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Pol-Balaguer - PeerSpot reviewer
VS at Netplay Inc
Real User
Jul 26, 2022
Easy to use, simple to learn, and offers great reporting
Pros and Cons
  • "It offers an easy initial implementation."
  • "We switched to Sophos for the easy interface and user-friendliness."
  • "The first time a person sets it up, they will need training."
  • "The scalability is limited."

What is most valuable?

Most of the features that we take advantage of are packet tutoring, web and application filtering, bandwidth management, and also multi-link management.

The most useful aspect of the solution for us is the reporting. Commonly, the reporting is separate, whereas, with Sophos, it's already in-built, so you don't need to invest in another reporting tool.

It offers an easy initial implementation.

What needs improvement?

The first time a person sets it up, they will need training.

We’d like to see an easy migration. They did an upgrade on VMware that might have affected things. We’d like them to return to something like they were running before from 2018 going to 2019.

The scalability could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve been dealing with the solution for the past year. IN total, I have used it for about seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Every appliance has some problems. That said, while Sophos once had these issues, the company could immediately address those problems.

It is stable if you will be going to use VMware. They will give you an option if you want to try the new VMware.

Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
October 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2026.
920,939 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is limited. In their firewall, there’s only a maximum of two appliances, or you have to cluster it. However, if you expand beyond that, there will be some limitations.

Right now, we have about 50 users. If you count the other branches, it’s closer to 200.

How are customer service and support?

The support has been quite good. We are happy with their capabilities.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I’ve used Fortigate, SonicWall, Check Point, and NetBox brands in the past. We switched to Sophos for the easy interface and user-friendliness.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not really complex. If you're already familiar with the firewall, it will be simple. It will be already easier for the engineer as well. That said, if you're just starting, it will be a bit complex. You will need training

For us, since we have some other branches that we use to interconnect with our main branch, the deployment takes about three days with the other branches.

You only need two people to manage the deployment and maintenance.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I’m not sure of the exact pricing. However, some of it does go towards acquisition costs. In general, my understanding is that they are a bit cheaper than other options.

What other advice do I have?

We both use and sell the solution.

We are using an older version of the solution. It’s not the most up-to-date.

I’d rate the solution nine out of ten.

I would recommend the solution to those who are implementing their security infrastructure to reach compliance. It does not hamper the business operations either.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Owner / IT operator at Fairview Schools
Reseller
Jun 9, 2022
A stable solution that has excellent partner support, saves time, and has a reasonable price point
Pros and Cons
  • "The security of the solution, thanks to the built-in unified threat management, is one of its most valuable features. Plus, one single pane of glass is all you need to manage the whole solution, and web management can be done from anywhere."
  • "My company now spends less time tracking issues because of the security provided by Sophos XG in conjunction with Sophos Endpoint protection."
  • "For the standard end user, self-based training is necessary. When you get into the Sophos XG firewall and try to start creating NAT rules, it can be a little cumbersome for a novice. It's pretty easy once you know how to do it, but it will be hard for anybody who doesn't have experience."
  • "For the standard end user, self-based training is necessary."

What is our primary use case?

I am an integrator of this solution, and I have installed it in small- and medium-sized businesses and schools.

How has it helped my organization?

My company now spends less time tracking issues because of the security provided by Sophos XG in conjunction with Sophos Endpoint protection.

What is most valuable?

The security of the solution, thanks to the built-in unified threat management, is one of its most valuable features. Plus, one single pane of glass is all you need to manage the whole solution, and web management can be done from anywhere. If I get a call and I'm at home, I can open the solution in a web browser and address the situation.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution since 2013.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of this solution is excellent. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is available in different sizes. As long as you purchase a version that is larger than you currently need, there is room to grow. If you purchase one for your current needs, then the scalability is not good and you're going to have to repurchase if you want to scale up. On a scale of one to ten, I would give this solution a five or six for scalability. 

How are customer service and support?

I would rate the technical support as a ten out of ten. I'm a Sophos partner, and their partner support is excellent. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Cisco Meraki, but Sophos XG has built-in web filtering and is a better overall security solution. Due to these features, I have tried to migrate as many of my schools to Sophos XG as possible.

How was the initial setup?

On a scale of one to five, with five being complex, I would rate the initial setup as a four. If you don't understand the terminology and how Sophos designates the way they do things, then it is a little confusing.

What about the implementation team?

Depending on the location, most deployments take a day. We leave the current firewall in place while we configure the new one, then we swing the cable over and fire up the new firewall. That way if we have to take it back offline, we can keep the client productive until we are done configuring the new firewall.

For deployment you really only need one person, and maintenance can easily be handled by one person, too.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing depends on the size. Each Sophos XG solution is custom fit to the size of the client's network. For example, for the XG 135, you're looking at a yearly subscription. You can get a one-year subscription for a few hundred dollars, or a three-year subscription for $1,500-$1,600, so it's not bad. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees. I would rate the pricing as a three point eight on a scale of one to five.

I've had schools running different firewalls with subscriptions and different web filters with subscriptions, and I've found that it is less expensive for smaller schools to run Sophos XG with its unified threat management instead of multiple appliances.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated some other options. It really boils down to price, and I haven't had a chance to explore Palo Alto much. I've played with PortaNet a little bit, but I think that Sophos XG has better features for the price point.

What other advice do I have?

For the standard end user, self-based training is necessary. When you get into the Sophos XG firewall and try to start creating NAT rules, it can be a little cumbersome for a novice. It's pretty easy once you know how to do it, but it will be hard for anybody who doesn't have experience.

My advice to someone purchasing this solution would be to look closely at the licensing package to make sure they get what they need.

For small businesses and small schools, I would rate this solution as an eight 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. Partner/Reseller
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
October 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2026.
920,939 professionals have used our research since 2012.
SegunIyanda - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Feb 24, 2022
Secure, duel switch capabilities, and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "Most of the features Sophos XG has are valuable. However, if I have two different ISP, I'm able to create an automatic switch between the two ISPs. I can do the same thing for the cloud as well. If I have two subnets coming from the cloud, I'm able to create a type of switch between both of them where if there is traffic on one and has the traffic drop, I'm able to switch to the other ISP without any problems. It's a normal feature and I get to enjoy the ability to switch between services with no issues."
  • "Most of the features Sophos XG has are valuable, and I get to enjoy the ability to switch between services with no issues."
  • "We recently did an upgrade on the Sophos XG firmware and we were surprised that after the upgrade, the automatic switch actually we were using did not work anymore."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the Sophos XG in a different manner than the typical use case. We have the physical box, and we are using Sophos XG on the cloud.

We have two different types. We have two different Sophos XG we're running. We're running one on the Microsoft Azure cloud which mostly all security on the cloud goes through the Sophos XG. The second Sophos XG is running on our own physical local data center.

We are doing something similar to an IPsec between Azure and the local data center. So we are doing an IPsec between the two. We connected all our resources and we mostly run the applications on Microsoft Azure. Were now are doing IPsec between the two data centers.

What is most valuable?

Most of the features Sophos XG has are valuable. However, if I have two different  ISP, I'm able to create an automatic switch between the two ISPs. I can do the same thing for the cloud as well. If I have two subnets coming from the cloud, I'm able to create a type of switch between both of them where if there is traffic on one and has the traffic drop, I'm able to switch to the other ISP without any problems. It's a normal feature and I get to enjoy the ability to switch between services with no issues.

Security is one of the major reasons we are deploying Sophos XG in our process.

What needs improvement?

We recently did an upgrade on the Sophos XG firmware and we were surprised that after the upgrade,  the automatic switch actually we were using did not work anymore.

We try to understand exactly why it wasn't working with the new 18.5 firmware, but we could not figure it out. I realized that I was stuck with the main ISP. If there's an outage, it was not reliable on the network any longer.

We had to reverse, back to the old firmware even though we were still trying to fix the new version. It is a very efficient feature for our operation. If it was not there, it could make the workings of our operation inefficient. It is one of the best features of Sophos XG. It makes operations very efficient. You don't have to worry about anything at all. We are using the entire Sophos package, such as Sophos endpoint, Sophos XGR, Sophos ZGR.

The documentation can improve with Sophos XG. This will allow our network engineer to work better with the solution. Additionally, they can improve the ability to filter down devices. Recently we were faced with a challenge where we needed to restrict mobile phone users on the network but we realized that we couldn't do this with the solution. 

Recently I was looking at the Cisco Meraki solution, to see what it can do in terms of capacity. There's one feature that stood out to me, and that feature has the ability to implement some policies. Organizations need to have security policies in place. I would like the ability to create policies.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for approximately two and a half years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 60 people that are working on Sophos XG. However, the number is higher because Microsoft Azure routes every customer through the firewall. We have multiple layers and the traffic passes through Cloudflare and then gets directed to the Sophos XG on Microsoft Azure. The Sophos XG on Azure does all the filtering and routing to the private IP, allowing us not to use the public IP.

The DMs are private, and approximately 14,000 customers  pass through the Sophos XG and Microsoft Azure

How are customer service and support?

The support from Sophos XG is very good. We can easily relate to the support.

I would rate the support from Sophos XG a two out of five. You cannot have good support without good documentation.

If you look at the software environment now, anywhere you go, you see the documentation for everything that has been done. Sophos XG has documentation, however, you should not need to have a certification to be able to understand it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Sophos Cyberoam previously.

How was the initial setup?

If we had better documentation we would be able to implement Sophos XG better for the organization's exact specifications. When you have already come up with your networking strategy, presented it to the company, then you find out the new framework doesn't conform with the organizational strategy. You have to start going back and receiving approval for a new strategy. However, you are not even sure what the strategy is going to be with the new framework, because everything has changed. Most of the automatic resources stop working.

There is a high chance I do not even know why it is not working or what the major issue is. We have realized the package wasn't switching and we did a lot of troubleshooting for almost a week to understand why. We switch over to our old firewall, then we finally understood that it was something that has to do with the new 18.5 firmware in Sophos XG. Immediately we switch back to the old firmware, this fixed out problems we were having at that point.

I would rate the implementation of Sophos XG a two out of five.

What about the implementation team?

The initial deployment was done approximately three years ago and it was done by a third party because of some complex considerations, such as the VOIP Gateway.

However, since the initial implementation, we have been managing it by our own in-house network engineers and every modification to the network has been done in-house.

We have three network engineers, that work on the solution and the network. They can manage all the features and securities. The amount of people needed to maintain the solution depends on the organization's architecture. 

What was our ROI?

In information security, the only way you rate ROI is by the level of information you're securing. I will ask myself how much is the information I'm securing is worth? The worth of what I'm securing will determine the amount of cost that I'm spending on the information secured. If I were to judge it that way, the ROI is high. 

I would rate the ROI of Sophos XG a five out of five.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay for two licenses for the use of Sophos XG annually and it is a flat fee. We do not have everyone going through both of the Sophos XG firewalls a the same time and the Sophos XG on Microsoft Azure is only accessible from the VPN.

Sophos XG has changed its pricing model for extreme protection.

I rate the price of Sophos XG a two out of five.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

When we were evaluating other solutions we looked at Barracuda and it had an old GUI. This was an issue when we were making decisions between Barracuda and Sophos XG.

What other advice do I have?

The solution has served its purpose in my organization.

I rate Sophos XG a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
it_user1754649 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director Of Information Technology at 2B
Real User
Jan 11, 2022
Good load-balancing features, monitoring done from a single control panel, and controls access to our resources
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos Control Center is a good feature. We can monitor everything from the control panel."
  • "Aside from the issues with the VPN, it has all of the features that we need."
  • "The VPN features can be improved. Due to covid-19, we have a lot of employees that work from home and we need better VPN capabilities."

What is our primary use case?

This product is our firewall that protects our connections from the internet. It controls access for our employees when they want to access streaming media websites such as YouTube.

It controls the connection to our resources that originate from outside of our infrastructure.

We use it to monitor users and their activity including which websites they visit and what portals they use.

How has it helped my organization?

This product is compatible with my business and our market.

What is most valuable?

This Sophos product has a lot of features included.

This product does load-balancing between our connections. This is helpful because our infrastructure in Egypt is not stable and it requires several connections to achieve the required performance.

Sophos Control Center is a good feature. We can monitor everything from the control panel.

It can be used to create a VPN connection between users and our server. 

The performance and speed of the appliance are good. I have also tried the software deployment, without the appliance, and it was also good.

What needs improvement?

The VPN features can be improved. Due to covid-19, we have a lot of employees that work from home and we need better VPN capabilities.

We would like to be able to override policies set by the country. For example, VPN is banned in Egypt. If we could bypass this then it would be helpful because it would allow us to distribute our connections, or services, to other sites. 

After upgrading from version 17 to 18, not everything is in the same place in the interface. For example, the firewall rules are in a different place. Consequently, my IT team department cannot understand the portal and find it not user-friendly. They were used to the previous version.

Better training should be available because there is nothing on the Sophos website to assist with setting up VPN connections or VPN SSL certificates. For instance, there is nothing to explain how to configure the DDNS.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos XG for between six and seven years, since 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This product is usually stable. In the past few days, I have found problems where some services are not stable. This is something that I have used the portal to submit a ticket for.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 90 people working on the network concurrently. Combined, they have between 300 and 350 open sessions.

When the size of our staff increased, we purchase another appliance to expand our infrastructure. Beyond that, I haven't been able to test scalability.

How are customer service and support?

In addition to the recent ticket I created for technical support, I keep in touch with them. The support is okay.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, we used the Microsoft TMG firewall, and I have also used Cisco ASA.

I already had some experience with Sophos and firewalls. The first time I attended a Sophos event, I made a deal with Sophos and they helped me learn how to transition from TMG.

The user interface with Sophos is easier to use. For example, Sophos makes it is easier to create firewall rules for a VPN connection to the outside. With the other vendors such as Cisco, the process is more complex. 

Fortinet is also a top firewall provider but I recommend Sophos because it is more stable. I have limited experience with FortiGate.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. It was not complex for our IT department but you need some technical knowledge to do things such as creating a VPN connection between two endpoints, either site-to-site or site-to-client. You should also be familiar with SSL certificates.

The setup took between two and three hours, and after that, we had to prepare our network connections. It took two days in total.

No maintenance is required for the appliance.

What about the implementation team?

We used a system integrator to assist us with the transition from TMG to Sophos.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay licensing fees of approximately $2,000. We have a contract for three years.

What other advice do I have?

The vendor is very professional when it comes to firewall products. Aside from the issues with the VPN, It has all of the features that we need.

My advice for anybody considering this product is that the result depends on your country. In my country, there are a lot of problems with ransomware and viruses. Sophos has already helped to mitigate and stop issues such as these on our network. It is the best firewall on the market.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at Saknafta Egypt
Real User
Dec 8, 2021
Easy to set up with good content blocking and good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "Content blocking for websites is the most valuable aspect of the solution."
  • "The solution has saved me a lot of time and enhanced my workflow for my company."
  • "Technical support could be more responsive and quicker in getting to a solution."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use the solution for managing my firewall. I'm managing my internet and my laptops in my company. I'm a personal domain controller. I'm tasked with blocking some websites with it and I'm managing my updates through it. I'm basically controlling the flow of the internet through it.

How has it helped my organization?

I block a lot of sites. I'm controlling the flow of the internet directed to Office 365 so that people can use it easily and fluently. They can upload and send emails easily without hassle and without accessing the internet. I'm also controlling Teams, Zoom, and other stuff for chatting online. Without this solution, I would have no control.

What is most valuable?

Content blocking for websites is the most valuable aspect of the solution. A lot of employees always want to use Facebook and other non-work-related sites. I'm always blocking that.

The initial setup is easy.

The stability is good.

Scaling is not an issue. 

What needs improvement?

The reporting needs to be much better. Sometimes I have a lot of trouble understanding what they mean.

Sometimes it misses websites. For example, websites the users shouldn't be able to enter, or sometimes these websites are not shown in this log viewer. It's just occasional misses here and there. 

Technical support could be more responsive and quicker in getting to a solution. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for at least three years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have found the stability to be very good. There have been no hiccups, no restarts, nothing like that. It doesn't hang and there are barely any bugs. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's my understanding that they have a solution called RED, and I can upgrade it with another one to make a VPN between them. I haven't tried it yet. I'm looking at it as I have another office. I want to research scaling and have the offices together. From what I have seen, it will be easy.

Right now, we have about 50 users and 10 VPNs. That includes everyone from financial and procurement managers to the CEO, chairman, and HR department, and other operations staff.

We don't have any plans to increase users right now as we haven't increased in population, in employees number. That said, I use it a lot every day. I have to manage my firewalls through it.

How are customer service and support?

In my experience, technical support takes a while to get things done. In the past, I stuck with them for a while. It took about three weeks to serve us up a solution. I don't remember what the problem was as it was a long time ago. It might have been something about the subscription or something like that. What I do remember is it took a very long time. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I had a previous firewall, and I just swapped it out. I didn't have to change anything about my network. We previously used a firewall called MikroTik.

With MikroTik, its GUI was very bad. It's very old. Everything was manual. There were no tutorials and it was open-source. You had to search for yourself and do everything yourself. There was no support even from the company.

How was the initial setup?

It was really easy for me, to be honest. The initial setup is very straightforward and simple. It's not overly complex. I had a firewall before that, so I knew what to expect. The implementation was done by a company that I bought this from. They installed it for me. It took about an hour and a half, or something like that. 

I can't recall how many staff covered deployment. The deployment happened three years ago now. 

What about the implementation team?

I didn't need the assistance of an integrator or reseller. 

What was our ROI?

The solution has saved me a lot of time and enhanced my workflow for my company. It enhanced employees' work time and enhanced the internet connectivity for emails. On top of that, there was no downtime with the internet. That was the basic ROI we've seen.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The subscription for this product is yearly. The last time I bought it two years ago it was about $2,000. There's just a subscription fee. There aren't any other costs. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I also looked at Fortinet, however, from my research, I was told that Sophos had better reporting. With Fortinet, you have to buy a server to handle reporting. With Sophos, this is unnecessary. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and an end-user.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Manager of Information Technology at Sundown M Ranch
Real User
Nov 30, 2021
Plug-and-play with a modern interface and helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is straightforward."
  • "From an ROI standpoint, the product I had before, even though they were basically the same thing, I found I was spending a lot of man-hours with it and calling support a lot and actually having to pay for support on the previous model; with this firewall, I rarely have to call support and when I do, it's free of charge, so the ROI is 100% there."
  • "I'd like to see better reporting. While the logs are great, the reports are not."
  • "User management is the area that, by far, needs the most work."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as our firewall.

How has it helped my organization?

I'm able to have very granular control over my organization's input and output data that goes in and out of our networks.

What is most valuable?

The firewall portion of the solution is the best part The rest is really just fluff. 

The initial setup is straightforward.

We have found the stability to be quite good.

What needs improvement?

User management is the area that, by far, needs the most work. The way that they try to transparently utilize user groups from the active directory to the Sophos firewall is outdated.

I'd like to see them do a little bit better of a job with the content filtering. It has content filtering, however, it rarely works. Sometimes it just fails altogether. I'd like to see a better job done. 

I'd like to see better reporting. While the logs are great, the reports are not.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for six years at this point. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is great. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's a reliable firewall. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is super scalable. If I had a giant organization, I'd have no problem putting the Sophos firewall in.

Right now, we have 155 on the solution. That's everyone from support to upper-level management. 

We use it every day.

We just recently upgraded. I have no reason or need to upgrade for years to come and therefore don't plan on scaling anytime soon.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is fairly good. It's a pain to get ahold of them, however, once you get them, they're very thorough.

The only thing that s not so great is that sometimes they try to force me down to my reseller, whoever their partner is. I always have to make up a lie and say I already tried and only then will they help me. Besides that, it's not bad.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Cyberoam. We really switched as Cyberoam was bought out by Sophos.

How was the initial setup?

The implementation process was pretty straightforward. Learning the ins and outs was a little complex. How, in terms of just getting it set up, I was able to get it set up in a couple of days.

Overall, the deployment took about three days. My strategy was, basically, going from my old Cyberoam to my new Sophos. I just copied each rule individually and tested them. Then I ran them in sync with each other for a couple of weeks. When I realized there were no problems, I pulled the Cyberoam out.

We have three people on staff that can handle deployment and maintenance responsibilities. I've got a system admin, myself, and a help desk/content specialist.

What about the implementation team?

I did not use an integrator, reseller, or consultant for deployment. I handled the process myself. 

What was our ROI?

From an ROI standpoint, the product I had before, even though they were basically the same thing, I found I was spending a lot of man-hours with it and calling support a lot and actually having to pay for support on the previous model. 

With this firewall, I rarely have to call support. When I do, it's free of charge. The ROI is 100% there. It might be a little more expensive up front, however, the quality is there for a medium-sized business.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The licensing is based on a multi-year contract. It's a bit higher, in terms of price than other options. The billing process is pretty simple and straightforward. they don't have a complex licensing setup. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated all the big players out there before choosing Sophos. I likely evaluated seven different options.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and an end-user.

I'd advise those considering this product to stick with it and stay away from the fluff. For example, the Sophos Anti-Virus is not worth it. 

The firewall is fantastic. Definitely take their firewall courses, as there are going to be a lot of tasks that you feel should be easy and they're not. There's going to be a lot of troubleshooting. I've been working on it for five years and I still catch myself sometimes trying to figure out why a certain rule doesn't work doing this or that. Definitely take the training. I would highly recommend staying away from the other products.

I'd give the product an eight out of ten for a score. It does everything I need it to do. The user interface is very modern. It works. I was able to figure out some very advanced things. Even though it has a modern interface, I like the fact that I can always go into the console and it's a Linux box behind the scene - which is very nice for when you're trying to do very advanced tasks. For the most part, it was plug-and-play. The setup was really easy. The support is fantastic.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Owner at Dinamica en Microsistemas de Informatica, S.A. de C.V.
Reseller
Mar 2, 2021
Easy to use and deploy with an improved pricing structure in place
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is pretty easy."
  • "The solution is very easy to use, and while we have the skills, it is very easy for us to deploy the solution."
  • "They need to allow their solution to integrate with other products and not just other Sophos solutions."
  • "The solution's technical support is very bad."

What is our primary use case?

My clients are mostly based in the government. They are my core clients. I install the solution for my clients.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very easy to use. 

Of course, we have the skills, however, it's very easy for us to deploy the solution. That's one of the valuable features. 

They have a communication between the endpoint and the firewall which is very, very useful for security purposes.

Pricing is now pretty good. They changed the pricing structure a few months ago.

The initial setup is pretty easy.

What needs improvement?

The integration could be a bit better. They need to allow their solution to integrate with other products and not just other Sophos solutions.

Sophos has a feature that in my opinion is very limited. They don't have enough VPNs on their models. They have the XG 750, which is a sizeable appliance. On those models, they used to have not enough VPNs. They always were short on that area. 

Pricing used to be very bad, however, they've adjusted their strategy recently. 

The product needs to improve its marketing in Mexico. It's not a well-recognized product in our country.

The solution's technical support is very bad.

There is an overall lack of documentation in relation to features and capabilities. We need these to help explain aspects of the solution to our clients. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution since around 2014. I have about six years of experience at this point. It's been a while. I've definitely worked with the product in the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable. There are no bugs and glitches. It doesn't crash and freeze. It's quite reliable. We don't have problems with it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable. It is not a problem. Sometimes we have issues when we are trying to do something with a different traditional version of hardware as sometimes the new hardware has more ports. However, if we are talking about scalability in a huge customer, we can do it very easily. 

Mexico is very different than other countries and continents as here, when we say it's a big customer, we are talking about 2,000 to maybe 3,000 users. There aren't too many large-scale operations in the country. However, in general, for our area, we tend to deal with large-scale companies.

For a company that has maybe 1,000 users, Sophos seems to work very well. We have one operation with 10,000 endpoints and it is working quite well.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support from Sophos is very bad.

Sometimes we lose a project due to the fact that we need to solve some issues or answer questions. Things that may be technical but also involve the administrative side. I'm talking about licensing and the capabilities of the feature. We need some documentation, something we can show clients. They can better in those cases. They can either help us or supply us with what we need. 

In response time, they are terrible. In the area of technical knowledge, they are getting better, however, they aren't where they need to be. Right now, we are not satisfied with the level of support provided.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex. However, here in Mexico, it's very complex to sell the product. The brand is not as well known.

That said, the process is pretty straightforward. 

The deployment times vary. It depends on the end-user and what they need. Sometimes, it's easy as they don't have too many policies. The more policies they have, the longer it takes.

In other cases, clients may have a lot of VPNs. We have to work on those VPNs, and we have to do a lot of routing. However, that depends on the customer. Not all are like that.

For one appliance, you just need one person for deployment and maintenance. If we are working a lot of VPNs, we would have to use more people. We need to involve maybe two or three individuals and re-apply the configuration in that case. 

What about the implementation team?

We handle the installation process ourselves. We do not need the assistance of consultants.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing has recently changed on Sophos. Their licensing and cost structures are much more clear now. It's much better than it was.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Clients, in many cases, evaluate for Check Point, Forcepoint, and sometimes Fortinet. Occasionally, they may look at SonicWall, or Palo Alto however, the others are the main big competitors. 

Palo Alto is very expensive as are Check Point and Forcepoint. That's why we sometimes win the projects. We find Fortinet, is very, very hard to beat as they have a lot of market share, have a lot of marketing. Sophos doesn't have that presence, that marketing. Also, when you have to think about prices, Fortinet gives customers everything and it's hard to beat.

The biggest issue I've found with Sophos is the small number of VPNs that we can do compared to a similar appliance with Fortinet or in the same level center. In fact, many other brands offer more VPNs than Sophos.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a Sophos reseller.

We use multiple versions. We have worked with XG 460 and XG 135 and some others -such as XG 230. In those cases, sometimes it has been Rev 1 and in other cases Rev 2 in terms of the hardware versions.

I mostly work with on-premise deployments. The only item I have installed in the cloud is an email solution by Sophos.

I'd recommend the solution to other organizations. Overall, I would rate it at a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
Radek Svenda - PeerSpot reviewer
IT security consultant at Ing. Radek Svenda
Reseller
Sep 25, 2024
Engineered to deliver extreme levels of visibility, protection, & performance to help address some of the greatest challenges facing network administrators today
Pros and Cons
  • "It’s popular because it’s easy to manage, the cloud console is excellent, and it supports VPNs. It can also integrate with endpoints, though this is optional. Regarding threat intelligence, customers in Central Europe often prefer managing their threat hunting rather than using the more expensive service from Sophos. This feature is handy for large international companies with many employees. Threat intelligence requires separate licensing and is optional. Customers can either manage it themselves or purchase the additional service from Sophos, which includes further actions and is more expensive. Smaller companies often don’t have the budget for this."
  • "One area for improvement would be including automatically generated certificates for HTTPS, which was available in earlier versions but might not be in the latest."

What is our primary use case?

The prominent use cases for Sophos XGS depend on the type of customer. Local governments, schools, production companies, sales companies, and the finance sector use it.

What is most valuable?

It’s popular because it’s easy to manage, the cloud console is excellent, and it supports VPNs. It can also integrate with endpoints, though this is optional. Regarding threat intelligence, customers in Central Europe often prefer managing their threat hunting rather than using the more expensive service from Sophos. This feature is handy for large international companies with many employees. Threat intelligence requires separate licensing and is optional. Customers can either manage it themselves or purchase the additional service from Sophos, which includes further actions and is more expensive. Smaller companies often don’t have the budget for this.

What needs improvement?

One area for improvement would be including automatically generated certificates for HTTPS, which was available in earlier versions but might not be in the latest.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve worked with Sophos XGS for over ten years, starting with Astaro and then Sophos.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is not expensive and is scalable. It can fit small schools and companies with just ten employees, showing its flexibility for different sizes.

How are customer service and support?

Sophos has two levels of support. The first level is qualified but may not handle complex issues well. I usually skip it and go straight to the second level for better results.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Deployment is quick and easy. Small installations take about three hours, and even remotely if necessary. It might take up to two days for more extensive infrastructures, including initial setup and follow-up checks.

What other advice do I have?

Sophos XGS does use AI, particularly for sandboxing and analyzing suspicious documents in the cloud. It’s practical, as I haven’t had any major security breaches in the past five years.Overall, I’d rate Sophos XGS as nine out of ten. It has improved significantly over the years.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. reseller
PeerSpot user
reviewer2342247 - PeerSpot reviewer
Faculty of Technical Sciences at a university with 201-500 employees
Real User
Mar 7, 2024
User-friendly and easy to manage but needs improvement in the throughput area
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ability to protect our organization's web servers."
  • "In Sophos XG, the throughput for larger networks is an area of concern where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution in my company as an edge device on our network.

What is most valuable?

The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ability to protect our organization's web servers.

What needs improvement?

In Sophos XG, the throughput for larger networks is an area of concern where improvements are required.

I hope the product comes up with some better prices and offers for the tools provided to academic institutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a six out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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

There are around 200 to 300 users in our institution.

Though our institution plans to increase the solution's use, we are unsure about the vendor we want to approach.

How was the initial setup?

I rate the product's initial setup phase a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is a difficult process and ten means it has an easy setup phase.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The solution can be deployed in two to three days.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product is expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

My company considers Fortinet as an option against Sophos XG.

What other advice do I have?

The product has improved network security for all the networks in my organization. The product also offers endpoint security since my organization has been using the anti-virus software from Sophos for the past ten years.

Sophos XG's interface is very user-friendly.

The performance of Sophos XG's VPN to meet the organization's remote access needs is an area that cannot be discussed due to security concerns. Though the product can meet our organization's current requirements, we are considering alternate solutions since we have plans to improve our network.

The reporting and analytics functionalities helped identify security incidents in our company.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it because it is easy to manage and solve network-related problems.

I rate the product a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Oludare Oshodi - PeerSpot reviewer
Group CISO at Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc
Real User
Feb 5, 2024
Provides extreme protection

What is most valuable?

All security solutions are the same. It depends on the size of the network and license. They have the same features. Brands provide extreme protection.

What needs improvement?

The solution is expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XGS for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is suitable for small and medium businesses.

How are customer service and support?

Customer support is great.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy and takes around 30 mins to complete.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product’s pricing is average compared to other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

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

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2026
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.