is good. However, RMAs (Return Merchandise Authorization) can still take a while. For instance, recently it took two days to analyze a faulty box. 

Maybe it was due to the weekend, but after I raised the request on a Friday, the replacement box only arrived by Thursday. This caused a delay, and we didn't have any alternatives for providing Internet services to our clients during that period. It takes longer with XGS devices. So, I would deduct points for the delays in RMA and pricing.

Positive

Along with XGS, we push antivirus with laptop encryption, and also Sophos Intercept X for endpoint protection. We push all these products, along with the red devices (hardware appliances).

We're not pushing Sophos MDR because of the pricing. Clients aren't accepting it because competitors offer lower prices, and clients don't fully understand the additional features of MDR. 

For endpoint protection, I only push Sophos antivirus with all the compliance features, like web filtering, data encryption for laptops, and protection for remote users. For MDR, we focus on larger companies.

We deal with corporate offices. For those types of clients, we push for MDR/XDR. However, they are also checking out other features and platforms because we've had some large opportunities. 

Compared to other products [like Fortigate, SonicWall and Palo Alto], Sophos's pricing is a little higher. 

The second thing is that support is very good, but we're having more issues getting pricing for the Sophos device on time from our vendors. Whenever we request pricing, we simply drop an email. 

We create comparison sheets for Sophos XGS when pitching to our clients. We highlight the benchmarks and advanced features, like reporting, that aren't available in other products. We emphasize the value of the bundle that comes with the firewall role. This is a major factor in convincing clients to choose Sophos XGS. The reporting capabilities and overall features are good.

I would recommend using Sophos. We push Sophos to most of our clients. Almost 99% of them use it. Only a few clients prefer FortiGate due to company policies, and some use Check Point, but we mostly recommend Sophos XGS.

Overall, I would rate it an eight out of ten. 

When compared to older versions, after the 2021 update, there have been significant improvements. Routing has become easier, and integration with third-party platforms like Azure and IPsec is seamless. Creating policies for different VLAN compliance requirements is also simpler, and the flexibility now is much better than earlier versions.

I was a distributor for Sophos XG products and worked with customers seeking network security solutions. In my current company, we previously used Sophos XG products extensively before switching to other options.

Sophos XG offers a robust solution with quota management features that are per IP and per user, which I find to be very effective. The ability to manage everything in one box is a significant advantage, eliminating the need to purchase separate products for email security and other features. The user interface is user-friendly, offering dashboards with widgets that provide speed and status, making configuration easy. Traffic management is facilitated through various configurations and user self-portals. Additionally, Sophos XG makes administrative tasks seamless by allowing easy navigation and configuration.

The technical support could be improved, particularly in terms of response speed, as there were delays when working with their Indian support team.

Traffic management is facilitated through various configurations.

Sophos XG is primarily suitable for SMB and mid-level enterprise categories, but not typically chosen by high-end enterprises in Sri Lanka.

The technical support could be improved, particularly regarding response speed when working with the Indian team.

Neutral

Previously, we used Sophos UTM before transitioning to Sophos XG.

The implementation of Sophos XG is straightforward and easy.

I worked as a distributor and the setup was handled internally or with assistance from vendors.

During my research, I explored products like Fortinet FortiGate and Netgate pfSense.

I rate Sophos XG eight out of ten. While the implementation was straightforward and easy, the technical support could use improvement. I recommend looking into improving the features and security validations to cater to the needs of bigger companies.

The major support that my company gets from Sophos is in the areas of web and content filtering. Users are able to filter out the web traffic, so they can consume whatever they need, and they can stop at the gateway level whatever they don't need. If social networking websites are not required for my company's developers, I can stop them right away. The categorization of the websites is pretty good, and people are very happy when they can do the customization. If users need to have some kind of exceptions, they can go for the exceptions very easily without any disturbance to the other end users. The best part of the product is associated with its web and content filtering features.

As my company does not cater to the needs of customers with very large networks, I haven't faced any challenges with Sophos XGS and my company is happy with the solution till date.

When it comes to the telemetry data, which comes under what you call the tool's service part, better known as MDR, I feel Sophos should add more telemetry data to its products. The tool should support multiple vendors and multiple OEMs. Right now, I think there are only less than a dozen vendors or OEMs supported by Sophos. I feel Sophos should support tools from more vendors.

I have been using Sophos XGS for four years.

When it comes to the process of scaling up, it is okay upto 5,000 users that I manage. Sophos has the appliances to cater to the requirements of 5,000 user networks and I know it because it is the customer range in which I deal. I don't go to a customer or a client that has more than 5,000 user networks.

The solution's technical support is excellent. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

Positive

My company does deal with other vendors in the market, but we feel that Sophos XGS is much more customizable and a readily available solution. A good thing about my company is that we have very good hands-on expertise, especially in areas like pre-sales and post-sales, where we have tech teams that are well-versed in areas like technologies, training, and modules while also ensuring that they stay up-to-date so that the team has all the sufficient knowledge to support themselves and also our customers' networks.

The product's initial setup phase is very straightforward. The GUI and everything else associated with the product are very straightforward.

The solution can be implemented in a couple of hours.

Only very large enterprise customers will have an edge with a tool similar to Sophos XGS because they have that kind of device and hardware, which can cater to around 10,000 or 20,000 user networks. My company does not deal with any large enterprise-sized customers, and so we are happy with Sophos.

Speaking about how the tool is deployed in our company's customers' network environment, I would say that it is done at the gateway level. With the gateway-level firewall, my company protects the network of our customers by applying the firewall, as well as the endpoint security, both provided by Sophos.

Speaking about the tool's threat intelligence capabilities on security posture, I would say that after content filtering, it obviously comes to threat monitoring. Sophos has SophosLabs, and it always gets updated. Users need not worry about the new threats or new landscapes coming in, as Sophos will take care of the aforementioned areas by default. Users need not depend on any third party for threat intelligence as the tool is sufficient to manage any kind of threat.

Sophos XGS has contributed to the reduction of the overall security costs of our company's customers. The biggest good point about the tool is related to the area of sizing. Sophos offers firewall tools for each and every size of the network. Irrespective of whether I have a small network in a branch office or a large network, I can get the appliances from Sophos to fit any size. I need not worry even if I am a company with just 25 users, as I need not spend lakhs of rupees. If I have a large network, even then, my hardware will be sufficient enough, and the cost offered by Sophos is obviously very competitive compared to the solutions offered by competitors in the markets.

Considering the sales, support, and post-sales services, I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

The tool's most valuable feature is threat protection and DLP features. So far, basic DLP features like content protection and blocking. Furthermore, for remote users, features such as back filtering and application control are available, allowing for command and control from our side. It is very easy to understand policy applications. 

It has multi-console features, where you can designate administrators or super admins. There's also a read-only feature available. 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. Another notable feature is network isolation, ensuring that data remains secure by isolating affected machines from others.

Sophos XG offers visibility into network information, sources, destinations, and threats. Depending on the policies applied, users may monitor specific issues without blocking them. However, policies that block threats should be applied.

One feature I would like to add is remote wipeout capability. This would be useful in cases where a user leaves the organization and fails to return their laptop. Remote wipeout would allow for the deletion of data from the device with a single command. Regarding technical support from Sophos XG, it's generally satisfactory. However, the response time could be improved. It takes around one hour to receive assistance, but reducing this to 30-45 minutes would benefit us.

The tool has only a base DLP feature. It needs to have a full DLP feature with additional licensing. 

I have been working with the product for ten years. 

I rate the tool's stability an eight point five out of ten. 

I rate the solution's scalability a seven point five out of ten. 

The tool's installment is easy. 

The tool's pricing is cheaper compared to other alternative products. 

Sophos XG has a lab center where they analyze signatures and automatically update them on the product. This eliminates the need for manual updates on individual machines or centers. Additionally, it has features like MDR and management response features. So, Sophos XG seems to have a roadmap in place.

I would recommend the product based on the situation. Cortex, a next-generation antivirus for larger enterprises, would likely provide sufficient coverage. It's also known for its scalability and visibility features, including root cause analysis and terminology features.

I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten. 

My company has normal web-based policies to restrict websites and allow certain legitimate websites. My company also has site-to-site VPNs and SSL VPNs, along with firewalls.

The most valuable feature of Sophos XG for our company's cybersecurity defense strategy stems from a mixture of all of the product's capabilities, which includes areas like web protection and VPN that are important when it comes to cybersecurity.

I would like the product to improve so that it can provide advanced SD-WAN, which can allow users to deal with infinite connections along with seamless bandwidth utilization.

In the product, the area revolving around SD-WAN has certain shortcomings where improvements are required.

It would be great if I could monitor a particular traffic from a network with Sophos XG.

I have been using Sophos XG for around a year and a half. I am a customer of the tool.

It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight to nine out of ten.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a seven to eight out of ten.

There are around 200 users of the product in my company.

The solution's technical support is good. I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

Positive

I have experience with Fortinet.

Sophos and Fortinet provide good features. Interface-wise and usage-wise, Fortinet is good. Fortinet provides a simple interface, while it is an area that is a bit complex in Sophos. Feature-wise, Sophos and Fortinet are similar.

I rate the product's initial setup phase at six or seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy.

The solution is deployed on the cloud and on-premises.

The solution can be deployed in a day.

The product is expensive. I rate the product price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price.

Sophos XG has the ability to provide good reports.

I rate the tool an eight to nine out of ten.

I am using this product for security purposes.

Sophos XG is user-friendly, easily configured, and has all the latest features, including URL filtering.

I have used the Synchronized Security feature of Sophos XG along with the Heartbeat functionality, specifically the Security Heartbeat.

The filtering capabilities of Sophos XG are good and I find it user-friendly.

An area that could be improved is technical support's ticket registration process. Sometimes when I contact technical support, they do not register the tickets properly. They ask about registered mail ID and registration number when I am already under pressure. For instance, when the internet is not working or when I cannot apply certain rules, I am already stressed, but the tech support did not register the calls. This happened three to four months ago.

I have been using Sophos XG for one year.

Installing Sophos XG is very easy, with no issues encountered.

The complete installation, including setting up all rules, takes approximately one and a half hours.

I am familiar with Sophos XG.

We have purchased Sophos XG directly through Sophos, though I am not aware of the financial operations regarding the purchase.

I rate the technical support as eight out of ten.

On a scale of one to ten, I rate Sophos XG as eight.