Sophos XG Reviews

We implement different security solutions. We also integrate the different environments and secure them, based on the customer's needs.

Our customers are from banking or financial institutions, insurance institutions, telecommunication companies, advocacy companies, construction companies, and retail companies.

The most valuable feature of this solution is that the license offers everything. You don't have to purchase a license for the VPN, or the mobile VPN, or for any other features that the firewall works with. That is the best thing about Sophos. 

They include everything on the firewall as a base and if you want other exclusive services or to add more security to your service, you would have to purchase the full license.

To me, the cost benefits are the best.

They can improve all indicators, all KPIs, all the scores, the consoles, and the monitors. These are all areas that need improvement.

These areas need to be more clear for the customers. You have to have good experience working with Sophos to know how to get to the forums and to get to the information that you want from the beginning.

It is complicated to get the reports if you are not experienced with Sophos. For example, if you want to get a report on what the firewall is doing, you have to be a very experienced engineer.

We have been using Sophos XG for three years.

The version we use is up to the customer and their environment's needs. For example, if the customer has a small infrastructure, we implement a small firewall, which could be an XG 115 or an XG 125.

For larger companies, we implement an XG 450 or XG 500.

The stability is very good. Stability is the main reason we use Sophos.

We have no complaints about the reliability, performance, or stability. It's a very strong product.

We are currently building the security architecture and we are trying to build according to the customer's requirements. The plan is for 35% growth in the next three years.

Our clients are usually medium to large-sized businesses. 

We currently have 23 engineers to maintain this solution.

Depending on the firewall that you are using, or that you purchase with the biggest supply end, you can add other cards that can grow with some other services.

We provide technical support to the customers. We provide our own SOC to support the security solution and we complement the Sophos support plan.

Their technical support is fair, as well as the forums. Today there are only webinars, but we are trying to keep up with the latest technologies and trends.

We are also trying to keep up on how the hackers work because we are working with different associations of security worldwide that way we know the best way to protect our customers and what we need to sell to our customers.

We work with several brands. Sophos is in the top sales.

Previous to Sophos XG, we were working with Sophos and Cyberoam.

The initial setup is straightforward. It's easy, using the wizard.

If you go outside the wizard and you are not an experienced engineer, it could get a little tricky.

Our implementation strategy is to have clear communication with the customer. Implementation is based on 99% of the information that the customer is providing to your other anything else.

It can take five days to deploy.

The license includes most of the features that are necessary, but the basis of the firewall does not include everything, which helps us to continue to sell.

When comparing with Palo Alto and Cisco, Sophos is cheaper.

The top three solutions that we sell and that the customers consider are Sophos, Palo Alto, and Cisco.

The main difference is the pricing.

We try to sell some cloud services but in Mexico, customers are not familiar with the cloud services yet. We are starting to grow, but it is very common that customers prefer services on-premises.

We do not only plan for the sales, but we also plan with the customers and their growth, and how we are going to increase their services. We also consider what will be selling to the customers in the next three years. We plan with the customer, as well.

When we sell a firewall, it is not for sale for right now, it's for sale for long-term use. We build long-term relationships with our clients.

My suggestion to others who are interested in using this solution is to try it. The only way to know how well it works is to try it.

Sophos XG is an excellent solution and I would rate it an eight out of ten.

On-premises

The most valuable feature, according to the setup we have at our work place here, is the flexibility of the system or the firmware that's running the appliance. It's so flexible, performing multiple rules with different configurations. According to the set up here, we need to implement several firewalls with different access levels, because we have a variety of users. For this requirement, it's very flexible and very easy to use.

It is performing well. However, the only challenges that we are facing are the effectiveness with blocking the proxy and tuneling applications, aside from  proxy and similar applications. So the application filter on the product is not really performing 100%. Every now and then there are some updates that are happening on such applications, and it takes time until it gets the appropriate updates and becomes capable of capturing such applications and blocking them.

A new feature I would really like to see would be some sort of an enhanced application filter with greater efficiency when it comes to the applications that can bypass firewall policies. These applications are really a nightmare. Once they are on the network and not detected, or the appliance is not really successful in capturing them and unblocking them, the bandwidth gets wasted all the time.

One to three years.

It's stable. So far we haven't experienced any instability issues with. 

As for scalability, I think it is a bit limited. We did a sizing exercise before the purchase. But that was just to fit our current needs. There was no room for having an option to upgrade the device. The only option that we have if we are grow in the near future, is to go for another model with higher specs, which is actually more expensive. In other words it doesn't have that modularity feature. 

From time to time I use technical support provided by the seller and sometimes I use the online support, but not that much actually. It has only been for a very few issues. And the support I have received is not bad.

Before Sophos there was mix of various legacy solutions that were not really considered firewall grade. The only specific thing that was used was a software-based firewall, but it was used on a very limited scale and only temporarily.

It was very straightforward. 

The other vendors on the list were Fortinet and Palo Alto. Although it was really great with outstanding features, Palo Alto was far beyond our budget. And as for Fortinet, I was not really happy with the ease of use of the firewall and the features that were coming with it. Sophos was better compared to Fortinet.

When it comes to selecting a vendor I think the most important thing would be the level of support and how fast they can respond in critical cases.

I would rate Sophos at eight out of 10. I cannot give it the best rating because there are the issues that I mentioned, and I believe there are other products on the market that are much better, like Palo Alto. And there is another product that I've come across recently, which is called Clavister. It's a Swedish product, if I'm not mistaken. They are current with features and have more stability. So for Sophos, it would be the appropriate rating for the time being, unless they come up with some new features and add some enhancements.

There is no straightforward advice in this case because there are many factors that may limit the person who wants the solution. Budget is an issue. If you don't have any budget limitations I would recommend going for Palo Alto. If not, consider Sophos or Clavister.

We mostly deploy Sophos XG to our customers because we are an IT system integrator. Our primary use case involves working with small to medium businesses to control internet usage, perform web filtering, application control, and manage bandwidth.

Sophos XG is popular among small to medium businesses, allowing them to control internet usage, perform web filtering, application control, and manage bandwidth. Additionally, AI assists in configuration, offering clues when users are stuck, which enhances user convenience and efficiency.

There is interest in seeing more features related to AI and customization in future releases.

I have been working with Sophos XG for at least five to six years.

The installation process is straightforward and easy due to the training we receive. In new site setups, it's quick, but migrating from one vendor to another requires more planning and can take a couple of days.

I would rate the stability of Sophos XG as nine out of ten.

I would rate the scalability of Sophos XG as nine out of ten.

Customer service and support for Sophos XG is excellent, and I would rate it as a ten.

Positive

I worked with other vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto, and Microsoft long ago.

The initial setup varies by scenario: it's quick for new sites, but it takes longer for vendor migrations due to the need for seamless planning.

I have a dedicated team of five engineers who handle installations.

There are cost savings compared to competitors, providing more financial benefits.

Sophos XG offers good pricing compared to competitors. While there are extra expenses for additional features, overall licensing costs are well-regarded.

I would rate Sophos XG as a nine out of ten. The cost savings make it suitable for small to medium businesses with 50 to 300 users. Overall, I am very satisfied with the product.

On-premises

The tool's most valuable feature is threat protection and DLP features. So far, basic DLP features like content protection and blocking. Furthermore, for remote users, features such as back filtering and application control are available, allowing for command and control from our side. It is very easy to understand policy applications. 

It has multi-console features, where you can designate administrators or super admins. There's also a read-only feature available. Visibility features are included in XDR. This provides information on user impact, potential threats on specific machines, source and destination IPs, setup firewall details, and unique identifiers for each machine. Another notable feature is network isolation, ensuring that data remains secure by isolating affected machines from others.

Sophos XG offers visibility into network information, sources, destinations, and threats. Depending on the policies applied, users may monitor specific issues without blocking them. However, policies that block threats should be applied.

One feature I would like to add is remote wipeout capability. This would be useful in cases where a user leaves the organization and fails to return their laptop. Remote wipeout would allow for the deletion of data from the device with a single command. Regarding technical support from Sophos XG, it's generally satisfactory. However, the response time could be improved. It takes around one hour to receive assistance, but reducing this to 30-45 minutes would benefit us.

The tool has only a base DLP feature. It needs to have a full DLP feature with additional licensing. 

I have been working with the product for ten years. 

I rate the tool's stability an eight point five out of ten. 

I rate the solution's scalability a seven point five out of ten. 

The tool's installment is easy. 

The tool's pricing is cheaper compared to other alternative products. 

Sophos XG has a lab center where they analyze signatures and automatically update them on the product. This eliminates the need for manual updates on individual machines or centers. Additionally, it has features like MDR and management response features. So, Sophos XG seems to have a roadmap in place.

I would recommend the product based on the situation. Cortex, a next-generation antivirus for larger enterprises, would likely provide sufficient coverage. It's also known for its scalability and visibility features, including root cause analysis and terminology features.

I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten. 

I use Sophos XG in my company as a firewall for my company's network. The product is used to manage the internet access received through routers for our company's network.

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that the routing functionality provided by the product is very easy for our company to use in our network since it provides for the movement of packets from one device to the other devices in our network, making it an area which works really fine for us.

I want an increase in the ability of the product to block and delete the websites and applications that don't work fine for our company. The tool ends up blocking another website that I need when I only want it to block a particular website or application. I can't use the product's application control feature, making it a disadvantage of the solution where improvements are required.

I have been using Sophos XG since around 2019, making it five years. I use Sophos Firewall Home Edition.

It is a very stable solution. In my company, we have had a reason to restart the product for a long time since the services offered by the tool have been fine enough for our organization.

The product was installed in our company in 2019 when we had around 15 employees. I don't see any issues with the product, considering the increase in the number of devices over the years in our company.

Sophos Firewall Home Edition doesn't provide technical support.

Sometimes, my company needs to rely on pfSense to deal with the area of backup. My company prefers pfSense to save data.

The product's initial setup phase is very easy.

I use Sophos Firewall Home Edition, which is available for free.

I haven't used the VPN capabilities provided by the product since my company already has a VPN-based solution in our environment.

The application control feature of the product is very good. My company doesn't use the application control feature for now since there was an increase in the blocking and deletion of applications when it was used.

The integration of the product into our company's infrastructure did not have any impact on our network performance. In general, the product is a bit buggy when it comes to the area of its impact on network performance.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it.

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.

We use it for the protection of our network. We also have a product from Sophos for ransomware protection using which we are able to protect our network from ransomware. All of our solutions are from Sophos, and we have everything integrated. 

We can define which systems can be accessed from outside of our company. We can define the connection rules for inside and outside of the company. It is easy to implement or modify rules.

It is very easy to use. You can configure and monitor everything from one unique dashboard. It is also easy to install.

Its price should be improved. It should be cheaper. 

In terms of features, I am happy, and I don't need more features. The firewall is perfect, but the antivirus could be better. It would be useful if the antivirus was less heavy and had better performance.

I have been using this solution for two years.

It is stable. We receive the updates online. They provide the updates at a good frequency. 

It is scalable to a limit. If the size of the network grows, you will have to buy new equipment. If you need just a few more connections, you will able to work with the existing system.

Currently, we have 16 users who are using it. We don't have any plans to increase its usage because our company is in liquidation. If the government decides, we can have more projects, but, as of now, we are in liquidation. We are keeping things working for now, and we plan to keep using this solution, but there are no investments.

We have support from the supplier of our firewall, and if needed, we also get support from the people who develop our software.

It is easy to install. Our company is at three locations. It takes two days to install it at all locations. It takes one day for one location and another day for the other two locations.

For the first installation, we took the help of the supplier. Since then, we do it ourselves. We don't have teams attached directly to the system. We have two or three IT guys who work with this system, but we can have support from the maintenance team.

Currently, we have a contract for three years. It would be good if its price is reduced before we renew the contract. We will buy the equipment if it is cheaper.

I'm happy with what I am getting. I haven't faced any problems. Everything is integrated, and it is easy to install and easy to control. 

I would rate Sophos XG a nine out of ten. I am very satisfied with this solution.

On-premises

The product has improved our network security posture. We got some phishing and malware attacks. We found out that someone was attacking our network. Since we installed the solution, we are not facing any attacks.

IPS works smoothly. The policies and rules work fine. The network performance and reporting tools of Sophos XG are good.

We are facing a little bit of an issue with the product's web filtering capabilities. It must be improved. SD-WAN can be improved.

I have been using the solution for almost two years.

I rate the tool’s stability a seven or eight out of ten.

I rate the tool’s scalability a seven or eight out of ten. Almost 5000 people are using the solution in our organization. We have installed the firewall. It is always running.

The support takes a lot of time to resolve issues.

Neutral

I rate the ease of setup a seven out of ten. The deployment took a few weeks.

The deployment was done in-house. We needed two to three people for the deployment.

I rate the pricing a seven or eight out of ten.

I will recommend the product to others. The solution is not extremely good, but it is good. Overall, I rate the product a seven or eight out of ten.

On-premises

We are resellers.

The SD-WAN feature stands out as the most valuable aspect.

Fortinet surpasses Sophos in terms of support, particularly with its comprehensive five-one feature console. 

Additionally, there are notable differences between appliance models, including variations in hardware, utility, and product offerings. 

It is essential to compare these aspects to ensure optimal performance and functionality. 

While Sophos may not excel in the support aspect, it still provides satisfactory performance overall. 

However, other solutions may offer better support and resource availability.

I have been working with Sophos XG for three years.

Sophos XG is a stable solution.

Sophos appliances typically offer a fixed level of throughput, which means their scalability may be limited compared to more flexible solutions. 

It is important to consider this aspect when implementing Sophos for your organization. 

Technical support is good.

When considering master gold names, it is evident that they offer a competitive package.

I would rate technical support an eight out of ten.

Microsoft's protection has received positive feedback and strong on-site support from both customers and partners. 

Their response to cases, including targeted remediation, has been prompt and efficient. 

In certain instances, there is a reliance on Microsoft's expertise and direct involvement to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

The initial setup is straightforward. It is easy.

The price is reasonable.

The licensing cost in the final currency amount, is 163,080, with three years of support. 

Support costs are approximately 50 percent.

As for advice on implementing Sophos, it would depend on your specific requirements and the desired features you seek in a security solution.

Evaluating factors such as support, performance, compatibility, and cost-effectiveness is essential when making a decision.

It is recommended to carefully assess your organization's needs and consult with Sophos representatives or IT professionals to determine if Sophos is the right fit for your environment.

It is recommended to carefully assess your organization's needs and consult with Sophos representatives or IT professionals to determine if Sophos is the right fit for your environment.

I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.