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Network Engineer at Vibs
Real User
Stable, scalable, with a good central dashboard, and good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the central dashboard"
  • "I would like to see the performance improved."

What is our primary use case?

We are integrators. We integrate solutions for other our client's companies.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the central dashboard. It provides us with good performance.

What needs improvement?

When you utilize the processors, the device hangs. Many firewalls hang because of the high volume of loads.

If we are using the HP policy and the user policy at the same time, the firewall gets hung and it means that we cannot get clear reports.

We have mitigated the firewall with Palo Alto because Palo Alto is working on multiple environments. 

I would like to see the performance improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Sophos XG for three years.

Currently, we are using the MR4 v18.

Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This product is scalable. I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

So far we use this solution for SMB and enterprise companies.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is very good.

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

We are also working with Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.

Palo Alto is the best product from a compliance point of view, and security. Fortinet is the second and the last is Sophos XG.

How was the initial setup?

I have installed Sophos XG in multiple organizations.

The initial setup is very easy.

It took less than 10 minutes to deploy.

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

Sophos is very good for small companies because of the cost of the product compared to other solutions.

The price is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I prefer Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls to Sophos. Palo Alto is very good and the customers are happy. The hardware is customizable with multiple firewalls. I think that it is the best.

I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
CTO at Kingsway Hospitals
Real User
The great interface and security are key features
Pros and Cons
  • "Good security and a good interface."
  • "Content filtering could be more effective and efficient."

What is our primary use case?

I'm the CTO of our company and we are customers of Sophos. 

What is most valuable?

I've found that the valuable features are the interface and the security, both are really great. 

What needs improvement?

The security of the solution could be improved by making it more intuitive and it should have a background reputation service for classification of websites for content filtering. It's a service which defines the type of websites enabling me to do my content filtering in a much more effective and efficient way.

They really need to include some kind of a client app for mobiles so that firewalls and all the metrics can be accessed directly on the phone; some kind of administrative application on the phone, maybe on an iOS or Android.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for over four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution, it's a nice robust firewall. We love using it. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable, we have around 700 end users and 10 technical people on staff. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We are satisfied with the technical support but having said that, we didn't need much support because the menus and all the online documentation is self-explanatory. There was no failure so we didn't have to actually log a call with Sophos. 

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

We didn't previously use another solution before implementing Sophos. We chose it by specification and the reputation it has in the market.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was a little complex because of the kind of configuration that we were looking at, the way the firewall had to be configured was slightly complex. We carried out the implementation ourselves and it took a maximum two days. 

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution but would suggest that before buying any firewall, it's important to assess your expectations and then match it with the specification. You will not be disappointed if you do this.

I would rate this solution a nine out of 10. 

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
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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
reviewer2342247 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
PeerSpot user
AA141 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Specialist at stelios@biolandenergy.com
Real User
Top 5
A stable and scalable firewall solution that provides effective threat prevention
Pros and Cons
  • "The firewall feature of Sophos XG has been the most effective for threat prevention."
  • "The solution’s reporting could be improved."

What is most valuable?

The firewall feature of Sophos XG has been the most effective for threat prevention.

What needs improvement?

The solution’s reporting could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Around 200 users are using the solution daily in our organization.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten for scalability.

How was the initial setup?

On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution's initial setup a nine out of ten.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution through an in-house team in half an hour. One person was involved in the solution’s deployment.

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

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

What other advice do I have?

Sophos XG has sufficiently improved the security of our network. We found the solution's user interface very user-friendly for our daily operations.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight 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
reviewer1749918 - PeerSpot reviewer
Gerente de Atendimento na Introduce at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Robust and feature-rich solution.
Pros and Cons
  • "The features that I have found most valuable are first the Web Filter and the Web Application Firewall SD-Wan on Version 18. Additionally, RED Tunnels allows a Sophos vital to speak to another Sophos vital in headquarters."
  • "The main problem with Sophos XG today is that it doesn't have a feature where you actually know the quality of an international link, which would allow us to we know if the link is operational or not. We need more information. It's losing packets on the network. It's high latency. So, we need more information to know if the link is really bad or really good, and today, we will only know if it's working and this just isn't enough."

What is our primary use case?

We use and implement Sophos XG for our customers for border security, just to make sure that nobody gets in and that everybody who tries to get out will have some kind of filter or protection.

How has it helped my organization?

I can say that it has not exactly improved how our the organization functions, but on the security side it makes everything much more secure, especially for the users. They can't surf the web without some kind of protection for safety and control, and we are alerted if somebody is trying to access some strange websites or trying to access something the company does not allow.

What is most valuable?

The features that I have found most valuable are first the Web Filter and the Web Application Firewall SD-Wan on Version 18. Additionally, RED Tunnels allows a Sophos vital to speak to another Sophos vital in headquarters.

What needs improvement?

The main problem with Sophos XG today is that it doesn't have a feature where you actually know the quality of an international link, which would allow us to we know if the link is operational or not. We need more information. It's losing packets on the network. It's high latency. So, we need more information to know if the link is really bad or really good, and today, we only know if it's working and this just isn't enough.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for about six, seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XG is really robust because of all the implementations you currently have active. We don't have problems on the hardware or a bug on the software or anything like that. It's really, really rare. Most of the problems are from requests for our customers asking to make a particular website available for some parts of the company and things like this. Just some little configurations on the web filter.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We actually do studies to already know before implementation which firewall will be able to handle all the operations. It is really rare to need to change the firewall or to miss a configuration and put in equipment that can't handle the network. We have never had a case where we had to replace a hardware because it couldn't handle the network. It has always been easy to make a survey to get the right equipment for the right amount of people, and every time we need to make a new implementation we have the study making scalability easy, because each hardware is for a specific customer.

How are customer service and support?

If I were to rate support from zero to 10, I would say about six or seven. The Portuguese Support is really bad. It's really not good. Every time you have an issue that's a little bit more complex, it's better to speak to the Global Support than the Latin American Support.

How was the initial setup?

Today the initial setup is simple since we have been using it for a long time and have implemented it for several customers. So now it is really easy for us.

What about the implementation team?

We are the resellers.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to anyone considering Sophos XG is that it has a good cost-benefit. Let's just put it that it does the job right.

On a scale of one to ten, I would say Sophos XG is a nine.

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 Operations at Intersect Technologies
Real User
Top 20
Easy to deploy at customer locations and it is priced well
Pros and Cons
  • "Using Sophos endpoint and the firewall, synchronized security is easy."
  • "LAN inbound and outbound traffic requires more control."

What is our primary use case?

We use Sophos XG with medical institutions and corporate banks that we work with. There are approximately 20 employees working with this product in our company.

What is most valuable?

Being centralized, Sophos provides us threat protection there. Even with standalone, we are able to provide the Sophos firewall. Having an internal dashboard and a single dashboard with some endpoints is also valuable. By using Sophos endpoint and the firewall, synchronized security is easy.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see improvement with service and support. LAN inbound and outbound traffic requires more control and an additional stop. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos XG for almost 10 years. We are partners with Sophos.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability and performance is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is easy to scale.

How are customer service and support?

There is no maintenance required with Sophos XG because it is a cloud product.

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

Previously I was using Cyberoam and Fortinet. We switched because there was a lot of hardware, and the performance was not satisfactory. We were experiencing space concerns with the hardware, the dual processor, and even the single processor. This also meant that synchronized security was not there as well.

How was the initial setup?

The initial set up of the solution was simple. It took about 20 minutes.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the software on our own.

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

The price is cheaper compared to others.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Sophos XG because it is easy to deploy at customer locations and it is priced well. I would rate this product a 10 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Muhammad_Irfan - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Network Administrator at ACMC
Real User
Top 5
Friendly, dependable, scalable, and simple to migrate
Pros and Cons
  • "The performance is good."
  • "Sophos XG does not have the ability to disconnect a user."

What is most valuable?

Sophos XG is very good.

It's very friendly.

The performance is good.

What needs improvement?

The reporting could be improved.

Many other firewalls give you the option to disconnect a user. For example, if an end-user is using too much bandwidth, you could right-click to disconnect this user, but Sophos XG does not support this feature.

Sophos XG does not have the ability to disconnect a user.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for one and a half years.

We are using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Sophos XG is great!

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos XG is scalable.

We have approximately 120 users in our organization who are using this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have never contacted the technical support for Sophos. Once or twice we called the local support but not for Sophos.

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

Previously we used Cyberoam. When they announced the end of life we switched to Sophos XG.

It was upgraded because it had reached the end of its life. We only had one option for upgrading to Sophos XG. They gave us the option to upgrade and provided us with the hardware for free.

How was the initial setup?

We migrated from Cyberoam. The migration went very well.

The migration process did not require a lot of configuration.

It took a few days to complete the migration and the testing.

This solution is being managed by myself and a colleague. We are a team of two.

What about the implementation team?

We were able to complete the migration ourselves.

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

They have different options for the license.

We paid for three years which included the migration and the free hardware.

In most cases, I believe that the licensing is paid yearly.

What other advice do I have?

I don't have any issues with this solution. I would recommend this solution for 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: 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 XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
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Firewalls
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.