Sophos Firewall Reviews

My main use case for Sophos Firewall is blocking threats from outside. I use Sophos Firewall to block threats from outside by implementing a rule-based policy, where whenever traffic has to pass through the firewall, I create a rule, and based on that rule, I can easily perform the configuration that I want with the restriction.

With the help of Sophos Firewall, I can also have visibility on my users, see what they are doing and what they need to use, and apply those types of restrictions from Sophos Firewall.

Sophos Firewall offers multiple features, including IPS, IDS, ATP, NDR, XOps, web protection, application protection, web server protection, and many more. Out of all those features, I find web protection and application protection to be very helpful and valuable in my daily work.

Sophos Firewall has positively impacted my organization by preventing outside threats, allowing me to easily monitor my users, and configuring any rule for any user regarding what they need to use and what I am restricting for the particular user. I can share that it has improved productivity because if anyone could ransom my network, they could demand money to decrypt the files, thus saving us money, time, and providing reliability.

Sophos Firewall can be improved by providing more throughput. As of now, it is working well, but if there is a report facility for generating more detailed reports, such as brief reports, it would also be helpful.

I have been using Sophos Firewall for the last two years.

Sophos Firewall is stable as of now.

Sophos Firewall's scalability is good; if I want to migrate, it can easily be done with the help of the backup and restore feature.

Customer support for Sophos is very good. I would rate the customer support a 10 out of 10.

Positive

I previously used Fortinet before switching to Sophos Firewall. I switched from Fortinet to Sophos Firewall because of the licenses and the user interface; Sophos Firewall's user interface is very user-friendly, and unlike Fortinet, which requires purchasing a VPN license separately, Sophos Firewall includes the VPN license for free.

I have seen a return on investment as it has saved our money and time, especially since Sophos Firewall can save money from outside attackers.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Sophos Firewall is good; with the Xstream Protection bundle, I can get multiple features, including DNS protection, and the VPN licenses are free for Sophos Firewall, making it very favorable.

Before choosing Sophos Firewall, I evaluated other options, including taking a demo for Palo Alto, but I found Palo Alto to be very high cost, so I did not switch to that.

Sophos Firewall also includes a VPN feature with types of VPN setup that allows me to easily facilitate remote work. My advice to others looking into using Sophos Firewall is that I recommend it as it is easy to use, easy to deploy, and the licensing is not overly complicated, making it reliable. Sophos Firewall is very reliable, very user-friendly, and easy to use. I give this product a rating of 10 out of 10.

Positive

My main use case for Sophos Firewall is security purposes. I use Sophos Firewall to block unwanted URLs, unwanted categories, and for data loss prevention in my day-to-day work.

In addition to blocking unwanted URLs, we also use the VPN for remote access VPN and site-to-site VPN, blocking suspicious sites, and some unwanted categories such as pornography.

Sophos Firewall stands out to me because it is mainly easy to use, and its dashboard is very straightforward. The SD-WAN feature of Sophos Firewall is very good; via SD-WAN, we can route a particular user and access a particular site with a specific ISP.

The SD-WAN feature helps my organization by providing connectivity to my remote sites, as we have multiple branches, and we connect all my branches via SD-WAN VPN.

Sophos Firewall IPS and antivirus are very good, and we use that.

Sophos Firewall has positively impacted my organization by increasing security, reducing my time, and allowing us to manage multiple firewalls via Smart Console or Sophos Central, where we can push the policy centralized from all the firewalls.

Centralized policies have made management easier for me, and the error rate is relatively small.

I believe Sophos Firewall can be improved, especially inconsistency across the deployment, and some GUI can be slow.

In addition to UI speed, we need improvements in end-to-end deployment such as clear packet flow diagrams.

I have been using Sophos Firewall for 1.8 years.

Sophos Firewall is stable in our network.

Sophos Firewall scalability is good, with a wide hardware range suitable for SMBs to large user environments, cloud, and centralized management.

Customer support is really good; we always get resolutions on time.

Recently, we used Checkpoint as a different solution.

I have seen a return on investment; it has saved money, reduced staffing needs, and saved time. It is easy to use, and I can manage all my sites via Sophos Central.

The pricing of Sophos Firewall is easy to manage.

Before choosing Sophos Firewall, we evaluated options such as Fortinet and Palo Alto.

My advice for others looking into using Sophos Firewall is to start simply from day one. With user concurrent sessions, we can achieve good security, which is very good in Sophos Firewall, and endpoint protection support is really good.

My additional thoughts are that Sophos Firewall policies are best suited for SMB and mid-sized networks, simple to moderately complex architectures, and high complexity multi-data center or automation-heavy environments, both delivering strong security.

My main use case for the Sophos XGS is as a perimeter firewall, and it has a WAF, web filtering, IDS, and email protection.

The most useful features in Sophos XGS are the web filter and IDS, along with email protection; those are the features that I use mostly.

Email protection is the IDS, and there's also the Web Application Filter that I find useful.

Regarding the synchronized security in Sophos XGS, the feature is automatically enabled if you have Sophos Endpoint, allowing them to synchronize through the cloud to communicate together. I find the feature useful and effective.

Sophos XGS helps to identify threats effectively, but it relies on the rules set in the IPS and IDS policies. In Sophos, we rely on the reports to see categorized attacks in progress, and we can then observe what has happened.

To improve Sophos XGS for the next release, I recommend enhancing visibility as it's the biggest challenge. There should be more details on visibility.

I have been working with Sophos XGS Firewall since 2018.

I haven't faced any challenges; they usually provide support whenever an issue arises and work on it until it's resolved.

I haven't faced any stability issues; it's perfect. I'm satisfied with its performance.

For scalability, you purchase it according to the number of users and traffic; scaling means you would have to buy another product if you exhaust resources, but what we are using is enough to support our load.

So far, we are monitoring to see if we'll increase, but we are below the capacity of the device.

The support is great, and it's sufficient to help me. I would rate the support a perfect 10.

Positive

Before working with Sophos XGS, I evaluated other firewalls including Fortinet, using a smaller version of it, along with Untangle and Cisco Firepower.

The main driver to moving to Sophos was the price and value evaluation; the price was reasonable, and they provided enough features that we needed, as the previous firewalls were limited in traffic and number of users.

It's easy to set up, and they provide support to help through the process.

We were working with the provider and implementing it in parallel with what we had before, ensuring everything was moved before switching.

I find the cost of the firewall to be moderate; it's reasonable.

With Sophos XGS, there are no limitations on the number of users, and the setup is easy.

I would recommend that those planning to use Sophos XGS find it easy to use and deploy, and it works well, but they may need another tool for better visibility.

Sophos XGS helps to identify threats effectively, but it relies on the rules set in the IPS and IDS policies.

On a scale of one to ten, I rate Sophos XGS an eight.

Positive

I typically use the Sophos XG Firewall to enhance my cybersecurity by using all layers.

The intrusion prevention system in Sophos XG Firewall impacts my security posture because they were impacted by ransomware and cyber threats, but I did not face any issues. I have more than 800 servers live from Sophos.

I have experienced that the benefits from Sophos XG's synchronized security feature are very good, and I have not faced any issues with this.

I typically use the Sophos XG Firewall to enhance my cybersecurity by using all layers.

The intrusion prevention system impacts my security posture effectively, as we have not faced any ransomware or cyber threats. I have more than 800 servers live from Sophos.

The synchronized security feature has proven to be very beneficial, and I have not encountered any issues.

Sophos XG Firewall has contributed to reducing overall costs because it helps save money. We purchased endpoint security for the first time last year, and even without endpoint security, it provides comprehensive security.

Sophos XG uses AI effectively to enhance threat detection and response, securing from AI at the packet level.

While all features of Sophos XG are good, some improvement is needed in the UI, as sometimes beginner users get lost in UI settings and do not understand where to find specific settings.

I have been using Sophos XG for more than 10 to 12 years, and I have experience with Cyberoam.

The deployment of Sophos XG took me a maximum of half a day, specifically two to three hours maximum.

The stability of Sophos XG rates at 10 out of 10.

The scalability of Sophos XG is very good, and I rate it 10 out of 10.

The technical support of Sophos deserves a rating of 10 out of 10 as the support is very good.

Positive

I am using Cisco solutions at the network level, but for security, I use Sophos.

I personally took part in the installation of Sophos XG recently with the vendor, though earlier I installed it by myself.

I conduct maintenance for Sophos XG, and generally, I transfer our data in one and a half hours to a new Sophos XG machine. I have barely needed any maintenance in 10 years.

I personally took part in the installation of Sophos XG recently with the vendor, though earlier I installed it by myself.

Sophos XG Firewall has contributed to reducing overall costs because it helps save money. We purchased endpoint security for the first time last year, and even without endpoint security, it provides comprehensive security.

I do not need to pay more for additional features or services beyond the licensing costs, as I did not compromise with any feature. My primary function is security, not money.

I rate the price of the licensing cost for Sophos XG as 10 out of 10.

I am using Cisco solutions at the network level, but for security, I use Sophos.

I would recommend Sophos XG to other companies because we are an MSP provider and all our customers are using Sophos technology. My first recommendation is Sophos.

While earlier the reporting in Sophos XG was not good, in the recent software launch, the reporting has improved significantly, as most information is readily available.

Overall rating: 10 out of 10 points, as it is really good.

I use Sophos XGS for cybersecurity in my specific industry to provide network protection from attackers and direct hits to public IP addresses. I am currently working with the XGS model.

The most impactful feature for my security posture is the XGS models and current versions. I miss the DDNS features on XGS model version 17.

The intrusion prevention system in Sophos XGS firewall helps with my security. I am applying it on Zoom and it is working properly.

Regarding synchronized security features, I am using an XGS model which is not registered on central accounts, and I basically use it on-premises. This advanced feature on XGS models is available with centralized management.

Sophos supporting and analytics help make my security decisions, and it is very good.

The Sophos XGS AI-driven tools benefit my organization as these features are very intelligent. The new version after 2021 is available with this feature, making them very helpful for configuration and intrusion prevention.

There is room for improvement in Sophos XGS, specifically in three areas: slowness, centralized synchronization, and bandwidth issues, plus throughput is very low.

I would prefer DDNS features in Sophos XGS. The DDNS features are essential for any organization, as it is better not to have a static IP address from an ISP.

I have been using Sophos XGS firewall for approximately three to four years. I have used multiple firewalls including XGS87, XGS126, and XGS107.

The XGS model I am using has a very slow deployment process. I am facing some issues with the firewall and working to resolve them.

The stability of Sophos XGS rates around seven on a scale of 1 to 10.

I am satisfied with the support provided. The technical support of Sophos rates at 10.

Positive

I spend one to two hours installing the product on smartwatches and desktop models, with the complete setup taking approximately one or two days.

Three to four engineers took part in deployment, managing approximately 300 to 400 users.

Sophos XGS helps in reducing operational costs by around four to five thousand.

I am satisfied with the price, rating it a nine. There are no extra expenses required after buying the product.

I chose Sophos XGS over other competitors because it provides excellent support, which differentiates it from other vendors. Sophos XGS is good in both normal and low-level language, which makes it comfortable to use.

The Sophos XGS console is very user-friendly compared to others such as Fortinet and Palo Alto. This console is easier to use and manage, unlike others where users cannot manage as effectively.

I use Sophos XGS in my organization and would recommend it to other organizations.

This product is very useful, and I rate it 10 out of 10.

I exclusively use Sophos XGS without any other vendors.

I perform maintenance for Sophos XGS in-house without using third-party services. My maintenance team consists of three to four members.

I am working for a sub-35 distributor of Rajasthan, which represents the overall number of users for Sophos XGS in my company.

In general, Sophos XGS is rated appropriately for about 100 users, or possibly a couple hundred.

We have an ERP that's in-house, and we use Sophos XG to generate a VPN client file, import it, and utilize the connectivity with low latency. This allows us to access our office systems remotely using the Sophos XG connection.

Sophos XG has allowed us to implement all kinds of firewall rules and manage bandwidth efficiently. By prioritizing bandwidth for our ERP hosted in Amazon Cloud and de-prioritizing non-essential sites, it has greatly improved our network management. The user interface is easy to navigate, making administration tasks straightforward. In terms of backup, reinstallation, and DHCP configuration, Sophos XG is very straightforward compared to other solutions.

The knowledge base needs improvement, particularly in terms of community support and training videos on platforms like YouTube. Compared to other firewalls, Sophos XG documentation is somewhat confusing and can be difficult to use. The licensing model could also be improved to cater to smaller offices, as the current minimum purchase is for 50 users, which can be expensive. Incorporating AI technology for enhanced learning and easier configurations would make the solution more robust.

I have been using Sophos XG since they took over Cyberoam, and I switched from Cyberoam to Sophos XG.

Sophos XG is very stable, even when serving as a DHCP server. Unlike some other firewalls, it does not overheat when certain features are enabled.

Our experience with customer service is excellent. We are supported by the guys who resell Sophos XG, and their technical team is well-trained and knowledgeable.

Positive

I have worked with FortiGate and Palo Alto. However, we switched to Sophos XG because FortiGate was expensive.

The setup process for Sophos XG is very straightforward, especially when compared to other firewalls.

We were supported by our reseller's technical team, who were well-trained and knowledgeable.

The Sophos XG costs about $1,300 annually for a license for up to 50 people. Comparatively, FortiGate offers similar features and IPsec for $1,600 annually.

I evaluated FortiGate and Palo Alto before choosing Sophos XG.

I rate Sophos XG a seven out of ten. Incorporating AI technology for enhanced configurations would improve its overall value.

I am working with Sophos XG, and it's one of Sophos products we are selling.

I mostly work with the on-premises version of Sophos XG.

I have used Sophos XG's Security Heartbeat feature, and our customers prefer this functionality as one of the key functions.

I have utilized Sophos XG's Sandstorm technology, and from customer feedback, it's considered a strong and good technology, but I cannot explain it thoroughly because I am a salesman.

From my perspective, the best features of Sophos XG are that it's a complex solution and its integration with endpoint and XDR, EDR systems of Sophos is quite appealing to customers.

Regarding scalability, I think it's nine. Sophos XG is really focused on small and mid-market customers. It's designed for easy implementation and easy setup. If you try to implement it into the enterprise, it's absolutely impossible because there are no functionalities required by the enterprise, and it's a nightmare. However, for the small and mid-segment, it's absolutely the best.

I cannot remember anything specific about Sophos XG that could be improved at the moment.

I have been working with Sophos for many years, perhaps around ten years, but I'm not certain.

I cannot rate the technical support of Sophos on a scale from one to ten because I am a salesman and have no practical skill with the technical support of Sophos. I cannot compare it, and it feels nonsensical.

Negative

In my opinion, it's not difficult to deploy Sophos XG. I have feedback that it's quite easy.

I don't do installation for my customers or deployment. I am a salesman, and our partners handle that.

Regarding pricing, from my perspective, Sophos XG has good pricing because we still grow with the selling of Sophos firewalls and products every year by five to ten percent. From that point, I think it's good pricing, but you can always meet some customers who are not satisfied.

I am working not only with Sophos but also with other vendors like Barracuda. I don't have another product like the firewall, just Sophos and Barracuda as firewalls, the real firewalls.

On a scale from one to ten, I can say that Sophos XG is a nine.

I am not able to compare the impact of Sophos XG's Deep Packet Inspection on network security because I'm a salesman.

I would rate this review an eight overall.

We have deployed the Sophos XG for one of our clients in an SD-WAN scenario where they have one primary link on lease lines and a secondary link on broadband, and they have an on-premise concentrator. It is for specific government reasons they have deployed it at the center, and it's quite satisfactory.

In comparison with other products, Sophos XG is a much more professional company, and you need limited support; most of the things are already available. Whereas with the Indian counterparts, when we used Ray and Infinix, there were some customizations required, as it was not an inbuilt feature, especially in case of reporting and other aspects. The price point at which those products are available makes them viable options because we deploy them according to client requirements. If a client is not ready to invest that much amount, these products are the optimum mix for them.

The aspects I appreciate about Sophos XG are the ease of operations and customer satisfaction, though pricing is slightly higher compared to Indian variants.

Regarding threat detection capabilities, if there are any use cases, we definitely would want to use it, and the Sophos XG definitely has those features.

In terms of features for network security, it's of importance, but for this particular reason, the customer was not keen on it because it's a transport of offices. They were not concerned about the transport and security aspects, but even if they were, it would have been reasonably good in Sophos XG. I don't see any challenge on that.

The support time needs improvement, as sometimes they ask everything via email and then it takes additional time for them to respond. When asking for something related to reporting or anything, many times their help desk doesn't have a ready reckoner sort of solution, which requires improvement on those timelines.

The initial setup of the Sophos XG is not exactly straightforward.

I have been working with the Sophos XG for almost 2 and 1/2 years.

I have not had any performance and/or stability issues with Sophos XG as yet.

I have not encountered any limitations or scalability issues with it yet.

I would rate the technical support an eight on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the best or the highest.

Positive

We have a couple of others for our SD-WAN; Sophos XG we have tried, and we have a couple of Indian manufacturers: one is Ray and the other is Infinix.

The initial setup of the Sophos XG is not exactly straightforward.

I would advise users looking into implementing Sophos XG in their environment to consider it as a good product to deploy, though it is slightly costly because Indian buyers are more price-sensitive. I would recommend them to pay a little extra for having peace of mind.

I would rate Sophos XG as a better option compared to all others we have used because peace of mind and faster implementation are the key points which Sophos XG provides compared to these two counterparts.

The initial setup of the Sophos XG is not exactly straightforward, but overall satisfaction is good; I can always say it's a good product to continue with.

On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this solution around 8.5 to 9.