Managing Director at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees
Real User
Reliable, user-friendly, and provides good endpoint protection
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos XG is easy to use."
  • "The only area that requires improvement is scalability."

What is our primary use case?

The majority of our customers use Sophos XG as a traditional firewall. Some use it for endpoint protection, which is similar to anti-virus.

We also have customers that have SD-WAN as part of their use case. For the most part, it is a firewall, it depends on what the customer environment looks like that would determine how you're going to configure the appliance to work for the customer.

Technology can deliver what you want based on your environment, what you do may differ from what others do.

We have customers from insurance, some oil, and gas, as well as some from the banking sector. Based on the technicality and the peculiarities of the environment, we must explain the technology, of how Fortinet delivers its own firewall, and also others such as Check Point, and Palo Alto deliver their own firewall.

With the explanation given the customer can choose the solution, they want in their environment.

What is most valuable?

Sophos XG is easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The only area that requires improvement is scalability.

I understand why scalability is difficult in all firewalls. I understand why it is difficult in our firewalls. If you want to scale, you can scale vertically or horizontally. That is the world of scalability. However, you cannot do so for the firewall. It's a forklift, you have to buy a new appliance.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been deploying Sophos XG for our customers for many years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is based on the environment.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Every firewall solution has a different level of scalability. The majority of firewalls are based on the user. Scalability, in Sophos XG, requires a forklift.

The scalability could be improved.

We have between 12 and 16 customers.

How are customer service and support?

I have never contacted technical support.

How was the initial setup?

We have deployed more Sophos this year than in any previous year.

I have six engineers dedicated to deploying and maintaining the solution.

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

It is a price-based solution, not based on technology.

Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.

I would rate Sophos XG 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
PPC at EMMVEE Photovoltaic Power Private Limited
Real User
Offers good traffic control, has an easy setup, and is stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The updates are helpful and add to the solution in a positive way."
  • "The pricing has gotten much higher."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for gateway purposes, in order to provide us with gateway security.

What is most valuable?

The product is good in terms of routing multiple ISP Internet and also it's good in internet traffic control.

The updates are helpful and add to the solution in a positive way.

The initial setup is simple.

The solution is stable.

For the most part, you can easily scale the solution.

What needs improvement?

I'm not seeing any such things that require any improvement. It's good. From time to time, some updates will come through. It's meeting our requirements right now.

The pricing has gotten much higher. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for three years. It's been a while now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability and performance are excellent. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 50 users spread across three devices. 

The solution, in terms of scalability, has its limitations, of course. Scalability in the sense of if I want to add more ISPs all depends upon my port availability. Transitions and migrations are fine and doable. I don't find any challenges there.  

How are customer service and support?

Technical support from Sophos has been brilliant. We deal with them on any L3 issues and they are always helpful. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward and simple. it's not overly complex or difficult. 

The deployment was quick and took maybe one day.

In terms of maintenance requirements, We have an L1 technical person who will take care of all the routine maintenance of the firewall, and we also have L2 support with the vendor. We have an L3 support from the Sophos team itself. 

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation with the assistance of a vendor. We did not completely handle it ourselves. 

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

While, at first, the pricing was very good, it's since crept up. Now, upon renewal, it's pretty high. They've increased the costs. 

Currently, we have three devices that are similar. Only the capacity varies.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and an end-user. I don't have a business relationship with Sophos. 

I'd recommend the solution to other users and organizations. I'd rate it at a ten out of ten. it's the best. 

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
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
March 2024
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Sr Information technology consultant at onkar international pvt ltd
Real User
Scalable, simple the set up and easy to understand
Pros and Cons
  • "The product offers many great features."
  • "When upgrading the firewalls, the process could be easier."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is mostly used for setting up a firewall and policies. 

What is most valuable?

The solution is very easy to understand. 

It's simple to set up the firewall and policies. Setting rules is very easy on Sophos as compared to other solutions. 

The product offers many great features. 

Technical support is very good. 

The initial setup is easy.

We have found the solution to be very stable.

A company can easily scale the product if they need to. 

What needs improvement?

When upgrading the firewalls, the process could be easier. 

While we do have network control, we don't have network monitoring. If I have 200 nodes and I want to see what's happening, I don't have visibility, especially if people are working remotely. 

If we could control roaming users through the firewalls and make it so that it's more of a  complete security solution, which we prefer, that would be ideal. If we have to install some clients on these machines, that's fine. The only concern is the DLP. We want to protect our data from being stolen. We'd also like to monitor activities from the perspective of productivity. We want to be able to track and calculate what users are doing on their machines.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for more than ten years. 

Earlier, Sophos was known as Cyberoam, Before that, I use Cyberoam and now this has turned into Sophos.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. It does not crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. the solution is reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The level of scalability depends on the box. We do have the option to scale if we need to.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have found the technical support to be very helpful and responsive. I am pleased with the level of support I can get. They always provide proper solutions to all issues, whatever we face.

How was the initial setup?

It is not difficult to set up the solution. One ISP, internet service provider, is required, and that is sufficient. If you do have a landline, some switches are available, and we can add to that a firewall. That is secondary. However, the initial requirement is nothing. It is just a plug-and-play setup that is very straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We had a vendor assist us with the installation. 

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

There's no additional cost for installation. The provider from which we purchased, the vendor, himself arranged all installation and configuration. They helped us. However, even through customer care, a company can ask for assistance. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm not providing any services. I'm using the product as a customer only. The company, one day, would like to become a partner, however. 

I would recommend the solution to other companies. 

I would rate the solution at a seven out of ten, specifically if I compare it to other options on the market. It's pretty good. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Revenue Development Manager at Integrity by CELT
Real User
Extremely intuitive, user friendly with a great reporting feature and excellent technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "Great reporting feature and great customer support."
  • "The user interface could be improved and more bandwidth management would be helpful."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of this solution is to protect the perimeter, the edge of the network, as well as providing anti-virus protection. There are also RED devices that can be deployed and connect to Sophos and they go back to VPN connectivity. We've mainly worked with schools which is different to working with companies because they have particular guidelines to follow. I'm an engineer/revenue development manager and we partner with Sophos. 

What is most valuable?

In terms of hardware, I think Sophos is definitely the easiest to work with. It's very intuitive and easy to learn how to use. The reporting feature is great and they have great customer support. 

What needs improvement?

In terms of improvement, I think the UI could be faster. Sometimes the system freezes and there's a lag. It seems there were some issues with the firmware but it's not a big problem. The user interface could also be improved. It would be great if they could include a little bit more bandwidth management. If they would integrate FatPipe into their product, it would be closer to what Fortinet does.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for 12 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos has different size appliances, so they're scalable regardless of whether you have 10,000 workstation nodes to any device down to the 1/10, which will provide up to 100 nodes. It's very scalable. I have implemented this mainly in K through 12 educational institutions and some other types of accounting businesses as well as in a wide variety of organizations and companies. In terms of physical maintenance it's a matter of once every six months blowing out the fans. The rest is done for you with Up2Date, which carries out all the firmware upgrades, and rolls it back if there's a problem. Once in a while, an update will get stuck and you'll have to manually push the update. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Dealing with Sophos technical support is a very easy process, from the regional business directors all the way up to the president. They have very good people and their customer support is amazing. That's one of the big things I love about Sophos. Their customer support and the group of people that run that company are amazing people, great people. I've never seen the support on any other platform that I've seen with Sophos.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very straightforward. They give you an 800 number to call. The licensing portal has improved greatly over the years. So Sophos now has a new license platform which makes things a lot easier than previously and you can now buy individual licensing. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I haven't evaluated other options but I know that Fortinet does much more in terms of protection and uses AI. They do a lot more now they have another platform that sits in the cloud and provides clients with AI, whereas Sophos only recently implemented AI. Fortinet has a much better reporting function, but Sophos has stepped up and is now providing the customer with the information they need to feel secure in the product. 

What other advice do I have?

My advice would be to download the VMware and get to know the interface because running one of these devices is probably not as difficult as you'd think. If you have an onsite level one user, YouTube has online training and Sophos support will help you through it. It's a very easy device for a level one engineer to manage. My advice is to download the free VMware for 30 days and then either buy the platform or install the VMware product.

I rate this solution a 10 out of 10. 

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
Jorge Costa Neves - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Advisor at Silopor SA
Real User
Top 10
Easy to use, easy to install, and easy to monitor
Pros and Cons
  • "It is very easy to use. You can configure and monitor everything from one unique dashboard."
  • "Its price should be improved. It should be cheaper."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for the protection of our network. We also have a product from Sophos for ransomware protection using which we are able to protect our network from ransomware. All of our solutions are from Sophos, and we have everything integrated. 

What is most valuable?

We can define which systems can be accessed from outside of our company. We can define the connection rules for inside and outside of the company. It is easy to implement or modify rules.

It is very easy to use. You can configure and monitor everything from one unique dashboard. It is also easy to install.

What needs improvement?

Its price should be improved. It should be cheaper. 

In terms of features, I am happy, and I don't need more features. The firewall is perfect, but the antivirus could be better. It would be useful if the antivirus was less heavy and had better performance.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. We receive the updates online. They provide the updates at a good frequency. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable to a limit. If the size of the network grows, you will have to buy new equipment. If you need just a few more connections, you will able to work with the existing system.

Currently, we have 16 users who are using it. We don't have any plans to increase its usage because our company is in liquidation. If the government decides, we can have more projects, but, as of now, we are in liquidation. We are keeping things working for now, and we plan to keep using this solution, but there are no investments.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have support from the supplier of our firewall, and if needed, we also get support from the people who develop our software.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to install. Our company is at three locations. It takes two days to install it at all locations. It takes one day for one location and another day for the other two locations.

What about the implementation team?

For the first installation, we took the help of the supplier. Since then, we do it ourselves. We don't have teams attached directly to the system. We have two or three IT guys who work with this system, but we can have support from the maintenance team.

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

Currently, we have a contract for three years. It would be good if its price is reduced before we renew the contract. We will buy the equipment if it is cheaper.

What other advice do I have?

I'm happy with what I am getting. I haven't faced any problems. Everything is integrated, and it is easy to install and easy to control. 

I would rate Sophos XG a nine out of ten. I am very satisfied with this solution.

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
Head of Cybersecurity at mundo credito
Real User
Management centralized, highly scalable, and technical support helpful
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found the feature allowing you to manage everything from a centralized location beneficial."
  • "I am using the Azure Active Directory in my company and it was complicated to integrate this solution with Azure."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the solution as a firewall to protect all the computers in our financial organization, we did not have one before.

What is most valuable?

I have found the feature allowing you to manage everything from a centralized location beneficial.

What needs improvement?

I am using the Azure Active Directory in my company and it was complicated to integrate this solution with Azure. I had to use an internal VPN and had to do many configurations to get it operating. This process should be easier to implement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for the past six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution has been stable in my experience.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

One of the main reason I chose this solution was great scalability. I have approximately 150 people using this solution in my company.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is very good. Two months ago we needed help with implementation and they helped us with the configuration of Azure and this solution. You are able to find everything in the documents for the solution, it comes with easy to follow information with photos.

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

I was using Cisco products before and we decided to switch to this solution because of Sophos Central and it is easier to manage. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup was easy to manage for this solution.

What about the implementation team?

It has taken us six months to implement the solution and I am still deploying my system. We used another company to help us do the deployment and maintenance is done by a team of three.

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

I paid for a license for the solution for three years costing approximately $11,000. Additionally, I received the Web Appliance fee for paying for the full license. 

What other advice do I have?

All my experience with this solution has been good. I would recommend this to others and already have.

I rate Sophos XG a nine 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_user1363380 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager IT at QPS Bioserve Pvt Ltd.
Real User
Easy to use, robust, and the default templates are helpful
Pros and Cons
  • "This solution is very user-friendly and even a non-professional can configure the policies."
  • "The cloud support needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I was using the Sophos XG firewall in my last job, where it was part of our security solution.

We had multiple locations with the internet being provided from a central location. Each of our locations was connected point-to-point using MPLS lines. Using Sophos meant that we didn't need to have a router.

What is most valuable?

The default templates are helpful because if you want to create new policies, they make it easy to do anything you want.

Sophos XG is a very robust technology.

This solution is very user-friendly and even a non-professional can configure the policies.

There are unlimited SSL VPN clients and it is free with Sophos.

What needs improvement?

The cloud support needs to be improved. As it is, they only have support for Microsoft Azure. They should expand it to include providers like Amazon and Alibaba.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not heard complaints of bugs or glitches occurring.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos is a scalable technology that is being regularly updated.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have been in contact with technical support many times and they are very good.

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

Currently, in my new company, I am using Fortinet. This is a very basic firewall and ultimately, I would like to update them.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complicated. For somebody with an intermediate level of knowledge, it will take between three and four hours to deploy. For a more experienced person, it may take two or three.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I am currently in the process of evaluating the different firewalls that are available in India.  One of the options is Sophos, and I am also considering others such as SonicWall and Palo Alto.

With Fortinet and SonicWall, there is a limit of 10 people who can simultaneously connect using the VPN.

What other advice do I have?

Sophos XG is a firewall that I would recommend for people who are looking for good security in a medium-scale organization.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Faculty of Technical Sciences at a university with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
User-friendly and easy to manage but needs improvement in the throughput area
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ability to protect our organization's web servers."
  • "In Sophos XG, the throughput for larger networks is an area of concern where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution in my company as an edge device on our network.

What is most valuable?

The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ability to protect our organization's web servers.

What needs improvement?

In Sophos XG, the throughput for larger networks is an area of concern where improvements are required.

I hope the product comes up with some better prices and offers for the tools provided to academic institutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a six out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

There are around 200 to 300 users in our institution.

Though our institution plans to increase the solution's use, we are unsure about the vendor we want to approach.

How was the initial setup?

I rate the product's initial setup phase a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is a difficult process and ten means it has an easy setup phase.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The solution can be deployed in two to three days.

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

The product is expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

My company considers Fortinet as an option against Sophos XG.

What other advice do I have?

The product has improved network security for all the networks in my organization. The product also offers endpoint security since my organization has been using the anti-virus software from Sophos for the past ten years.

Sophos XG's interface is very user-friendly.

The performance of Sophos XG's VPN to meet the organization's remote access needs is an area that cannot be discussed due to security concerns. Though the product can meet our organization's current requirements, we are considering alternate solutions since we have plans to improve our network.

The reporting and analytics functionalities helped identify security incidents in our company.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it because it is easy to manage and solve network-related problems.

I rate the product 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.
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