We use Sophos XG for network threat protection in our data center.
Senior Network Security Engineer | Project Manager at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Simple to use, easy installation, and performs well
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has good performance and is easy to use."
- "The solution could be more secure."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution has good performance and is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for a few years.
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Sophos XG
December 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 100 users using this solution.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Sophos XG is easy.
What about the implementation team?
We have four technical engineers for installation and administrators for this equipment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated Palo Alto and FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
We have replaced some of our hardware with Palo Alto and FortiGate solutions.
I am satisfied with this solution.
I 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.
Scalable and stable
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is scalable."
- "The installation could be faster and is longer than that of other solutions, lasting more than a month instead of five minutes."
What needs improvement?
The solution is very slow in comparison with SonicWall and FortiGate. It should have faster performance.
The installation could be faster and is longer than that of other solutions, lasting more than a month instead of five minutes.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Sophos XG for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
When compared with other firewalls, such as that of SonicWall, we have had no issues with the solution's stability. It works very well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
Sophos does not provide immediate support, such as SonicWall does with its toll free number. This may take an hour or two, although I suppose things would be different were we to raise a critical ticket.
I have been in contact with tech support within the last week or so.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
SonicWall has a toll-free number which can be reached for immediate support, something which is unique, although Sophos may take an hour or two to respond. I suppose this would be different were a person to raise a critical ticket.
How was the initial setup?
Sophos XG has a longer installation period than other firewalls, occupying in excess of a month instead of five minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I am the technical person. Installation can be handled independently. We do the configuration of the firewall.
We have two teams that are responsible for the deployment, a firewall and a network one. We can handle the implementation using both teams.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't believe we have a license for this product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
SonicWall and FortiGate provide considerably faster performance than Sophos.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is deployed both on-premises and on the cloud.
We have a data center which contains multiple firewalls. If our clients ask about a certain firewall expert, we simply implement the Sophos firewall, clientele. We have created certain IP sectors like this, in which case we provide multiple firewalls in clientele.
We have around 150 clients making use of the firewall.
We would recommend the solution to others.
I rate Sophos XG as a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Head of Network Department at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
A stable firewall solution, but the GUI and support could be better
Pros and Cons
- "Sophos is a stable solution, and we haven't had any bugs or limitations."
- "The GUI and support could be better. I think there are other products that we are going to deploy instead of Sophos. We have already upgraded a month ago because the interfaces and support for Sophos are really weak. But other products like Juniper, Cisco, or FortiGate are better than Sophos. It's also complicated, and the end-user or client does not understand it."
What is our primary use case?
We use the SRX from Juniper as the second firewall, and Sophos is useful as a first firewall facing the internet edge. We also use it as an SD-WAN, and we're going to use it as a load balancer instead of a BIG F5 load balancer. All of the things like web filtering and internal email filtering will be inside Sophos XG.
What is most valuable?
Sophos is a stable solution, and we haven't had any bugs or limitations.
What needs improvement?
The GUI and support could be better. I think there are other products that we are going to deploy instead of Sophos. We have already upgraded a month ago because the interfaces and support for Sophos are really weak. But other products like Juniper, Cisco, or FortiGate are better than Sophos. It's also complicated, and the end-user or client does not understand it.
The interfaces and the GUI design are not easy, and when you do something, unrelated things are in the same configuration site. There are different sites to visit to configure Sophos. This is even more than other products. Many features can be improved, especially the VPN and web filtering features.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Sophos XG for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sophos XG is stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support could be better. I already opened a ticket three days ago, but they are not interested or have not cooperated with the end customer. But Juniper and Cisco are fast to respond compared to Sophos. Sophos is really complicated, and it's not fair to buy the annual support when they don't provide any support quickly when you request it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is fair.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise potential users not to use Sophos if they are not buying the appliance. They should use another product like FortiGate, Check Point, or Palo Alto.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Sophos XG a six.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
ICT/HMIS Supervisor at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
A stable and seamless solution with good support and useful VPN and filtering features
Pros and Cons
- "The VPN feature is the most valuable. It has come in handy during this period when people are working from home. The filtering feature is also valuable because you can easily filter the sites that you don't want to visit. You can also set timely surfing quotas."
- "They made some changes to the firmware update sometime last year, which moved some of the policies from where they were before. Some of the policies, such as NAS policies, were separated, which made it a bit hard for people to trace the policies they had configured."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for VPN and for filtering direct traffic. We are using XG50.
What is most valuable?
The VPN feature is the most valuable. It has come in handy during this period when people are working from home.
The filtering feature is also valuable because you can easily filter the sites that you don't want to visit. You can also set timely surfing quotas.
What needs improvement?
They made some changes to the firmware update sometime last year, which moved some of the policies from where they were before. Some of the policies, such as NAS policies, were separated, which made it a bit hard for people to trace the policies they had configured.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been very stable. We haven't had any outages. It has been seamless.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I am not quite sure about that. In terms of the number of nodes, we have around 200 nodes. All the internet traffic has to go through Sophos XG. In terms of the number of people who handle the support, we have two people.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is good. Whenever I have contacted them, they have given us support. They have been quite fast.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using Cyberoam. When they were acquired, we just upgraded to Sophos because, at that time, they were providing the hardware and support to transfer your configs to Sophos.
What about the implementation team?
Its initial setup was done by a contractor. We just maintain it. We have an expert, and we also have access to an IT department.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of price, it is a mid-range product.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. 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.
Network Security Administrator at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
Reasonably-priced and straightforward to set up, but instability has caused problems and customer support should be improved
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup was straightforward."
- "The first area that needs to be improved is customer support."
What is our primary use case?
We use the Sophos XG firewall as part of our security solution.
What needs improvement?
The first area that needs to be improved is customer support.
If I'm implementing a connection on the DMZ or WAN, I should be able to dive deep into the implementation, specifying what needs to be implemented or not. For example, I should be able to configure specific details for the DMZ, and not have to follow the templates that they provide.
We have had problems with the stability that affected business operations.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Sophos XG for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The issue of stability is the reason that I'm trying to move away from using Sophos as our firewall. There were times where Sophos randomly cut some users off of the internet, which adversely affected business operations. It is important because our business relies on throughput and service, like the uptime of e-commerce servers.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability depends on the specifications during the time of order, prior to first implementing the firewall. With respect to my organization, scalability has been okay. It comes down to the amount of money that is spent.
We have 1,200 users in the company.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer support needs to be improved. The time they take to resolve issues is too long.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. It took us less than 30 minutes. Normally, it depends on the size of your organization, so for mine, the installation was less than 15 minutes. By 30 minutes I was finished even with the setup and configuration.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For our company, the price was reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
We are now thinking about incorporating the Fortinet next-generation firewall.
My advice for anybody who is considering Sophos is that a business with a lot of throughput and data traffic should look for another firewall.
I would rate this solution a six 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.
Director at Bhudeo Khadya Udyog Pvt Ltd
Stable product with an efficient user management system
Pros and Cons
- "The product’s most valuable feature is the user management system."
- "The product's technical support services could be better."
What is most valuable?
The product’s most valuable feature is the user management system.
What needs improvement?
The product's technical support services could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Sophos XG for three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the product’s stability an eight or nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 15 to 20 Sophos XG users. I rate its scalability an eight or nine.
How are customer service and support?
We do not receive enough technical support services from Sophos XG.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complicated because we didn’t have executives with proper expertise. It took us two months to complete.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate Sophos XG’s pricing a seven out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Architect at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Lacking security, poor search tool, but stable
Pros and Cons
- "The performance of Sophos XG is generally good and it is stable."
- "The security of Sophos XG could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Sophos XG is a firewall and we use it to create networking rules.
What needs improvement?
The security of Sophos XG could be improved.
Sophos wants to move all things to the cloud, including access to the end-user PCs and data from the cloud. What will be easier to hack for a customer with an outdated firewall, or the Sophos cloud could get hacked which has all the access and information from customers. With my experience, it's not a question of if they will hack it, but a question of when they will do it. I'm not happy with the direction Sophos is going on.
We have problems with the use of the user interface. You have a poor search engine for objects via which you can write new rules. You have to start at the beginning of the whole object name. With the Sophos UTM, you can start with a pattern, with part of the whole word. In Sophos UTM it will list you all the hits with parts of what you type, and that does not happen on the Sophos XG.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The performance of Sophos XG is generally good and it is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found the scalability of Sophos XG the same as Sophos XG.
We have approximately 10 clients using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
Since Sophos XG moved the support from London to somewhere in the world, such as India, it's a little bit longer to receive a fast response. They are knowledgeable but they are slow to make decisions. For example, we had a firewall and the hardware was defect. It was really clear, but we had to have a long discussion for them to be able to send us the new firewall. It took one or two weeks until the supporter was able to talk to someone who can make the decision. This is too long, this process could be streamlined.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward . As long as you buy the appliances from Sophos, it works very well. However, in some cases, we have to use our own servers because they have more power and more network bandwidth.
What about the implementation team?
The amount of users needed for the implementation and maintenance depends on the size of the customer's infrastructure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required to use this solution and my customers pay for it annually.
What other advice do I have?
I am not amazed by this solution.
I rate Sophos XG a four out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Chief-Information-Technology-Officer at ABIG
Good Protection, scales well, and is easy to setup
Pros and Cons
- "Web publishing is important, as well as the importance of the antivirus patch."
- "Our clients use Karios, and while it integrates well with it, the integration could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for VPN, client VPN, malware filtering, and antivirus scanning.
How has it helped my organization?
It has definitely improved the way our organization functions. Previously only using free tools, and once we started using Sophos XG, the number of threats dropped dramatically. We had a lot of threats to our network, but they have dramatically decreased since we started using this solution.
What is most valuable?
All of the features in Sophos XG are valuable.
Web publishing is important, as well as the importance of the antivirus patch.
The firewall is also essential, and the VPN.
What needs improvement?
Our clients use Karios, and while it integrates well with it, the integration could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for three years.
We are using the XG version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We encountered an issue with the hardware when we first purchased this solution. We called Sophos, who replaced the device, and we have not had any issues since.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have no issues with the scalability of Sophos XG.
In our organization, we have 150 users, and all are required to maintain this solution.
We don't have plans to increase the usage at this time.
How are customer service and support?
We have not really used technical support. If we have an issue, we resolve it ourselves.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we were using older versions of Microsoft. We used it for almost 10 years before switching to Sophos.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
We completed the installation ourselves. I took a maximum of two weeks.
What was our ROI?
I have not calculated our ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a three-year license.
What other advice do I have?
I am the Chief IT Officer. I don't have all of the technical details of this product. We have technical staff who use this solution for their daily routines and activities.
It's a very good product. 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.
Buyer's Guide
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sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
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