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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. 

Buyer's Guide
Sophos UTM
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Sophos UTM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.

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 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
Buyer's Guide
Sophos UTM
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Sophos UTM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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
PeerSpot user
Senior Technical Consultant with 51-200 employees
MSP
Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate

I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main hang-ups will be with the VIP/load balancing and SSL. For some reason that completely escapes me, both of these vendors make getting valid certificates onto their boxes unnecessarily difficult -- the Fortinet appliances more so than the Sophos UTM appliances. At one point a Fortinet engineer had to write an entire manual on how to get an SSL certificate uploaded successfully on the 4.x firmware.

Sophos: The one feature that is missing (and this makes some amount of sense) from the Sophos appliance is BITS caching for updates. Other than that, Sophos offers a full replacement for TMG on UTM9. The XG platform also offers a replacement for the TMG; however, some of the rumblings about upcoming releases suggests that Sophos is going to give XG the Apple iOS treatment and "streamline" the interface...potentially cutting out/hiding some functionality. On the effectiveness of the NGFW, Sophos is mostly good but has a few issues blocking all pieces of an application. For instance, we had to build custom blocking rules for OpenVPN (the vpn was being used to bypass the content filter) because the default Application Control wasn't effectively blocking the application.

Fortinet: If it wasn't for Fortinet's terrible tech support we would still be deploying Fortigates exclusively. So perhaps that answers your last question right upfront. FortiWeb is not absolutely required for what you are proposing; however, the FortiWeb does make the transition from TMG much easier as the FortiWeb is purpose-built to do what you are requiring. Related, the AD-integration used with Fortinet is one of the strongest implementations we have used: The SSO agents ability to poll data from the DCs without an agent allows the use of SSO with non-Windows machines that are bound to AD, which we have used extensively at both educational institutions and shops running CentOS. Transitioning to Fortinet is relatively simple: The UI makes a lot more sense than it did in the old 4.x releases, the firewall rules are straight-forward, and the reverse proxy settings are well-documented.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user326337 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user326337Customer Success Manager at PeerSpot
Real User

Mark, how has your experience with Firewall security been since this past January?

See all 5 comments
Network Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Top 10
A solution that provides both easy maintenance and configuration for its users
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable product... I rate the solution's technical support a nine out of ten...The initial setup is quite easy because they have all the information on their website."
  • "In short, the UI and UX are the areas of improvement in Sophos UTM and similar solutions compared to Palo Alto."

What is our primary use case?

Regarding the use cases, the solution was deployed for a production client, which was a hardware production company.

What is most valuable?

The features that I have found most valuable in Sophos UTM are its scalability and feasibility, as well as the quality of its customer service, followed by the ease of maintenance and configuration of the product itself.

What needs improvement?

Palo Alto has a different market because of their dashboard, overall looks, and other features. They are costly, but their services are quite good. And they offer a different platform compared to their competitors. Their device operates differently from others. While Palo Alto and Sophos have similar features, they operate on different platforms, providing a superior user experience compared to existing devices. In short, the UI and UX are the areas of improvement in Sophos UTM and similar solutions compared to Palo Alto.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have experience with Sophos UTM for nearly two years. Recently, I deployed two Sophos solutions, one with HA and one on a primary device. The deployment process for one of the companies was done last month.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable product. So it is easy to scale it up.

How are customer service and support?

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

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite easy because they have all the information on their website. Customer service is available anytime, especially when you set to start the device's configuration.

Since I was just a part of the initial configuration after deployment, I don't know the steps in the deployment process.

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

Both the technical and cost aspects are feasible since it is possible to obtain and use the device as a PnP solution. Considering cost and technical aspects, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

Even if I compare Sophos UTM with other solutions, I don't think any pros or cons stick out since our clients are okay with the solution, and there has been no complaint regarding Sophos UTM.

My advice to others planning to use the solution is that it is quite easy. You can simply refer to the solution's blog or YouTube videos and install the solution. It's also quite easy to configure it. So, if you purchase it by yourself, you can configure it and use it on your particular network.

I love working with Palo Alto. So, I would like to give it a ten out of ten. Also, Palo Alto has a different market. So, I would always give a nine out of ten for other solutions. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
AlaaMady - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at a insurance company with 51-200 employees
Real User
A useable solution for small businesses who are willing to rely on cloud-based, centralized management of the software
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup was easy."
  • "I would like this solution to support ICAP. Also, they no longer support on-premises management, and are forcing clients to use centralized management via the cloud, which I don't agree with."

What is our primary use case?

We use it as an internet firewall, and as our web application firewall.

How has it helped my organization?

I don't believe it has improved our organization; I don't actually like the product because of the features it is missing.

What needs improvement?

I would like this solution to support ICAP. Also, they no longer support on-premises management, and are forcing clients to use centralized management via the cloud, which I don't agree with.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't find this to be fully stable; we have had to restart the firewall on a few occasions.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support is not very good. They are quite slow, and there are delays in response to an issue being raised.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Negative

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was carried out in-house, and the deployment took around eight hours to complete.

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

There was an up-front charge of around $70,000, to purchase the hub and license.  Beyond the initial cost, licenses are charged for annually, but they are good value for the service we receive.

What other advice do I have?

I would only recommend this product to small businesses. I would rate this solution as 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.
PeerSpot user
Cyber Security Officer at Grupo Vision
Real User
Has good quality and functionality
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the price. I've been requesting prices all over these years between different solutions like Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Check Point and Sophos has been the cheapest and the best of all of them that I have tried. I have been working with Fortinet, it's a fact that the price is surprisingly better."
  • "Sophos should improve its ability to check something like bandwidth consumption for users or something more real-time."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use cases include: 

  • Remote SSL connection
  • Web-filtering
  • Web server protection
  • WAF application.
  • Firewall rules

How has it helped my organization?

We have securely deploy systems accesible only behind encrypted ssl vpn and all user can access without the risk of data exposure.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the price. I've been requesting prices all over these years between different solutions like Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Check Point and Sophos has been the cheapest and the best of all of them that I have tried. I have been working with Fortinet, it's a fact that the sophos price is surprisingly better.

I have also worked with Check Point and it's not far enough from what Sophos can do. In terms of quality and functionality, Sophos is very useful and better than the competition.

What needs improvement?

Sophos should improve its ability to check something like bandwidth consumption for users or something more real-time.

real time trafic graph most show specific info from user, ip and bandwith, in my personal opinion i have seen better traffic graphs in open source firewalls.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos UTM for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's very stable. In all the time I have been using it, I haven't seen it fail or gets stuck.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is not a complex issue and is something you can do within 20 minutes. I've been managing three UTMs, one with 50 users, another one with around 150, and the biggest one has 3,000 users.

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

i used PFSense, the capabilities of UTM sophos y very much higher and powerfull.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. It depends on the rules, but a basic setup can take up to seven to 15 minutes max.

What about the implementation team?


What was our ROI?

Based on cost compare with other vendor who bill per license and OTP users, the ROI have been set as far as 6 moths.

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

SOphos is the best alternative in features, specifications and lower price.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

yes i did, Fortinet, Checkpoint, Palo Alto, Meraki.

What other advice do I have?

It's a good solution, I would say to go for it. 

I would rate Sophos UTM 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
Solutions Architect at National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Real User
It meets our compliance needs for antivirus, but the printed provisioning needs improvement.
Pros and Cons
  • "It meets our compliance needs in an elastic computer environment."
  • "It is a little too CPU resource intensive, so we would like to see improvements there."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for antivirus.

How has it helped my organization?

It meets our compliance needs in an elastic computer environment.

What is most valuable?

It meets our compliance needs for antivirus.

What needs improvement?

The printed provisioning is the primary thing that needs improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a little too CPU resource intensive, so we would like to see improvements there.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are running about a couple hundred EC2 instances. Overall, the AWS Marketplace product should be a better fit, but it is a little pricier.

How is customer service and technical support?

When we need technical support, we just engage the vendor, then figure out what our requirements are from there.

How was the initial setup?

The integration and configuration of this product on our AWS environment is a little clunky right now.

The product is a standalone in terms of integration.

What other advice do I have?

Going forward, we need to look at the provisioning pieces and the resource utilization.

The AWS version is easier to provision than the on-premise version.

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: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos UTM Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.