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Lead NOC Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Has an intuitive interface. Easy to look at the logs and troubleshoot issues.

What is most valuable?

For one, its ease of use is the most valuable feature. It's very easy to look at the logs and troubleshoot issues as they arise. Things just make sense and it is a very intuitive interface.

How has it helped my organization?

It is easier to use than Cisco ASA, so it has reduced our SLAs by a considerable margin.

What needs improvement?

The VPN and central management need to be improved, but that's being nit-picky.

The IPsec VPNs are a little on the buggy side and you sometimes have to jump through hoops to get it to work. When I looked at them last, they were still in development for the centralized management of the firewalls, so when I saw it, it was very much in its infancy.

One more thing to add to what they can improve is the firewall policy presentation, they have their own special way of doing it which takes time for some to get used to, especially if you’re used to Cisco ASA.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for about a year.

Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
May 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
853,960 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There were no stability issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There were no scalability issues, it is very scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate the technical support a 10/10; they are very professional. I know a couple of those guys over there on a first name basis.

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

Previously, we were using another solution. However, we switched as we needed to upgrade our infrastructure.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was pretty straightforward. They had someone come in, walk us through it and train us on the platform.

What other advice do I have?

Get the professional support contract; it is well-worth it and those guys know their product very very well.

It is a very solid product, easy to use and implement.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
MelvynLee - PeerSpot reviewer
MelvynLeeNetwork Cooperations at STEVENSON ASTROSAT LIMITED
Real User

Thanks Sean, a very informative review. I am seriously considering the XG125 but slightly concerned about the VPN aspect as VPNs are used predominantly in our network. Also considering the Fortigate 60E.

IT Project Consultant at a tech services company
Consultant
Very intuitive and easy-to-use interface making it much easier to setup access and business rules

What is most valuable?

  • URL Filtering: because of the importance of controlling what and individual might access from the organization’s network. Sophos XG has 90+ categories, providing a level of granularity that eliminates the need to create customized categories.
  • IPS (Intrusion Prevention System): because of the importance of preventing hackers from using exploits and other mechanisms that might compromise the network
  • Anti-malware: Sophos XG comes with two anti-malware engines: its own and Avira, making the UTM more effective at catching malicious code.
  • Control Center: an interface crammed with the most vital information like security issues, appliance performance, and Internet link status.

How has it helped my organization?

With a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface, it made it much easier to setup access and business rules, VPNs and to identify issues like Internet link outages and security issues.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XG lacks link load balancing options like ratio and spill over, both useful in some scenarios.

I also think they might consider improving the RAM of some of the appliances, since there are processes that are very memory intensive.

Lastly, I would say packet monitor is another area for improvement as it lacks capabilities like exporting the capture from inside the GUI tool.

For how long have I used the solution?

A year and a half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Yes, on the SFOS Version 15, I had to upgrade the firmware of an appliance since it had a problem with the JAMVM process (an apparently known issue in which that process consumes almost all of the CPU resources).

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would say that Sophos Brazil has an excellent support team.

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

No.

How was the initial setup?

It was very straightforward. And I credit that to the great job Sophos did on its OS interface, providing different ways of accessing the same option, hiding some of the complexities of a firewall system, and deploying it with many pre-built policies, objects and rules that for most of the environments makes it unnecessary to spend hours tuning the system.

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

Sophos is clearly trying to position itself as the market leader in the UTM niche. One way they are doing this is by having an aggressive pricing policy and this makes it a good moment to start using their products.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes, FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

Try to have the help of a Sophos Partner for the correct sizing and purchasing of an adequate licensing bundle.

In addition, I would recommend having a PoC in place in order to make sure that the solution is what the organization needs.

It is important to notice that the XG is available for a 30 days free trial and that there are virtual appliances available for the main virtualization platforms on the market.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
May 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
853,960 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user704991 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer with 51-200 employees
Real User
​The product has much potential to be one of the best on the market according to bang for bucks. But look critically to the features you want and the features that are available with this product.

What is most valuable?

Sophos RED, because this makes it very easy to deploy new sites, without the need of static IP addresses and a completely new firewall setup. The rule-based use is the same as if it were internal to the central site.

Web Protection, because this feature implements rules on user/group basis and this is done on the firewall rules itself. So it is easy to check.

Sophos Sandstorm, because it implements sandboxing so downloaded files are checked by hash or checked by unpacking it in within the Sophos Cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

With its central management console, it implements an intuitive management console with change tracking. So it’s easy to see who has made changes and to keep track of changes.

What needs improvement?

Email Protection has room for improvement. It doesn’t have an intuitive rule base. I would much like it to be like the Sophos UTM software. The level of detail in the settings is much too low.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been personally using this product for almost two years now.

In our business, we have been using the product alongside the Sophos SG for more than a year now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The first firmware versions were not that stable and had a lot of bugs in it. From Version SF 16 and above, the stability has improved a lot.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We didn’t encounter any issues with scalability as of yet.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support, I would rate it as a six, because the technical expertise level from this product is below the level I’m used to. Also, the response times have increased since the launch of Sophos XG.

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

We used the Sophos UTM software. We did switch for some customers to the Sophos XG solution because of the customer’s needs.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. The only downside is that a Sophos Account is necessary to activate the box. It has an intuitive setup to take care of the basic settings needed to connect to the internet.

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

Pricing of the hardware box is the same as Sophos UTM, but the licenses are a little more expensive. The most used license is the Enterprise Guard, it implements Network Protection and Web Protection in a bundle with support.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluate other options for our customers constantly. We select the product which is best suited to the situation. We evaluate Sophos UTM, Sophos XG, and Meraki.

What other advice do I have?

The product has much potential to be one of the best on the market according to bang for bucks. But look critically to the features you want and the features that are available with this product. Don’t select this product just yet for email filtering, because it is underdeveloped.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
CEO at Makros SPA
Consultant
It allow us to see literally everything when it comes to traffic in a very easy and intuitive way.

Valuable Features:

  • Web and Application filter
  • Wireless integration
  • Email protection with encryption
  • Reporting and Dashboards

Improvements to My Organization:

Mostly it's related to visibility as this platform allow us to see literally everything when it comes to traffic in a very easy and intuitive way.

Room for Improvement:

I would like to see the possibility to add or block some content directly from the log interface or the live view of the interface so that if I see that an IP address is consuming a lot of bandwidth, I can right click on it and set some kind of policy. Everything else its perfect. 

Deployment Issues:

There was no issue with the deployment.

Stability Issues:

There has been no issue with the stability.

Scalability Issues:

There have been no issues scaling it to our needs.

Other Advice:

Contact a good partner with experience and follow the online KB for doubts. its almost everything there 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
MohamedReda - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Engineer at gofaster
Real User
Helpful support, simple installation, but stability could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Sophos XG is the VBM."
  • "Sophos XG could improve by being more stable and for it to be able to be used for large enterprises."

What is our primary use case?

Sophos XG is used for network security for RED devices, client servers, and VM servers.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Sophos XG is the VBM.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XG could improve by being more stable and for it to be able to be used for large enterprises.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Sophos XG within the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

For small to medium-sized businesses, Sophos XG works well, it is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 15 users using this solution in my organization and we do not plan to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

The support we have received from Sophos XG has been good.

How was the initial setup?

The installation of Sophos XG is simple.

The time it takes for the implementation depends on many factors, such as how many features are required and the size of the business. However, for a small business, the process can take approximately one day.

What about the implementation team?

For small implementations, I can do the process but for larger implementations, I have an assistant.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution to others for small to medium-sized businesses. 

I rate Sophos XG 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
reviewer1167909 - PeerSpot reviewer
Owner at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Reasonably priced, stable, easy to setup and has good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of this solution is flexibility."
  • "Scalability could be improved. It could be better."

What is our primary use case?

Sophos XG is used as our firewall.

We are an MSP, and we have a variety of clients with varying needs. It is a solution that is tailored to each of our clients and their specific requirements.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is flexibility.

What needs improvement?

Scalability could be improved. It could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XG is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable in the majority of cases. We've had a couple of problems.

Our main application is for medium-sized companies.

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

We are also using FortiGate.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy, it's straightforward.

What was our ROI?

The technical support is good. We have no problems with technical support.

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

The price is reasonable but it would be great if it was reduced to half the price.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. They all have different strengths and weaknesses, it all depends on the environment.

I would rate Sophos XG a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
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Updated: May 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.