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Technical Manager at Digital World
Real User
Easy to install, scalable, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a stable solution."
  • "We need to speed up the support."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution as a firewall, for DCP filtering, applications, and training.

What needs improvement?

We need to speed up the support.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable solution.

Buyer's Guide
Sophos UTM
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos UTM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
848,716 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution but the only disadvantage is that when we use a proxy, we can bypass Sophos.

We have 50 customers. The maximum number of users in one device is approximately 4,000. It's a large network.

How are customer service and support?

The support is okay, but it takes time to connect to the support team.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to install.

We only require one engineer to deploy and maintain this solution.

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

The appliance should be purchased and there is a fee for the license.

There is an option for a yearly licensing fee or for three years.

What other advice do I have?

We recommend this solution. We complete between 20 and 30 installations per month.

I would rate Sophos UTM a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
CEO & Co-Founder at Advisor Consulting Group
Real User
Application Control should be able to be managed with users; however, we now have a protected, standardized network.

How has it helped my organization?

Our datacenter cloud services such as email, and web services for internal and external use, had to be protected with different systems and the web services where left really unprotected, since we used an standard IPS/IDS to protect ourselves from web attacks (from the outside) which nowadays are really sophisticated. Also, we had to employ many work hours to have a protected, standardized network. With Sophos EndPoint and Sophos UTM, we simplified and also protected our network at the same time, with less work force.

What is most valuable?

The web filter and the ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) are great and easy to manage, and the integrated WAF (Web Application Firewall) allows the administrator to seamlessly protect HTTP/S services without having to pay thousands of dollars. The just introduced Sandstorm system for protection, is awesome as well.

What needs improvement?

Sophos UTM has many improvements that I would suggest, but the main one is for the Application Control to be managed with users as well, and with timeframes (schedules) for the administrator to allow certain apps outside an specific timeframe, or vice versa.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is awesome as when you need the network protection systems to grow immediately, you just activate and license the exact same box, and configure it in cluster mode for Active-Active mode in Cluster/High Availability.

How are customer service and technical support?

This is where Sophos vendor outclasses every other vendor. They have grown so much throughout the last four to five years, but they have grown as well in their capability to attend support cases. We've had some really advanced cases, and we have never been forgotten or left behind.

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

We used a commercial product, Untangle, with our own brand called Rhino Box. Untangle did not invest in the development of features as we expected, such as the adoption of IPSec VPNs (they had it but very limited), and IPv6. This was what made us do research for our SMB/Enterprise market offering. We tried out Sophos UTM (recently purchased as Astaro UTM) and it was really easy to deploy and came with Sophos Support, which is awesome.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. Sophos brand is well known in the market for being a unique and powerful tool that is simple to deploy and manage. This is what makes it different from any other vendors. The Sophos UTM, comes with a deployment "Wizard for Dummies" since it show the wizard at the initial setup, and in less than three minutes, you can have your box up and running. Also for Policies deployment, you are clicks away to customize your security settings.

What about the implementation team?

We always deploy by ourselves, so that way we can test how the customer will see the initial implementation. Our main advice, is to read the manual, and follow the wizards that comes with each tool. Also, it is strongly recommended to have a professional firm contracted for the initial setup, and support, as we are, to can design, and help with any kind of implementation issues.

What was our ROI?

The ROI is in 12-16 months, since with this kind of tool, we deliver the best of breed protection, and increment the focus of the end user, in being productive.

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

I recommend you get the three year licenses, since Sophos offers three years for the price of two. I would also recommend that you acquire any Sophos Licensing with Professional Services added, that way, you'll have the best experience possible.

What other advice do I have?

They have supported our business venture since 2010, and will do for many years. We have studied closely the different product portfolio, and each one of them, are carefully developed.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We have been a Gold Partner since 2010.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Sophos UTM
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos UTM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
848,716 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user233997 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT/Telecom Specialist at Prewest
Vendor
The web application firewall is a good feature, despite it limiting you to only using ports 80 and 443.

What is most valuable?

The web application firewall and web filtering. We are using the UTM to be the gateway for the private cloud solutions we offer.

How has it helped my organization?

Easy management of the firewall, with one URL to control the firewall/web filters for our entire cloud.

What needs improvement?

HA needs to be improved for the software appliance because if Sophos is deployed in ESXI/Hyper-V then the HA is unstable. Also, the web application firewall only allows the use of ports 80 and 443, and if we could use others ports than that would be a welcome addition.

For how long have I used the solution?

For two years now in our datacenter, and also several deployments at some of our customers.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Setting up the link aggregation group (NIC teaming) gave us some problems with the ethernet VLAN option for WAN, but after a firmware update, the issue was resolved.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

If you enable the intrusion prevention option in the firewall any Wordpress deployments on a Plesk server behind the firewall slows down to a crawl, and there is no fix yet. The current workaround is disabling the intrusion prevention option at the moment.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues yet.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

7/10. Getting a new license for the SG220 sometimes takes a long time, but they will give you a 30 day demo license to compensate for it.

Technical Support:

9/10. Any question or issue is solved within minutes after calling technical support.

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

SonicWALL was our previous product, and we switched to Sophos because of its ease of use.

How was the initial setup?

When you start the initial setup you`re helped with wizards, but if you use the software appliance and make a mistake by selection wrong interfaces in the wizard it can result in the firewall becoming unreachable.nThe hardware appliance is (almost) plug & play.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it in-house.

What was our ROI?

It's around six to nine months.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at several open-source firewall options whose names I will not mention, and the reason we did not use them was because of the ease of use, and what our support desk could do.

What other advice do I have?

If you want an easy to manage, and powerful firewall then take look at Sophos UTM.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are a reseller of the Sophos UTM and or other product of Sophos.
PeerSpot user
Occupational safety technician at Concremat
Real User
Good web filtering with a fine initial setup and the ability to increase usage
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup has been fine."
  • "We need a better VPN client for the customers."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for the firewall and VPN.

What is most valuable?

The web filtering is great.

The initial setup has been fine. 

You can increase usage if you need to.

What needs improvement?

The VPN could be better. We need a better VPN client for the customers.

We'd like better logging. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for six years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have about 3,000 users on the product right now. We do have plans to increase usage in the future.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been fine. We are satisfied with the level of service we get. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We also use Fortinet and pfSense.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. It's not overly difficult or complex to set up. 

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

The licensing is paid on a yearly basis. You just need to pay the standard licensing fee. There are no extra costs. 

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution a seven out of ten. It's been okay.

We are a partner of the product.

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
Owner at supernovatel
Real User
Simple to manage, user-friendly, and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Sophos UTM are the ease of use, it is very user-friendly. You can understand what they implement in the new firmware, and it's easy to manage the firewalls."
  • "In Sophos UTM there is always a problem with the routing tables. If you want to see the routing table, you have to use the UI. You can't do it via a web browser. The routing table is better in Fortinet."

What is our primary use case?

Most of our clients use Sophos UTM as a perimeter firewall for branch offices. Additionally, we use the Sophos XG, RED firewall for extending the network, and the Sophos Intercept X to complement the firewalls.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Sophos UTM are the ease of use, it is very user-friendly. You can understand what they implement in the new firmware, and it's easy to manage the firewalls.

When I implement a solution, I have to teach the customers how to use it and when I have used other solutions, such as Check Point, it was difficult.

Sophos UTM has good integration with wireless and endpoint solutions

What needs improvement?

In Sophos UTM there is always a problem with the routing tables. If you want to see the routing table, you have to use the UI. You can't do it via a web browser. The routing table is better in Fortinet.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos UTM for approximately six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the Sophos UTM is very good, most of our clients do not have to reboot the firewalls. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. I tell my customers that we always have the support of Sophos and it is good for us. If you create ticket support in Spanish, you have to wait sometime, because they don't have a lot of people who work in Spanish. We have to do it in English. They should have more other language support agents.

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

I have previously used Sophos Cyberoam, XGS, and XG solutions. Additionally, I have used Check Point solutions.

How was the initial setup?

The implementation of Sophos UTM firewalls is difficult. There are many aspects that are involved and there is maintenance needed. However, the difficulty level is the same as if you were implementing a Fortinet firewall.

What about the implementation team?

We have a three-person implementation team that works in many cities here in Bolivia.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated other solutions, such as Cisco.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others that the Sophos Academy is really good. You can receive certifications from them. It is important to understand the requirements because some people who don't know much are afraid to use firewalls, and that's a problem. It's important to use firewalls and ask questions proactively about them.

I rate Sophos UTM an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1292835 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Reseller
Stable with good documentation and fair pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "The cost of the solution is very reasonable."
  • "The initial setup may be difficult for those not familiar with the product."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily used the solution to replace Cyberoam. For a client recently, we replaced their old SD device with the latest version, XG 210.

What is most valuable?

At the moment we have deployed the web filtering application as they have their own web servers and their email protection. The web filtering is great. At the moment, we haven't heard any negative feedback from the client.

There is plenty of documentation that can help you check scenarios or different situations that might you have.

The stability is great.

The cost of the solution is very reasonable.

What needs improvement?

I can't recall dealing with any missing features.

Lately, I've dealt more with Fortinet, and haven't focused too much on Sophos.

The initial setup may be difficult for those not familiar with the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

If I recall correctly, I've been dealing with the solution for about five or so years. It's been a while at this point. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are actually in the process of discussing scaling with a client. We're working on the business planning aspect right now. We're looking at opportunities on how to protect their network, besides just the webserver and the email servers.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't made any request for technical support previously. That is due to the fact that even the local authorized distributor here in the Philippines is very helpful in deploying and configuring the product. Therefore, we have no need to contact Sophos directly.

There's also lots of documentation to reference. 

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

Recently, I've used a lot of Fortinet products. 

How was the initial setup?

Although I hadn't done a setup in a while, I quickly recalled the steps taken. If you've handled a setup before, you're likely to find the implementation process rather straightforward. I found I was able to adapt quickly and figure out the necessary configurations.

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

In terms of licensing, here in the Philippines, we just pay on a yearly basis. The renewal is up for this year in Q3. We are talking now with the distributor where we purchased the hardware for a possible renewal with the client.

Overall, they provide very reasonable pricing.

What other advice do I have?

My company is a reseller of Sophos.

I haven't deployed one of their latest solutions yet. We just had a recent project for a basic firewall, and they were actually 210. That's the last project I had with Sophos.

We are in the process of taking up certification exams for Sophos.

I definitely recommend Sophos. It's one of our top products in the company.

I'd rate the solution at a nine 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:
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Network & Hardware Administrator at Nile Projects & Trading Co.
Real User
Top 20
Creates secure IPsec and SSL VPN high availability connections between head office and branches
Pros and Cons
  • "It allows me to easily connect with more than forty-five remote sites and more than fifty remote users between IPsec and SSL VPN, applying the web filter and application filter to ensure a secure connection."
  • "I would like to see the SD-WAN feature improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for IPsec & site-to-site SSL VPN.

My environment involves connecting all of our branches with the head office through one Sophos XG 210 device. This is done using IPsec and SSL VPN, after which we apply a web filter, as well as an application filter to ensure that we are getting a secure connection.

How has it helped my organization?

It allows me to easily connect with more than forty-five remote sites and more than fifty remote users between IPsec and SSL VPN, applying the web filter and application filter to ensure a secure connection.

This solution also gives me varieties of VPN policies for good data encryption.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of this solution are:

  • High Availability between IPsec site tunnels provides a valid continuous connection and ensures we have no downtime affecting our business.
  • Log Viewer allows me to monitor all incoming and outgoing traffic, as well as view and block vulnerabilities.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see the SD-WAN feature improved. I want to manage many lines and load-balance them, getting high availability by making SLA tests according to:

  1. Check interval.
  2. Failures before inactive.
  3. Restore link after.
  4. SD-WAN Rules to control bandwidth, download and upload stream.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for more than four years.

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

I switched to Sophos as it is more reliable.

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

This solution is less expensive than FortiGate. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other solutions prior to choosing this one.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Sophos XG
PeerSpot user
CIO at Quartesian, LLC
MSP
It provides a solid firewall, but they could improve on the support
Pros and Cons
  • "It helped to connect our satellite offices to the main Amazon infrastructure in a circular way."
  • "We had some problems with the configuration. They had provided a CloudFormation template, and we had to go several rounds to make it work."
  • "They could definitely improve on the support, especially in other countries."

What is our primary use case?

We are using as a firewall product.

How has it helped my organization?

It helped to connect our satellite offices to the main Amazon infrastructure in a circular way.

What is most valuable?

It provides a solid firewall.

What needs improvement?

We had some problems with the configuration. They had provided a CloudFormation template, and we had to go several rounds to make it work. 

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's pretty stable. For our usage, it has been pretty good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are a small company with a small infrastructure. For our infrastructure, it is perfectly solid. I don't have experience using it on a larger scale.

How is customer service and technical support?

They could definitely improve on the support, especially in other countries. Right now, it is just average. For example, we have a team in India. When they face issues, they have to go to Australia or talk to somebody in the US to receive support. They should be more responsive and have more local offices.

What about the implementation team?

AWS has been pretty good. It is well integrated and pretty user-friendly. Initially, we experienced issues with the configuration because Sophos provided us a CloudFormation template, which caused us some back and forth. By now, the process may have improved.

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

Purchasing it through the AWS Marketplace went smoothly. We did not have any issues and the pricing was decent.

We decided to purchase through the AWS Marketplace because of the integration with the AWS infrastructure, firing it up and configuring it was very seamless.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We originally considered Barracuda and another solution.

We chose Sophos because we thought that it provided superior service. Also, they have a long history in the market, and I received a recommendation from one of my consultants.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend to take a look a product, as it is a good product apart from the improvements that I mentioned. We are very happy with the product so far.

It is used as a standalone. We don't integrate it with other systems.

We are using the AWS version of this product.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos UTM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos UTM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.