What is our primary use case?
We are using this product as the firewall for our head office, so any connections going outside of the office go through it. We are also using VPN clients and especially during the lockdown, it was very helpful.
What is most valuable?
The feature that we find most valuable is the VPN, which ensures that people working remotely have a secure connection.
The email security and other security-related features are useful.
What needs improvement?
We feel that the GUI can be improved a bit because it has a lot of information and looks a bit outdated.
Nowadays, you hear a lot about next-generation firewalls, so some additional features can be added from an EI perspective. Products like FortiGate, for example, have a lot of features apart from the basic firewall.
We would like to see integration with existing IPAM and IDAM products.
In the future, I would like to see new kinds of automations, as well as the inclusion of artificial intelligence-related features. A lot of other firewalls already have these now.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not had many issues, perhaps two or three of them, when using Sophos XG.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability-wise, they have different models. With the requirements that we have, this firewall did a good job. It's still doing a good job in terms of performance. For a larger enterprise with a higher number of users, they can recommend other models.
Currently, we have approximately 100 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have received good support. For the small number of issues that we have had, we received help from IT. This included assistance with configuring some additional policies. Whenever we reached out to them, they were very prompt in terms of responding to us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to Sophos XG, we were using a firewall by Palo Alto. The major reason we began looking for a different one was that the support was not very good. The firewall was pretty decent but whenever we wanted some help, it was a bit difficult to reach out to them. To summarize, it was not very prompt.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was simple. Within one to two hours, we were done. This was not just the installation, but the complete configuration.
What about the implementation team?
We performed the deployment with the Sophos team guiding us over the phone. It was not complex. There was one person from Sophos who was coordinating it, and it was done by our internal IT manager.
What other advice do I have?
For the most part, I can say that we plan to continue using this product. However, we would like to see if they have come up with new models and what additional features have they been incorporating. With cybersecurity, I know there have been a lot of threats of late, so we would like to see some new technologies or new features being incorporated.
This is a product that I can recommend. My advice for anybody who is implementing it is to first try to understand what the major use cases are. People need to know that there are quite a few options, such as Fortinet, and all of them have different advantages. Sophos fits perfectly for a smaller group of users, with perhaps between a hundred and two hundred people. For larger enterprises, I recommend that they implement Fortinet or Check Point.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.