Technical Presales Consultant/ Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Top 5
Good security, easy to use, and has a simple installation
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very easy to use and straightforward."
  • "The initial setup, specifically when activating the license, is a nightmare and is quite difficult."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used to secure networks, just like PSF, but much better. Sophos XG has a UTM, which is much more security inclusive than a firewall, as it takes a look at the threat management landscape from a unified point of view. They have a firewall and they have an IPS inside the same box. They have a sandbox, they have a web filter, they have a web application firewall, they have a mail gateway, and they have a DMP. These are all inside one box. It's excellent at protecting networks from security threats as well.

What is most valuable?

The solution offers everything in one product.

It's excellent at protecting networks from malicious threats.

The solution is very easy to use and straightforward. 

Once you get past the license activation, the installation is easy.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see the technical support improve. They have the worst technical support I have ever seen in my whole life.

The initial setup, specifically when activating the license, is a nightmare and is quite difficult. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for five years now. It's been a while. 

Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We're a distributor, however, the company is still quite new. At my last company, I had 150 clients on Sophos. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is just awful. They are not helpful or responsive. We are not satisfied with the level of support on offer. They need to improve this aspect. They simply do not reply.

They have very bad response times. It's very strange. Before, when I was dealing with Cyberoam, before Cyberoam was acquired by Sophos, it was good. Now, it's Sophos XG, and, while Cyberoam support was amazing, Sophos support has just gone down the drain. I don't know why.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is a nightmare. The installation, getting the box to get up and running, is a hectic process, due to the fact that the box basically would not activate any feature unless the license is activated. And the license is only activated with the cloud. When you are doing that, it's just a sort of a nightmare. Now they have a new feature in which you can just create a license and you can activate the license on the appliance. However, generally speaking, it's one of those appliances that, if it's not registered on the portal online, won't even start. It can be a nightmare sometimes. That said, after the license is activated, it's just plain simple and easy.

What about the implementation team?

I previously was an implementor and would set up the solution for clients.

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

You need to pay for the license. You need to pay for the hardware as well. The cost depends on the model of the hardware and on which license. They have different editions, and licenses you're going to go with. They have different modules, and the cost depends on which modules you'd like to activate for security features. Not everyone will buy Sophos to utilize all the features. Usually, it's just the firewall, and IPS, sandbox, and the web filter that people are looking for. Not many people have Sophos or VM servers on-prem to protect them.

What other advice do I have?

We use both cloud and on-premises deployment models. 

Now, I am using the solution personally at home, however, before, where I was working, I used the solution for three years, specifically implementing Sophos XG for customers.

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

I'd recommend the solution to other users and companies. For small and medium businesses, Sophos is a good security vendor.

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.
PeerSpot user
Infrastructure Administrator at CFA-INSTA
Real User
Top 20
Fully integrated, easy to use, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found the solution easy to use and fully integrated."
  • "The solution could improve by having better security."

What is most valuable?

I have found the solution easy to use and fully integrated.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by having better security.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for one year.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In my experience, I have found it to be scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The installation took approximately one day to complete.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of the solution and we used a team of two.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

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
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Executive IT at Mattsen Kumar LLC
Real User
After four years, we've never had a complaint from a customer
Pros and Cons
  • "We created and configured a VPN for connecting our remote sites and also to make it more secure and reliable. We also like its two-factor authentication features."
  • "The support service level agreement in regard to the amount of time needed to upgrade things is too low. It should be higher."

What is our primary use case?

We mainly use this solution for team meetings. We also implemented the LAN control for Sophos XG.

How has it helped my organization?

We have been dealing with this solution for the past four years and we haven't had any challenges or complaints from any of our clients.

What is most valuable?

We created and configured a VPN for connecting our remote sites to make them more secure and reliable. We also like its two-factor authentication features.

What needs improvement?

The support service level agreement in regard to the amount of time needed to upgrade things is too low. It should be higher.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for roughly four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is both stable and secure.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is good enough. 

What other advice do I have?

I would absolutely recommend this solution to others. It's far better than other solutions available on the market right now. This solution could benefit any organization. 

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of nine. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Technical Consultant at Hash 1 IP services llp
Consultant
Good content filtering and intrusion prevention, but needs better quality checks for firmware upgrades and better support
Pros and Cons
  • "Content filtering and intrusion prevention are most valuable. Our customers are fully satisfied with the performance of Sophos. It has all the features that they require in a firewall."
  • "They need to do more quality checks before they release firmware upgrades. Currently, a few Cyberoam firewall customers are facing some issues while upgrading the Cyberoam firmware to Sophos. After the new firmware is installed, they are seeing some performance issues, which require some bug fixes. The performance is fine after getting the required support. Customers who are already using Sophos hardware are quite satisfied with this solution. Their support should also be improved. We are facing difficulties getting support on time through email or phone."

What is our primary use case?

I'm providing services to my customers. They are using Sophos firewalls, and a few of them are also using antivirus.

What is most valuable?

Content filtering and intrusion prevention are most valuable. Our customers are fully satisfied with the performance of Sophos. It has all the features that they require in a firewall. 

What needs improvement?

They need to do more quality checks before they release firmware upgrades. Currently, a few Cyberoam firewall customers are facing some issues while upgrading the Cyberoam firmware to Sophos. After the new firmware is installed, they are seeing some performance issues, which require some bug fixes. The performance is fine after getting the required support. Customers who are already using Sophos hardware are quite satisfied with this solution. 

Their support should also be improved. We are facing difficulties getting support on time through email or phone.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for three to four years.

How are customer service and technical support?

I regularly contact them. Connecting Sophos support is quite a difficult task during the pandemic. We are facing difficulties getting support on time through email or phone. Sometimes when a problem comes, it has to be sorted for the customer quickly, but it is taking time. One of the customers has just upgraded a firewall from Cyberoam firmware to Sophos, and it took them around ten days to get that firewall upgraded from Sophos.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Most of the customers compare Sophos with Fortinet. In comparison to Fortinet, people are more satisfied with Sophos. Sophos has a big customer base in India. Therefore, they are good in terms of performance and customer satisfaction.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Sophos XG a seven out of ten. We are satisfied with its performance.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Alex Clerici - PeerSpot reviewer
System Integrator IT Manager at Tecnimex S.r.l.
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Very good at web and application filtering with a great GUI
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability has been excellent."
  • "Technical support could be improved. They aren't as responsive as they could be."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as a comprehensive security device.

What is most valuable?

The VPN capabilities are quite good.

The solution is very good at web and application filtering.

It's quite a comprehensive security solution.

The performance the solution offers is excellent. Compared to the older solution, and especially on the cloud, it can reach very good performance. It depends on the licenses, of course. 

The graphical user interface is excellent. 

The intrusion protection module is very useful.

You can easily connect the solution to cloud management.

The stability has been excellent.

What needs improvement?

Technical support could be improved. They aren't as responsive as they could be.

It would be ideal if we could have a more populated and detailed knowledge base. Generally, the new features must be tested before applying them to the production side. I would like to see more case studies, more application notes, and so on.

We would like to see an improvement in mail management. When passing from FG Series to XG Series, some mail features have been lost. We would like to regain them.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've used the solution for many years - before it was even Sophos. Sophos, some years ago, was Astaro AG. Sophos acquired Astaro AG. We have at least ten years of experience with the solution.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We've found the stability to be very good. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no glitches. The performance and reliability are excellent. 

Occasionally, we do have to do a debug, however, that's typical of all firewall solutions.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is very good overall. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.

We have about 200 people using the solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

The reaction times of technical support are slow. They should be more responsive. We're not completely satisfied with the way they handle it.

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

In the past, I've had some experience with SonicWall, Fortinet, and with a Linux solution. However, compared to other solutions, we prefer Sophos.

How was the initial setup?

It's better to be certified to install in a good manner. You need to understand what you are doing. Sophos offers the chance to certify at different levels. There are commercial levels and technical levels.

The time it takes to deploy depends on the complexity of the setup and environment. It can take a few hours or a few days. It can even take a week if the architecture is very advanced.

Generally, you need to be an engineer to handle maintenance. We have three people at our office that can handle implementation and setup as well as maintenance.

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

You need a license to use the solution. We offer the license as a box license, or we can offer a license like an MSP, as a service provider. We often acquire the licenses and we give them to our customers as an MSP.

What other advice do I have?

We are an authorized partner for Sophos.

We're using the latest version of the solution.

I'd recommend the solution, especially over, for example, Cisco. 

I'd rate the solution ten out often. It's really worked well for us.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
ICT Manager at a hospitality company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Easy to use, scalable, and fairly stable, but needs simplified interface and better security
Pros and Cons
  • "We find it easy to use. Its internal configuration is very easy. It is not complicated in terms of use and configuration. It has been fairly stable, and it is also scalable."
  • "They can simplify its interface so that it is mostly drag-and-drop. There was an SQL injection attack on some Sophos devices. They just need to harden their devices a little bit so that they can't be hacked very easily."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it at a gateway level. We are using Sophos XG Series 135. 

What is most valuable?

We find it easy to use. Its internal configuration is very easy. It is not complicated in terms of use and configuration.

It has been fairly stable, and it is also scalable.

What needs improvement?

They can simplify its interface so that it is mostly drag-and-drop. There was an SQL injection attack on some Sophos devices. They just need to harden their devices a little bit so that they can't be hacked very easily.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It has been fairly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We had scaled it for the number of users that we have, and it has worked fine for us. We have around 40 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

We rarely contact their technical support. There was a time when our head office contacted their technical support. It was an issue in 2008, and they provided a patch.

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

We used Cisco ASA five or six years ago.

How was the initial setup?

We found it easy to install. Its installation took around one to one and a half hours.

What about the implementation team?

I did it myself. I have had some training on the product. In terms of support, we have just two guys who handle the support. Two people are enough for its deployment and maintenance.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. It is a fairly stable and good solution. We will keep on using it.

I would rate Sophos XG a seven 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.
PeerSpot user
it_user633438 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information security specialist at a non-tech company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Enables us to trace any user and pinpoint any vulnerability or malicious software
Pros and Cons
  • "We are able to trace any user and pinpoint any vulnerability or any malicious software. We are able to synchronize between the local and active directories so we can catch users easily through their login names and IDs."
  • "There needs to be a way that we can distinguish between educational institutions on Youtube and other Youtube videos. You can do this on Fortinet. Basically, they can block all other Youtube videos besides those that are from educational institutions. With Sophos, you either allow for all Youtube videos or none at all. They need to allow for more specification on different websites."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for application control and web filtering. We also use it as a VPN point, and we use it on other occasions for tracing and reporting about usage and high application rates.

How has it helped my organization?

We are able to trace any user and pinpoint any vulnerability or any malicious software. We are able to synchronize between the local and active directories so we can catch users easily through their login names and IDs.

What is most valuable?

The reporting on the solution is excellent.

What needs improvement?

There needs to be a way that we can distinguish between educational institutions on Youtube and other Youtube videos. You can do this on Fortinet. Basically, they can block all other Youtube videos besides those that are from educational institutions. With Sophos, you either allow for all Youtube videos or none at all. They need to allow for more specification on different websites.

They only have one single location for training videos. They must offer them elsewhere as well. When the site goes down, everything stops, and you can't access the videos when you need them, so they need to diversify that. It's limiting.  

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is excellent.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good. We could only handle around 5,000 users but even when we reached 3,000 users, Sophos only consumed around 24% and 40% of Prime usage. 

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution's technical support is not the best. When I take a step to open a case with Sophos support I can't understand them at all; I can't understand their accent. I always appreciate if they can communicate with me through e-mail instead, which makes it much easier. 

Many cases take a long time to be resolved. Some cases they seem to ignore or don't reply to for a long time so I have to remind them that the case is still open before they will respond. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. The implementation took about a day. There were only two people needed for deployment.

What about the implementation team?

We had a consultant assist with the setup. They were very good.

What other advice do I have?

We use the on-premises deployment model.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten. It's a very good firewall. It helps a lot with protection, and every organization needs a firewall to ensure they are protected.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Lead Advance Engineer at IHCC
Real User
Very easy to use but bugs find their way through their security
Pros and Cons
  • "What I like about his program, is that it is easy to use and easy to manage."
  • "The program is rather expensive."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of this program is for antivirus and security purposes.  

What is most valuable?

What I like about this program is that it is easy to use and easy to manage.

What needs improvement?

Sometimes we experience difficulties with our server and that is usually due to a bug. Somehow bugs seem to find their way through Sophos' security. The issue is usually resolved when we contact technical support. In the next version, I would like to see an improvement in this. The developers should test everything after any update to ensure that bugs don't come though with the update.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos XG for three years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I've used FortiGate before and I would say that Sophos is just as stable, both being around 70% as stable as other products on the market.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good. We have 300 to 400 antivirus end users, and our company has around 1,000 users. We do have plans to increase usage because we are growing our projects around the world to countries like the US, Germany, Pakistan, India, UAE (Dubai) and Egypt.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is okay. Whenever we call them with an issue, they come to us and resolve the issue. Sometimes they take time, but I still think it's good. I will rate the technical support eight out of ten.

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

We only use Sophos because it can integrate with other product like FortiGate and we can easily connect the two programs. This makes the program scalable and easy to use. Many other products on the market are not compatible with each other and that is why we chose Sophos. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was rather complex but we had no issues with the deployment.

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

We bought a license for three years and we will renew it but I think the price is too high. If it could be less expensive, more end-users or partners will be able to afford it.

What other advice do I have?

It is a good product and I will definitely recommend it. I rate this product a seven out of ten. In the next version I would like to see an advanced level and not only a basic level. Nowadays it is a very useful feature to be able to upgrade.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.