Sophos Central Reviews

My role is to bridge the gap between customer needs and my team's technical expertise. We collaborate to design and implement solutions that fit their specific requirements.

We cater to a wide range of organizations, from large enterprises in banking to small and medium businesses, call centers, and warehouses. Essentially, any company registered in Pakistan that requires endpoint security, next-generation firewalls, or other cybersecurity solutions can consider us.

The ransomware protection is exceptional, offering a strong defense against outsider attacks and viruses. This has proven extremely valuable to customers facing ransomware threats.

One significant advantage is its competitive dashboard compared to Trend Micro. 

I did encounter a limitation during a Proof of Concept with a large customer. The DLP (Data Loss Prevention) functionality wasn't fully functional when enabled in the central dashboard. I reported this to the distributor and technical team but couldn't get a definitive answer.

In future releases, I would like to see a complete XDR solution in Sophos. I want to see its capability. I want to understand how it works compared to Trend Micro, specifically its features and how it gears up.

Moreover, integration options with Trend Micro would be ideal, too.

I've been with Sophos Central for about three and a half years now, so I've been exposed to Sophos Central through customer interactions and team collaborations.

We work with a range of solutions, including Sophos XDR, Endpoint Protection (both cloud and on-prem), and Central. Additionally, we've sold the XG Firewall in the past.

The stability is almost a ten out of ten. We haven't encountered any issues.

The solution has been very stable. 

I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. It is very good in terms of scalability.

We have around seven to eight customers using this solution.  We have large enterprises and small to medium enterprises as our customers.

The OEM support is excellent, and the second-level distributors like SoftStack and Avan Distribution have the technical expertise. 

As a partner, we also have sales and after-sales teams with expertise in troubleshooting and resolving customer issues. 

Positive

Setting it up is easy. Compared to Kaspersky or Trend Micro, it's no more difficult. Sophos is user-friendly. 

I would rate my experience with the setup a nine out of ten; one is difficult, and ten is easy. It is very easy; there's always room for improvement.

We have both cloud and on-premises deployment models. The cloud is a bit expensive compared to the on-premises version. The deployment model depends on the customers. 

We actually operate as a cloud solution provider ourselves. We have a sister company called CloudKind, and we offer various cloud environments through our own data centers. We deploy HCI solutions and complete cloud solutions and even offer VM solutions for customers. They can get Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, Software as a Service, Disaster Recovery as a Service... everything comes from our cloud, not AWS or any other external provider.

I focus on commercial aspects like pitching features and convincing customers. Once we receive a confirmed order and payment, we send it to our distributor, EZ Technology, which handles license key distribution and activation over email. The post-sales team then takes over, working with the customer to configure and manage the deployment based on their specific needs and devices.

The deployment usually takes around three to four weeks. It's safe to say three to four weeks. It depends on our team's workload and the customer's availability. Since customers are running live applications, they usually provide us access outside their working hours, like after 6:00 P.M. or 8:00 PM. That's why deploying the DDR and Central dashboard solution takes three to four weeks.

I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with one being the cheapest and ten being the most expensive. It is rather expensive. 

Compared to Kaspersky's EDR and centralized solution, which offers more discounts, Sophos Central seems a bit more expensive. That's our observation so far.

I always tailor my advice to the customer's specific needs. If their top priority is protection against ransomware and ICS/IDH attacks, I recommend Sophos. 

For complex networks with a large threat landscape, Trend Micro's XDR solution might be a better fit. Ultimately, I analyze the customer's network and requirements before suggesting the most suitable solution. I don't favor any specific brand like Trend Micro, IBM, or Kaspersky.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Sophos Central provides a unified security platform that simplifies the management of our firewall, EDR, XDR, endpoint security, email security, and access points. The synchronized collaboration among these components ensures a cohesive defense against cyber threats through a streamlined, centralized console. This integrated approach not only enhances security but also simplifies administration.

Our clients have found significant advantages in using Sophos extensively. One key benefit is its efficient use of bandwidth, especially in medium-sized organizations. In the Bangladesh market, where enterprise solutions are common, Sophos stands out for being cost-effective.

What I find most valuable in Sophos Central is its clear and detailed threat visibility on the dashboard. Unlike some other security products, Sophos shows every threat it catches and it makes it stand out in my analysis. In my monthly reports, Sophos consistently outperforms others, especially in inspecting and handling threats. This transparency is a big plus, especially when managing clients.

I would like to see improvements in the password recovery process within the Sophos Central solution. Currently, the process of recovering a forgotten password involves unnecessary complexity, and it takes a considerable amount of time, often up to 15 minutes or more. This aspect doesn't seem to be a security feature but rather a system-related issue.

I have been working with Sophos Central for four years.

The solution is very stable. A while back, some clients got hit by ransomware, so I installed Sophos Central on over four hundred PCs, and there haven't been any more ransomware issues since then.

Sophos Central is quite scalable. 

The initial setup was incredibly easy, more than easy. There is zero task provision support, making the process smooth and straightforward. Deploying Sophos Central to a customer's side is straightforward. I create an account using the client's email on Sophos Partner Central, manage their chosen products, and configure everything to fit the needs of each department. It is generally a speedy deployment.

The pricing structure of Sophos is notably lower compared to other security vendors, making the ROI percentage higher for our clients.

Unlike pricier and less customer-friendly alternatives, Sophos provides a robust solution at a reasonable price.

Sophos Central is great for syncing security across different tools and works well with Azure Cloud. However, some competitors, like Palo Alto, don't have the same level of security sync in the cloud dashboard. Sophos might be the better choice for streamlined security.

My advice to new users would be to focus on Sophos XDR and EDR, as they have proven to be excellent products in my experience. While Sophos Central is not a standalone product, the XDR and EDR services offer robust cybersecurity solutions. However, I have encountered some issues with Sophos firewall, particularly related to firmware updates causing productivity disruptions. To avoid these challenges, I suggest prioritizing Sophos EDR, XDR, and MDR services, as they consistently deliver reliable performance in the Sophos portfolio. Overall, I would rate the solution as a seven out of ten.

Sophos Central serves as an integrated security management platform, providing centralized administration and oversight for a suite of Sophos security products. This comprehensive solution delivers advanced threat protection across desktops, laptops, and servers, encompassing proactive prevention, robust detection mechanisms, and efficient response protocols against diverse threats, including ransomware. Extending its security prowess to mobile devices, Sophos Central ensures a resilient defense against mobile-specific threats, safeguarding data privacy. The platform's seamless integration with web and email security solutions fortifies the organization's resilience against online threats. Notably, Sophos Intercept X augments the security posture with advanced features such as anti-ransomware and deep learning technologies for heightened threat detection capabilities. The inclusion of robust reporting and analytics tools, exemplified by Cloud Optix, furnishes valuable insights into security events. This strategic approach enables Sophos Central to execute a unified response strategy, harmonizing security measures across the entirety of the organizational landscape.

Sophos Central has significantly enhanced our organizational security posture by swiftly detecting and alerting on suspicious activities, accompanied by comprehensive logging of pertinent data. The expeditious identification of these potential security threats serves as a proactive mechanism, enabling our security analysts to promptly investigate and implement requisite measures to mitigate the identified risks. The frequency of such incidents underscores the efficacy of Sophos Endpoint Protection in consistently identifying and responding to security threats, thereby fortifying our overall security resilience.

A particularly noteworthy feature of Sophos Central is its emphasis on robust indexing capabilities, strategically crafted for the efficient management of reports and logs across a substantial range of endpoints, typically ranging from 500 to 1,000. This includes adept handling of Windows 10 hosts within our network.

The platform's meticulous focus on indexing plays a pivotal role in optimizing our reporting processes. By providing swift and granular access to critical data, it enables our security and IT teams to conduct thorough analyses of security events and operational activities. This, in turn, enhances our overall operational efficiency, facilitating timely responses to emerging security threats.

Moreover, the versatility of Sophos Central's indexing feature proves invaluable in our day-to-day operations. It allows us to navigate seamlessly through the extensive volume of endpoint data, empowering us to identify patterns, anomalies, and potential security risks efficiently. This level of visibility is paramount for maintaining a proactive security posture and ensuring the integrity of our network.

While Sophos Central has demonstrated commendable functionality, there is room for improvement in the realm of automation. Specifically, addressing ransomware attacks often requires leveraging external tools, deploying virtual machines, and utilizing supplementary tools like Caliper Analytics for operations and security communication. The integration of these essential functionalities directly into the software would represent a significant enhancement, streamlining the incident response process and bolstering the platform's comprehensive threat mitigation capabilities.

Furthermore, a valuable addition to future releases could involve augmenting the new screen component with advanced capabilities such as XML utilization and rule integration. This enhancement, especially pertinent to tools involved in sandboxing and virtual machines within the investigation process, would greatly streamline the analysis of logs and reports. This would prove particularly beneficial in the context of email analysis, spam attack detection, and other critical security aspects. By incorporating these features, Sophos Central could further elevate its utility in facilitating in-depth security analyses and response strategies.

I have been using it for one year.

It provides good stability capabilities and I would rate it eight out of ten.

We oversee the management of approximately 400 to 500 endpoint devices, leveraging Sophos Central's robust scalability features. In our assessment, we would rate the platform's scalability at seven out of ten. Additionally, the implementation of firewalls further contributes to our comprehensive network security strategy.

The effectiveness of technical support is contingent upon the internal capabilities of our organization. We rely on our proficient IT team for supplementary information and any physical interventions required for device maintenance.

The initial setup was straightforward.

Deployment is highly efficient, requiring only one person to identify all the endpoint systems.

The client benefits from cost-effective ROI as the firewall infrastructure is efficiently maintained with a small team managing 500 devices. This approach is valuable for management, optimizing resource use, and managing time.

The cost is quite affordable.

Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.

I use the solution in my company to manage client firewalls. It is also used to manage all the endpoints.

The solution's most valuable feature is the ease with which admins can monitor and troubleshoot issues related to any emails coming into our environment with malware or viruses. The malware and viruses get blocked with the antivirus endpoint functions offered by Sophos.

I am okay with the product. I don't need any more features in the solution since it is already too large of a system.

The solution has new services that are a big improvement from Sophos and Tron, but my company hasn't utilized them because we don't need them. There are no customizations that we need to deal with in the product. My company is satisfied with the current features offered by the tool.

Compared to GFI KerioControl, Sophos Firewall can be made much faster at setting up VPN clients and site-to-site VPNs.

I have been using Sophos Central since 2017. My company operates as a reseller of the product. My company has a partnership with Sophos.

It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

There is no need to scale up the product since it is a robust tool.

My company works mostly with e-commerce businesses, retailers, and accounting professionals.

There is no limit if we want to increase the use of the product since all we need to do is just add desktops or new computers for each customer every time they acquire a new device.

The solution's technical support is good. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

Positive

My company has used only two products, GFI KerioControl and Sophos. We only use Sophos for the endpoints. If we talk about firewall products, there are two different computations in GFI KerioControl and Sophos Firewall. Both the tools are easy to maintain, but compared to Sophos Firewall, GFI KerioControl is much faster at setting up VPN clients and site-to-site VPNs. Both the tools are pretty good for protecting offices with site-to-site connectivity.

The product's initial setup phase is straightforward. If ten were the easiest, I would rate the setup phase as a ten on a scale of one to ten.

Once you have the endpoint software through Splashtop SOS on the client's desktop, install and download the program. In less than five minutes, it can be installed and protected.

Only one person is required to deploy the product through Splashtop SOS.

The product does not require maintenance since it is not an automatically managed process.

The solution is deployed using the cloud services offered by Sophos.

In terms of ROI, the tool pays off within a few months. The tool has big clients with good businesses that are maintained on the tool, so the firewalls are not that much for them.

There is a one-time fee for the hardware and an annual subscription fee, which is pretty good because we can get free updates.

In terms of the product's integration capabilities with other security tools, I would say that they are centralized and easy to manage. You just click on the customer and launch that customer, and you will see everything from that customer, including all the endpoints and firewalls that are being monitored.

I don't know whether the product offers any AI features.

I am not really keen to find out if the product offers features like predictive analytics or automated responses.

As an admin, it will give you a feeling of ease since your endpoints are protected, meaning the real computers are protected from viruses and malware.

I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

I use the solution in my company for endpoint security of our servers, especially in our workspaces where we have many devices, like laptops and PCs. Basically, my company's customer uses Sophos Central for endpoint security in their company, where I manage and install the tool to support around 1000 to 2000 laptop pieces in Indonesia.

I think that in Indonesia, many companies don't use cloud services because there are problems with the internet connections. Sophos Central is a product that is available on the cloud, so it is safer than the on-premises version. When it comes to the on-premises version of the product, users may have to face a lot of scenarios where they have to deal with damaged computers and server crashes. My company can shift access with the help of a phone or laptop from anywhere or any location with Sophos Central's cloud version, allowing everyone to access the servers centrally, but it is not something that is possible with the on-premises version. For me, the product is easy to use.

Sophos Central is not available in small packages in Indonesia. I think Sophos Central needs to be made available in a smaller package because the problem in Indonesia is that there is no good internet connectivity.

I have so much trouble with the tool in Indonesia since the internet connection is bad, so it is difficult to reach the Sophos Central server or get connected to the server. Sophos Central can give better features to help establish a better connection between the server and a client.

I have been using Sophos Central for around five years. My company has a partnership with Sophos. I work as a distributor of the product in Indonesia.

In Indonesia, Sophos Central is the first choice that comes to my mind if my customers need an endpoint security product.

The tool is deployed on 2000 devices.

I deal with my companies where the employee count ranges from 1000 to 4000

I have experience with the product support team in Indonesia. The solution's technical support was very good and communicative, which were factors that helped me resolve my problems.

The product's initial setup phase was easy.

In one of the cases where I had to take care of around 1000 installations, I initially built a dummy for the on-premises version, after which I collected updates on the on-premises version, post which the PCs and laptops can download or update it from the main server, which is an easy process.

The solution is deployed on a private cloud.

The solution can be deployed in an hour or two. The problem during the deployment phase can only arise due to some internet connectivity issues. If a company has a good internet connection, then the deployment process takes less time.

In my opinion, it is not a very pricey product. The product is not expensive.

The tool has improved our company's ability to monitor network health and security.

I recommend the solution to others who plan to use it because it is one of the best and the point security solutions available on the cloud for me. The product is also easy to use, install, control, and manage.

I have used the product's automated threat response feature. With the help of the automated threat response feature, I can get a report and track malware and services.

I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

We use it to centralize, manage, and upgrade our security infrastructure. This includes applying policies, revoking access, and working within established guidelines, all without the need for physical access.

It streamlines our operations, allowing us to remotely handle tasks, saving time and eliminating the need for running around to different locations.

The primary benefits include complete control over hardware devices and the valuable assistance provided in log shipment. Additionally, the analytics tools proved instrumental in effectively utilizing and interpreting data related to these aspects.

There were challenges we faced with generating reports for the physical firewall in certain instances. Despite escalating the issue through tickets, we haven't received a fully satisfactory resolution. Additionally, accessing user logs on the central platform is not as straightforward as we'd prefer.

I have been working with it for approximately five years.

I haven't encountered any significant downtime while working, ensuring a stable experience.

I would rate its scalability capabilities nine out of ten. Currently, there are five individuals responsible for overseeing and managing approximately twenty-five to twenty-eight firewalls.

The technical support in India is somewhat slow. They often require a considerable amount of time, and contacting them sometimes involves odd hours, which can be challenging, especially when it falls outside regular business hours.

We collaborate with two other vendors, Fortinet and Palo Alto. We recently adopted Palo Alto about a year ago, and while they make promising claims, we are still in the process of familiarizing ourselves with their offerings. Fortinet, on the other hand, has been part of our operations for the past two years, with our team gaining experience and expertise. Among the three, Sophos is the longest-standing partner.

The initial setup was straightforward and user-friendly.

It offers the most competitive pricing compared to other vendors. When considering security effectiveness, Sophos stands out as a cost-effective choice, especially in comparison to other prominent solutions available in the Indian market. It provides a comprehensive package that includes most features, making it more scalable and accessible for security needs in smaller organizations like ours. I would rate it one out of ten.

Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

We use Sophos Central to ensure compliance activity.

Sophos Central is a user-friendly solution, and its configuration is very easy. The most valuable features of Sophos Central are total threat hunting and detection response.

Sophos Central must incorporate a diagrammatic graphical user interface for its practices and compliances.

I have been using Sophos Central for two years.

I rate Sophos Central a nine out of ten for stability.

Sophos Central is a scalable solution. Around 1,500 users are using the solution in our organization.

I rate Sophos Central a nine out of ten for scalability.

The solution’s technical support is very good.

Positive

The solution’s initial deployment is very easy.

One engineer can deploy the solution in around three days.

We have seen a return on investment with Sophos Central because its threat-hunting detection is very good. The solution has saved around 60% of our organization’s money.

Sophos Central is moderately priced. We have to pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate Sophos Central's pricing a six to seven out of ten.

Before choosing Sophos Central, we evaluated other options like SonicWall, Juniper, and WatchGuard. We chose Sophos Central because of the cost and better endpoint detection.

Sophos Central is deployed on-cloud in our organization. The solution’s maintenance is easy and can be done by one person.

As the endpoint and applications increase in an organization, Sophos Central can detect and protect from Trojans, viruses, and spyware.

Overall, I rate Sophos Central an eight out of ten.

Regarding use cases, our main focus with the solution is on endpoints and endpoint security. We've acquired around a hundred licenses and deployed them to our employees to ensure comprehensive security and avoid any potential security risks.

The user interface of Sophos Central is excellent. One standout feature is the ease of identifying endpoints. If you have the serial number, that's sufficient to fetch the relevant endpoint. For instance, if you want to identify devices with the solution, you can easily do so using the serial number. Another noteworthy aspect is the real-time visibility into malware threats. In the malware alerts, you can precisely see the issue, where it occurred, and the recommended actions for IT personnel. This real-time insight is incredibly valuable.

Integration with third party applications should be improved.

I used the solution for around three years but last used it in September 2022, about a year ago.

The solution is stable.

We have had 100 people using the solution in our organization.

I contacted them two or three times, and they responded promptly each time. They addressed my queries and concerns quickly.

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward.

The product's pricing was somewhat high. We paid Rs. 1500 INR per license, approximately equivalent to 20 USD.

Users can check out other solutions like CrowdStrike too.