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reviewer1223154 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Architect at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Real User
Lacking security, poor search tool, but stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The performance of Sophos XG is generally good and it is stable."
  • "The security of Sophos XG could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

 Sophos XG is a firewall and we use it to create networking rules.

What needs improvement?

The security of Sophos XG could be improved.

Sophos wants to move all things to the cloud, including access to the end-user PCs and data from the cloud. What will be easier to hack for a customer with an outdated firewall, or the Sophos cloud could get hacked which has all the access and information from customers. With my experience, it's not a question of if they will hack it, but a question of when they will do it. I'm not happy with the direction Sophos is going on.

We have problems with the use of the user interface. You have a poor search engine for objects via which you can write new rules. You have to start at the beginning of the whole object name. With the Sophos UTM, you can start with a pattern, with part of the whole word. In Sophos UTM it will list you all the hits with parts of what you type, and that does not happen on the Sophos XG.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The performance of Sophos XG is generally good and it is stable. 

Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found the scalability of Sophos XG the same as Sophos XG.

We have approximately 10 clients using this solution.

How are customer service and support?

Since Sophos XG moved the support from London to somewhere in the world, such as India, it's a little bit longer to receive a fast response. They are knowledgeable but they are slow to make decisions. For example, we had a firewall and the hardware was defect. It was really clear, but we had to have a long discussion for them to be able to send us the new firewall. It took one or two weeks until the supporter was able to talk to someone who can make the decision. This is too long, this process could be streamlined.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward . As long as you buy the appliances from Sophos, it works very well. However, in some cases, we have to use our own servers because they have more power and more network bandwidth.

What about the implementation team?

The amount of users needed for the implementation and maintenance depends on the size of the customer's infrastructure.

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

There is a license required to use this solution and my customers pay for it annually.

What other advice do I have?

I am not amazed by this solution.

I rate Sophos XG a four out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Network Engineer at Spectrum Engineering Consortium Ltd.
Real User
Reliable and flexible for small and large companies, but has some feature issues to resolve
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos XG Firewall is very usable, very easy to install, and very user friendly."
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

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.

How has it helped my organization?

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.

What is most valuable?

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.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

We are using Sophos XG for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good.

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

How are customer service and support?

The Sophos support team is good now.

How was the initial setup?

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

What about the implementation team?

I am an implementer so I deployed it by myself.

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

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

What other advice do I have?

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

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1740045 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Good filtering and application control features, but the bandwidth could be more effective
Pros and Cons
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

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. 

What is most valuable?

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

What needs improvement?

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. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for about six months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos is scalable, but not enough. 

How are customer service and support?

Sophos technical support is effective. 

How was the initial setup?

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. 

What about the implementation team?

We provide and implement this solution for customers. 

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

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

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

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

What other advice do I have?

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. 

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. Partner
PeerSpot user
Owner at InternetWorld Solutions Sdn Bhd
Reseller
Functionality is straightforward, but tech support could be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

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.

What is most valuable?

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

What needs improvement?

Support could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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. 

How are customer service and support?

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.

How was the initial setup?

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.

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

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.

What other advice do I have?

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.

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.
PeerSpot user
Chief-Information-Technology-Officer at ABIG
Real User
Good Protection, scales well, and is easy to setup
Pros and Cons
  • "Web publishing is important, as well as the importance of the antivirus patch."
  • "Our clients use Karios, and while it integrates well with it, the integration could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

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

How has it helped my organization?

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.

What is most valuable?

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.

What needs improvement?

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

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for three years.

We are using the XG version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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.

How are customer service and support?

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

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

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

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy.

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

What was our ROI?

I have not calculated our ROI.

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

We have a three-year license.

What other advice do I have?

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.

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
Senior System & Security Administrator at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Real User
It has a good interface that's very user-friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "I've tried out Sophos XG a little. It has a good interface that's very user-friendly, but I haven't used all of its functions because I'm only configuring and running the system."
  • "I would prefer if Sophos XG were cheaper. A lower price would benefit me as a system provider for the end customer. The cost of the license and renewal for all the software and devices is somewhat high."

What is most valuable?

I've tried out Sophos XG a little. It has a good interface that's very user-friendly, but I haven't used all of its functions because I'm only configuring and running the system.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Sophos XG for six months. I am not an end-user. I only provide the solution and implementation.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I think Sophos XG is very stable because the users who have installed it never mention any issues. It's very stable and scalable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos XG is a scalable solution. Our clients who use Sophos are not big companies. 

How are customer service and support?

I haven't dealt with Sophos support because I'm just doing the basic implementation for the Sophos. But I Sophos support is very experienced and helpful. Sophos has a team for administration and implementation—a good team to improve the application. 

How was the initial setup?

It depends on the implementation and the deployment of systems. In my small company, I have four people on my technical team. Two of them specialize in firewall and security. They're working on Fortinet. They deal with antivirus and security implementation as well as Veeam Backup. The other two handle the administration implementation, including Active Directory and other administration solutions.

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

I would prefer if Sophos XG were cheaper. A lower price would benefit me as a system provider for the end customer. The cost of the license and renewal for all the software and devices is somewhat high. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Sophos XG nine out of 10. I am a Fortinet partner. If a user asks me which solution to buy, I'll tell them Fortinet. But if the customer needs Sophos, I will implement it for him. However, if I had a Sophos partnership, I would recommend it every time.

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. Partner
PeerSpot user
CEO at Tawassul Technology
Reseller
Secure, affordable, scales well, and simple to install
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos is easy to use."
  • "Some businesses require Dynamic IP. This feature would be useful if it worked."

What is our primary use case?

We are resellers. We provide solutions to our clients.

What is most valuable?

I like the connectivity and the security.

Sophos is easy to use.

The GUI is very simple.

What needs improvement?

Some businesses require Dynamic IP. This feature would be useful if it worked.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Sophos XG for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XG is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale with Sophos XG.

Our customers have medium sized businesses

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is okay.

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

I have also worked with Fortinet and one other solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

It can take one to two hours to install.

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

The price is reasonable. It's not as expensive as other solutions. 

What other advice do I have?

It's good, I would rate Sophos XG a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Creative Head/Director at a marketing services firm with 1-10 employees
Real User
Top 10
Scalable and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is scalable."
  • "The installation could be faster and is longer than that of other solutions, lasting more than a month instead of five minutes."

What needs improvement?

The solution is very slow in comparison with SonicWall and FortiGate. It should have faster performance. 

The installation could be faster and is longer than that of other solutions, lasting more than a month instead of five minutes.  

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Sophos XG for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

When compared with other firewalls, such as that of SonicWall, we have had no issues with the solution's stability. It works very well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Sophos does not provide immediate support, such as SonicWall does with its toll free number. This may take an hour or two, although I suppose things would be different were we to raise a critical ticket. 

I have been in contact with tech support within the last week or so. 

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

SonicWall has a toll-free number which can be reached for immediate support, something which is unique, although Sophos may take an hour or two to respond. I suppose this would be different were a person to raise a critical ticket. 

How was the initial setup?

Sophos XG has a longer installation period than other firewalls, occupying in excess of a month instead of five minutes. 

What about the implementation team?

I am the technical person. Installation can be handled independently. We do the configuration of the firewall. 

We have two teams that are responsible for the deployment, a firewall and a network one. We can handle the implementation using both teams. 

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

I don't believe we have a license for this product.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

SonicWall and FortiGate provide considerably faster performance than Sophos. 

What other advice do I have?

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

We have a data center which contains multiple firewalls. If our clients ask about a certain firewall expert, we simply implement the Sophos firewall, clientele. We have created certain IP sectors like this, in which case we provide multiple firewalls in clientele.

We have around 150 clients making use of the firewall.

We would recommend the solution to others. 

I rate Sophos XG as a ten out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: July 2025
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.