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IT Administrator at Jotna
Real User
This user-friendly solution is simple to manage, easy to configure, and has a fantastic support team
Pros and Cons
  • "It's user-friendly and quite easy to configure. It's easy to communicate with the Sophos support team."
  • "I would like to see a history of the monthly bandwidth utilization, the bandwidth consumption for a period of time."

What is our primary use case?

This solution is like our gateway to the internet. We use it for access control. 

What is most valuable?

This solution is very simple to manage. It's user-friendly and quite easy to configure. It's easy to communicate with the Sophos support team.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see a history of the monthly bandwidth utilization, the bandwidth consumption for a period of time. Right now, I know they have something where you can see the live bandwidth utilization when you go to reports. However, there is not a history where you can go back and say, "I want to see what was consumed during the last month." You can't get that history. I know there are other third-party tools that do that, but if Sophos could have it integrated into its file device, that would be cool. 

I would like to see them reduce the price.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have had experience with this tool for about three years now.

Buyer's Guide
Sophos XGS
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XGS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable. There are currently 250 systems connected to this solution. 

How are customer service and support?

My experience with the Sophos technical team has been fantastic. I was trying to set up a VPN tunnel through a SAP X server, so I was having some challenges, and our consultant tried and then he just decided to set up an appointment with the Sophos technical team. Within a short period of time, we were able to pinpoint where the problem was coming from and we got the problem solved. I would rate the technical support as a five out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite easy. It's not a challenge. On a scale of one to five, where one is difficult and five is easy, I would give it a four. 

What about the implementation team?

It was done in-house but we consulted a third party that is more experienced with Sophos.

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

The price of this solution is quite high. Currently in my country, in Nigeria, we are facing a lot of problems with products. The value of the naira and the dollar keep heating up, and it's not good for us here Nigeria, so the Sophos price is not friendly. I think the price needs to be worked on so that it can at least be commercially available to us here in Nigeria. I would rate the pricing as a three out of five.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Sophos is always my preferred solution. I've worked with Sophos, Fortinet, and MikroTik in terms of configuring VPN access to the routers. I find it very, very easy to do it on Sophos, so I prefer to use it instead of the other two solutions. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution as 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
Ryan Dominic Momblan - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at Microgenesis Business Systems
Real User
Simple setup, good reporting and great synchronized security
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable."
  • "Support is great, however, it can always be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as a firewall.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the Sophos management or the central management, including the reporting and managing of multiple firewalls using Sophos Central.

The synchronized security, which also integrates with the Sophos endpoint, is great. That's one of a few of the main features which is beneficial with Sophos XGS.

The solution is stable.

The setup is simple.

What needs improvement?

There were certain lacking capabilities, for example, the searching of its settings et cetera, previously in Sophos XG. There have been some features that were not visible or unavailable compared to the one here on Sophos XGS. Right now, Sophos XGS is stable with its current firmware and hardware versions. It’s gotten better.

I can’t speak to which features could be added.

As long as they just maintain the stability of the firmware version, we will remain happy.

Support is great, however, it can always be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve been working with the solution for one year. We’ve used it since 2021.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We’ve found the product to be stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable and the performance is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In general, the solution is scalable.

Its features and configuration can expand. As long as the engineer or the implementer knows which policies are needed, the Sophos firewall integrator can also help with that. If he or she does not know any complicated solution, Sophos support is also there to help.

How are customer service and support?

I’ve had interactions with Sophos support.

They are actually quite responsive with their cases, as long as the open cases is properly informed or properly included with the right information.

They could always improve support a little bit.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is just a simple set of options. Sophos also provides a lot of data sheets and tutorials online. During the initial setup, there is a guide, which the user can just follow as long as he or she knows their internal network. It’s pretty straightforward.

The maintenance isn’t too intense. However, it is on a case-by-case basis and depends on the complexity of the environment and size.

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

I really don't have visibility with the pricing. However, the price depends on the size of the box, which indicates that the more users you have, the bigger the box, the higher the price you have to pay.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I haven't had the opportunity to work with other solutions. There are a lot, like Palo Alto, which, in terms of security, are much better than Sophos, as people say. However, Sophos can also work well. It just depends on the company's complexity or preference in the firewall.

What other advice do I have?

I'm currently an agent and a Sophos engineer here in the Philippines. We’re partners.

While we work primarily with on-premises deployments, it is also available on the cloud.

I’d rate the solution eight 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: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XGS
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XGS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Mohammed_Sajid - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Network Administrator at abl
Real User
Unified threat management system with VPN features
Pros and Cons
  • "The threat management system and VPN are most valuable."
  • "Reporting could be improved. The structure could be better because most of the reports aren't detailed."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it as a unified threat management system.

We use it on a daily basis. There are about 600 people using this solution in our organization.

The solution is deployed on-prem.

What is most valuable?

The threat management system and VPN are most valuable.

What needs improvement?

Reporting could be improved. The structure could be better because most of the reports aren't detailed.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable for now.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable.

How was the initial setup?

Initial setup was easy. I would rate it 4 out of 5.

What about the implementation team?

Setup was done in-house.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 9 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
Data Center Engineer at Emerging Communications Limited
Real User
Has security synchronization, a user-friendly setup, and competitive pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is very user-friendly because they have graphical user interface options and command line interface options. I would give the initial setup a rating of five out of five."
  • "It would be nice to have features like the network access control (NAC) that Cisco has for Identity Services Engine. In the next release, I would also like to see an increase in the performance of the processing units."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to secure the enterprise endpoint devices, whether they are servers, laptops, or mobile phones.

What is most valuable?

Security synchronization is one of the best features because it integrates the firewall with the endpoint devices.

What needs improvement?

It would be nice to have features like the network access control (NAC) that Cisco has for Identity Services Engine.

In the next release, I would also like to see an increase in the performance of the processing units.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Sophos XGS for about four years now.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. They have a support portal where you can log in a case and have direct support from one of the experts.

They are responsive and follow up closely, so I would give them a ten out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very user-friendly because they have graphical user interface options and command line interface options. I would give the initial setup a rating of five out of five.

It has three modes of deployment. You can have it deployed as physical hardware, as a virtual machine, or as software in the cloud.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it through an in-house team.

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

The pricing for Sophos is much better compared to that of Fortinet and Check Point. On a scale from one to five with one being expensive and five being competitive, I would rate Sophos' pricing at four.

The pricing can be for the hardware appliance and the license, or it can be subscription-based. It can be around 3000 USD up to 25,000 USD per year depending on the model or series of the hardware you choose to buy.

What other advice do I have?

Sophos XGS is suitable for enterprise customers and SMBs.

Overall, I would rate Sophos XGS at 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
Muhammad Nouman - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Sales & Operations at Supernet
Reseller
User-friendly solution with good built-in reporting
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos XGS' best features are simplicity and its built-in reporting tool."
  • "Sophos XGS could be improved by adding a built-in hyper-converged solution."

What is our primary use case?

I mostly use Sophos XGS for URL and web filtering and application control.

What is most valuable?

Sophos XGS' best features are simplicity and its built-in reporting tool.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XGS could be improved by adding a built-in hyper-converged solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Sophos XGS for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Sophos XGS' technical support is very responsive.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was quite simple, and the configuration took around an hour and a half.

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

Licensing for Sophos XGS is around $150 per unit, split into $100 for the hardware and $50 for the license. Sophos XGS is competitively priced.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Sophos XGS eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Customer
PeerSpot user
Junior Software Developer at TATMETAL
Real User
Powerful user-interface, reliable, but log need more detail
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Sophos XGS are the ease of use and powerful interface."
  • "In version 18 of Sophos XGS, the log details are not very good. However, in version 19 they are more detailed. The Fortinet FortiGate has better detail overall compared to Sophos XGS. They provide updates to the solution frequently, but they do not fix the problems that exist."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Sophos XGS for basic purposes, such as the NAT rules it provides.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Sophos XGS are the ease of use and powerful interface. 

What needs improvement?

In version 18 of Sophos XGS, the log details are not very good. However, in version 19 they are more detailed. The Fortinet FortiGate has better detail overall compared to Sophos XGS. They provide updates to the solution frequently, but they do not fix the problems that exist.

In the next release, the searching inside of Sophos XGS needs to improve. It is difficult to learn about the functionality and the modules. Additionally, there needs to be more automatic or less manual operations.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XGS for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is highly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have a small company therefore I am not sure about the scalability.

We have two people using this solution as administrators. The total number of users that are using the solution is approximately 200.

How are customer service and support?

I have not used the support line directly from Sophos XGS, but I used the online knowledge site they have for support. They have good documentation.

The best support is provided by Cisco, Palo Alto, and Fortinet FortiGate because all the knowledge is available easily.

I rate support from Sophos XGS a four out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Sophos XGS is not easy. 

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

The price of Sophos XGS is less than competitors worldwide. However, in Turkey the solution is expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated other solutions, such as Fortinet, Cisco, and Palo Alto, and the Sophos XGS has a more powerful interface. Fortinet FortiGate has too many options while Palo Alto is over more robust than Sophos XGS. However, if your company does not have a large number of users then Sophos XGS is best.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others is if you are going to purchase a firewall in Turkey, Sophos XGS is the best choice because of the dealers and support available. The second best in Turkey would be Fortinet FortiGate.

I rate Sophos XGS 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
Rafael Keller - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Pluris Midia
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Provides a great VPN feature
Pros and Cons
  • "The VPN is the best feature."
  • "The solution could be easier to manage and configure."

What is our primary use case?

We use XGS as a firewall, for web filtering, and network control. I'm an IT manager. 

What is most valuable?

The VPN is the best feature because I'm working a lot from home now. 

What needs improvement?

I think the earlier SG version was easier to configure and manage. The XG is a little different and somewhat more complicated. I'd like it to be easier to manage and configure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Right now we're having some issues but they're related to the environment and not the solution.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support is not great, it takes them too long to respond. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. 

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

I believe we pay for licensing every three years and I think it's around $1,800 which includes the hardware. It's a reasonable price. 

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution and rate it eight 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
Owner at supernovatel
Real User
Fast processing, easy setup, and highly reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the main advantages of Sophos XGS is the processor. You don't have to wait a long time for when you are managing the firewall and the traffic is faster now."
  • "Sophos XGS could improve by having better integration with Active Directory."

What is our primary use case?

We work with two clients with Sophos XGS. One of our clients was replacing old firewalls, and they choose Sophos XGS. The other client has a new project that he's planning to move his endpoint solution to Sophos XGS.

What is most valuable?

One of the main advantages of Sophos XGS is the processor. You don't have to wait a long time for when you are managing the firewall and the traffic is faster now.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XGS could improve by having better integration with Active Directory.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XGS for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found Sophos XGS to be scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. However, they should provide quicker support in other languages, such as Spanish.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

What about the implementation team?

We do the implementation of the solution and the number of people we need depends on the project. However, typically we have two people that handle the implementation. 

Since COVID we have been trying to work remotely as much as possible. After the initial setup, the solution can be managed remotely.

What was our ROI?

Sophos XGS is a good investment because these solutions work for a long time.

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

I live in Bolivia and the price of Sophos XGS is high. However, they have adjusted their price a little over the past while but the price could still be less expensive to be affordable.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated other solutions, such as Fortinet.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Sophos XGS a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XGS 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 XGS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.