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reviewer1463193 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Dec 5, 2020
User authentication rules are helpful, but the URL filtering is not good, and it suffers from instability
Pros and Cons
  • "The user authentication rules are very useful."
  • "Sophos needs improvements made to the console, such as host entry or defining rules directly from it."

What is our primary use case?

We use the Sophos XG firewall as part of our network security solution.

What is most valuable?

The user authentication rules are very useful.

What needs improvement?

Sophos needs improvements made to the console, such as host entry or defining rules directly from it.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos XG for the past five years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I do not feel that this is a stable product. URL filtering is not good.

How are customer service and support?

I have not had any experience with technical support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. It took a week to deploy.

What other advice do I have?

This is not a product that I can recommend to anybody who wants to implement a firewall.

I would rate this solution a four out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Network & System Administrator at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Nov 12, 2020
Easy to set up, monitor, and block traffic, but the stability could be better
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the central management, the user VPN, and communications."
  • "I need to open the email to see what it contains and the value of it before I know whether to access it or not."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this product to monitor traffic, payments, and VPN access to our branches. Some are using VPN with hooks, Sophos XG 210, and the main one they are using in the data center is Sophos XG 310.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the central management, the user VPN, and communications.

You can monitor and block traffic.

What needs improvement?

In regards to email as an example, if you experience any malware, it is contained in the container but doesn't give you any information about the email, or what is contained in the email. You only have the option to reject it or to release it.

I need to open the email to see what it contains and the value of it before I know whether to access it or not.

Stability needs improvements.

For how long have I used the solution?

We started with Sophos SG UTM 9, then we upgraded to XG. We have been using the latest version of XG for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability could be better.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable and good for small businesses.

We have approximately 120 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have contacted technical support three to five times per year.

It's good, but I don't have many questions to ask.

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

Previously, I was using Sophos SG. We were not using any other software from any other vendor. We have only dealt with Sophos.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was simple. It was not complicated.

If you are familiar with the technology, the implementation will not be difficult.

It also depends on the business needs.

From testing and switching from SG to XG, it took approximately one week to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

We had help from the vendor. The maintenance and the VPN connection is done in-house.

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

It is not expensive, it's a reasonable price.

There are some additional fees for additional tools.

What other advice do I have?

I can recommend Sophos XG to others who are interested in using this solution.

I would rate this solution 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
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
December 2025
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879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System Administrator Server and Networks at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Nov 4, 2020
Good filtering capability, but the interface is slow and it is difficult for beginners to understand
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is web filtering."
  • "The reaction time of the GUI is terrible when compared to other manufacturers."

What is our primary use case?

We use this product to protect all of the connections to our sites and for web filtering.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is web filtering.

What needs improvement?

The behavior with the zones was a little bit tricky to understand and the beginning of the project.

Sophos XG is difficult to manage and it is difficult to understand when you first begin.

The reaction time of the GUI is terrible when compared to other manufacturers. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos XG for about a year and a half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product, although the web GUI is slow. We plan to use it for another couple of years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a small site, and we have 15 users.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Sophos XG was not straightforward. We already had experience with Sophos UTM, but they are completely different systems. The deployment took us one week to complete.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed this solution in-house.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I now have a proof of concept with a FortiGate firewall and we are trying some test cases on it.

What other advice do I have?

For now, this is not a product that I can recommend.

I would rate this solution a six 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_user1274955 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Director of IT Operations at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Oct 27, 2020
A good tool that offers stable and reliable protection
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a good security tool and it aligns with the rest of our security stack."
  • "The VPN is in need of improvement."

What is our primary use case?

This firewall is being used to protect our site.

What is most valuable?

It's a good security tool and it aligns with the rest of our security stack.

What needs improvement?

The VPN is in need of improvement. For us, it is hard to set up and it not working properly.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the Sophos XG at one of our sites for about a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This product is part of our infrastructure and we use it every day. The internet stays up with no outages, so I think that Sophos XG is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not had the need to scale to this point. Our entire organization is protected by it.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not been in contact with technical support.

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

Prior to this solution, we were using Meraki. My company has a better partner channel with Sophos, which is why we switched.

What about the implementation team?

Our in-house technical team deployed this firewall.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is looking into implementing this product is to trust your techs.

This is a good product, although there is always room for improvement.

I would rate this solution an eight 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. Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1190469 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager IT at a retailer with 201-500 employees
Real User
Jul 15, 2020
Stable IPS features and good technical support, but the reporting needs to be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the intrusion prevention system."
  • "The two main areas where this product needs improvement are routing and reporting."

What is our primary use case?

We use this firewall as part of our security solution.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the intrusion prevention system.

What needs improvement?

The two main areas where this product needs improvement are routing and reporting.

The security can be improved, as well.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for more than two or three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability has not been a problem for us.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I am satisfied with the scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support from Sophos is excellent.

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

I previously used the Microsoft Firewall. It is easy to use but it doesn't the IPS and malware detection capabilities that Sophos has.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup and configuration are not difficult for somebody with firewall experience. However, for somebody who has not worked on one in the past, it will be complicated.

What about the implementation team?

We had assistance with the deployment.

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

The price is cheaper than that of some competing vendors.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Prior to implementing Sophos, I tried using a solution by Fortinet. However, it was much more expensive.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is implementing this solution is to ensure that somebody with firewall experience handles the deployment.

Overall, I find that this is a good product. That said, there are improvements that need to be made in the routing, reporting, and security.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
it_user1375350 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Analyst- Presales and delivery at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Jul 9, 2020
Endpoint firewall and proxy that is user-friendly, easily scaled, and has good synchronization features
Pros and Cons
  • "it's user-friendly, not complex."
  • "The uploading and downloading of reports should be included."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of this solution is as an endpoint firewall and proxy.

What is most valuable?

The features that are most valuable are synchronized security, the security hard build, the application synchronization, and the events synchronization.

it's user-friendly, not complex.

What needs improvement?

The uploading and downloading of reports should be included.

We are looking for a firewall to block the uploads from the user, not the downloads. I would like to see this feature updated.

In the next release, I would like the uploading and downloading reports to be included.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost two years.

We will be upgrading to the newest version that was released two or three months ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This product is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is easily scalable. We have 15 to 20 users.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

It's easy to understand and to install.

What about the implementation team?

I am a technical analyst and handling the pre-sales. We provide and implement the solution to our customers.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight 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. partner
PeerSpot user
Senior System Administrator at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
Real User
Apr 16, 2020
Has a simple setup and has good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The simplicity of the setup is the most valuable feature."
  • "Their technical support needs improvement. I've been on hold with them for hours waiting for their support."

What is most valuable?

The simplicity of the setup is the most valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

Their technical support needs improvement. I've been on hold with them for hours waiting for their support.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

They seem pretty stable. They're pretty good devices when they're up and running. Once you get them up and running they seem to work quite well. It runs 24/7.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

They're very scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is easy. We did the deployment ourselves. 

What other advice do I have?

If you pay for the premium support, you'll get better support from Sophos.

I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten. 

The integration with their Sophos Central isn't great. That needs some work. If they could work on the integration with Sophos Central, that would be great.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Administrator IT at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Dec 21, 2019
Synchronized security centrally monitors endpoints in real-time
Pros and Cons
  • "This kind of strategic technology makes it much easier to remove malware and address vulnerabilities quickly."
  • "It would be great if the user can have a portal to check on activities related to their account."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use this solution for bandwidth control, intrusion prevention, and network security.

How has it helped my organization?

We now have visibility into our network.

What is most valuable?

Sophos operates using a Synchronized Security in its XG platform. It is facilitated by an active connection with all of the network endpoints. This connection operates like a heartbeat, notifying the firewall instinctively when an endpoint has been infected or compromised. The firewall then quarantines the problem area and provides detailed information on how the endpoint was compromised. This kind of strategic technology makes it much easier to remove malware and address vulnerabilities quickly.

What needs improvement?

It would be great if the user can have a portal to check on activities related to their account.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos SG for two years.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
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Updated: December 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.