I am already a partner for service, and I recommend Sophos to our customers. I usually resell the company's products and do not directly implement them. Mainly, I recommend Sophos XGS to medium businesses.
Sophos Cloud Firewall (PAYG)
SophosExternal reviews
External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.
Simple with good UI and great support
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The UI for Sophos is very simple.
What needs improvement?
There could be improvements for IPsec VPN setup. They could also improve their marketing strategy and lower their prices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been familiar with Sophos XGS for around five to six years.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support by Sophos is great. I rate their support nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
One company I worked with switched from Sophos to Fortinet. Their marketing strategy for Fortinet is very high. We choose Fortinet first, then Sophos.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Sophos pricing is very high. The last instance I purchased was for three years, around $3,700 for SDG 125. Maintenance and support are included.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
In the market, the best options these days are Sophos and Fortinet. Fortinet seems to have a better marketing strategy.
What other advice do I have?
I still recommend Sophos, mainly for its simple UI. Improvements could be made for IPsec VPN, and their pricing should be lowered.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
The UTM features are useful for malware prevention and intrusion detection
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use Sophos XG as edge routers and edge firewalls, also known as border firewalls. We configure rules where specific users are allowed internet access and use rules for policy routing. We also control traffic for specific services, such as directing emails to one service provider while normal internet usage goes to another.
How has it helped my organization?
Sophos XG has helped us reduce virus and malware attacks. This allows our IT team to spend less time on troubleshooting and more on productive work. The ability to control what comes into and goes out of the network improves overall efficiency.
What is most valuable?
Sophos XG's most effective features for threat detection and management are its UTM components, which are useful for malware prevention and intrusion detection.
What needs improvement?
The firewall could be made more robust, particularly by simplifying two-factor authentication. It should also improve SD WAN capabilities. Additionally, there are issues with site-to-site VPNs dropping connections, which can be frustrating.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution since 2018.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is generally okay. Customers have used the equipment all the way to end of life without major issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is not very flexible. You can't upgrade memory or storage on a specific model, which limits scalability.
How are customer service and support?
The quality of support varies. The team handling application control is very good, but we have had bad experiences with the VPN support team. It all depends on the specific team you are dealing with.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The setup is user-friendly and quite straightforward, especially for basic configurations.
What was our ROI?
Sophos XG reduces virus and malware attacks, addressing network efficiency and cost savings indirectly by minimizing the time spent on troubleshooting.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is reasonable. You get a perpetual license. That said, you must pay for support and updates. The cost depends on the package you are in, such as full threat management or basic.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have also worked with Fortinet Firewalls and Palo Alto. Price-wise, Sophos XG is reasonable when comparing similar models.
What other advice do I have?
When recommending Sophos, we consider the customer's specific requirements and infrastructure compatibility. Sophos is user-friendly and suitable for environments without highly technical staff because it is easy to manage.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Affordable security features enhance network efficiency with readily available support
What is our primary use case?
I use Sophos XGS for networking purposes, particularly for wireless LAN and security. It is used as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
Sophos XGS is cost effective and provides all necessary security features and throughput. It includes internal control policy and security features comparable to other brands like Cisco but at a more affordable price.
What needs improvement?
The user interface has improved significantly over the past few years, and having a more competitive price model could make it a preferable choice for customers. It would be beneficial if Sophos XGS offered an end-to-end solution with competitive pricing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos products for more than four years, specifically using the XGS product for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have no issues with the stability of the product and love using it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is possible with Sophos XGS, and I would rate it an eight out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support from Sophos is always available and not a challenge.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
For technical people like me and my team, setting up Sophos XGS is not difficult. The setup process is manageable for those who know the basics and core of the technology.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If the pricing model is more flexible or lower, it would be highly preferable, making it a more competitive option for users.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Palo Alto and Fortinet are some of the competitors. However, Sophos is preferred due to its cost-effectiveness and comprehensive feature set.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Has efficient rules and policies with decent time savings
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case for Sophos XG is basic firewalling and configuration. We use it primarily for installation purposes.
How has it helped my organization?
Time-saving and cost-saving benefits are realized, with stability contributing to these advantages. It provides approximately 10% to 15% savings in time and costs.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Sophos XG include having rules and policies as a firewall. It is easy to configure.
What needs improvement?
The areas needing improvement are support and configuration. The delays in technical support can be handled better. Sometimes, configuration gives some issues.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for almost one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No hardware or software solution is 100% stable. I would rate it at about 99% accuracy.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Sophos XG has excellent scalability features. It is already available on cloud as well as on-premises, and you can scale up to multiple firewalls with centralized management. No limitations have been faced regarding scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service and support can be improved as there are delays. I would rate the support at eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Sophos XG is easy to install, generally requiring one person and takes about two to three hours depending on the rules and policies.
What about the implementation team?
One person is usually sufficient for installation unless multiple dynamics are involved.
What was our ROI?
The return on investment is judged to be around three point five out of five in terms of stability, time saving, and cost saving.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is considered cheap in terms of pricing.
What other advice do I have?
For small and midsize enterprises, Sophos XG is a good choice without any major issues.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Has provided stability, security, ease of management, and better reporting options
What is our primary use case?
People use Sophos XGS because the overall channel support is very good, so they don't face issues. Additionally, it is competitive in pricing against Fortinet in some cases, especially when considering high availability, email subscriptions, and gateways.
How has it helped my organization?
Sophos XGS has provided stability, security, and ease of management. It also offers better reporting options.
What is most valuable?
Sophos XGS has very good reporting capabilities and effective IPS signatures based on the latest versions. The threat detection capabilities are effective, especially against CNC and certain viruses not coming through emails.
What needs improvement?
In previous versions, NAT rules were easier to create. After version 18.5, creating a NAT rule has become more complex, requiring the creation of a separate policy and an additional component.
Reducing the complexity of creating rules would make it easier for administrators, especially when troubleshooting and managing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Sophos XGS since it was released, approximately for the last three years. Additionally, I have been working with Sophos for six to seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Sophos XGS is very high. It is rated at nine out of ten for stability and is very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Sophos XGS is rated eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The response time from Sophos technical support can be slow in most cases, which can be challenging. However, in some cases, they perform well.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward, simple, and easy to understand. It clearly defines outgoing policies, sources, and destinations while applying web controls or IPS rules.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
On the pricing side, pricing is rated eight out of ten, indicating that it may be relatively expensive.
What other advice do I have?
Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend Sophos XGS to others.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Has rules and intelligence to scan all vulnerabilities in our network
What is our primary use case?
We use Sophos XGS primarily for VPN and security with clients and supplies.
How has it helped my organization?
Sophos XGS has some rules and intelligence to scan all vulnerabilities in our network.
What is most valuable?
The most effective feature in enhancing our network security is the threat intelligence capability.
What needs improvement?
The technical support could be improved as it is currently not competent and pretty slow.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Sophos XGS for three years.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is rated three out of ten, indicating it needs significant improvement.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Negative
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of Sophos XGS is okay. It is approximately two thousand and a half per year.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Unified network and web protection enhanced with application control
What is our primary use case?
Sophos XGS is a unified threat management solution that combines features such as routing, access management, firewall, threat management, and URL filtering for sandboxing. It serves as a security appliance with multiple capabilities.
What is most valuable?
The valuable features of Sophos XGS include network protection, web protection, application control, intrusion detection, and iCentral orchestration. These features are beneficial for the product's security posture.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by using fewer hardware resources compared to other products like Palo Alto, which has better performance.
Additionally, better integration of AI and machine learning for predictive analysis of potential threats could be beneficial.
The technical support also needs improvement, including a better ticketing system and faster response times.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XGS firewall for more than 15 years, with approximately twelve years of precise usage.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Sophos XGS as a six out of ten. There have been observations of downtimes compared to other devices, and it doesn't perform as well as competitors like Palo Alto or Check Point.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Sophos XGS has scalability issues as it doesn't have features like cascading. Instead, it requires new devices to scale, unlike Palo Alto which allows adding devices to a pool.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is quite poor and needs significant improvements in response time and quality, especially for medium and small enterprises. It seems other brands face similar issues, but the costs rise for premium support, which is challenging for smaller entities.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Sophos XGS is simple compared to other firewalls.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for Sophos products is considered high. The pricing model needs to be more flexible, catering differently to sectors like education, which might not require as high a price point.
What other advice do I have?
I can recommend Sophos XGS for small to medium companies and the education sector. It is less ideal for enterprises with very high-security needs. Organizations with sensitive data should consider alternatives like Palo Alto or Fortinet.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Sophos Firewall Review
Good AI, threat intelligence, and security
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is for cybersecurity strategies. Sophos XGS is used for its strong features like IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) and application control.
How has it helped my organization?
Threat intelligence of Sophos benefits by providing site intelligence and integration of AI helps with security.
What is most valuable?
Sophos offers strong features such as IPS and application control that are particularly valuable.
What needs improvement?
Some features need remuneration and there are performance improvements required.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the solution for more than a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the stability as an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I consider the scalability to be sufficient.
How are customer service and support?
Support could be improved as they sometimes respond slowly and are not very knowledgeable. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the customer service at an eight.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The previous product used was FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment had some complexities.
What about the implementation team?
I managed the deployment alone with some help.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the pricing of Sophos XGS at an eight out of ten. Cost and pricing of the product were aspects I considered.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Only Fortinet was evaluated.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Enhanced security with synchronized functionality and excellent technical support
What is our primary use case?
We give both endpoint and firewall together.
How has it helped my organization?
We have a set of customers who understand Sophos very well. Once they achieve all the security functions and parameters they want, they are more secure. Many customers who previously used different endpoint and firewall solutions now benefit from synchronized functionality with the complete Sophos suite. So, they become more secure, which is more important.
What is most valuable?
The security heartbeat feature and MDR are the best for customer security.
What needs improvement?
The functionality of SD-WAN compared to other boxes is lacking. Certain aspects need improvement, particularly enhancing capabilities like SD-WAN. We should also focus on enhancing XDR and NDR functionality in the firewall boxes and provide more threat protection alerts to users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Sophos for more than 15 years.
How are customer service and support?
The technical team never disappoints us in providing solutions. They give us timely and nice follow-up.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Many of them were using a different endpoint security and a different firewall. But now, with Sophos, they have better security.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is competitive, and it's a win-win situation for both partners and customers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
In the financial market and banks, other security appliances are more popular than Sophos.
What other advice do I have?
We highly recommend Sophos XGS.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.