External reviews
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Technical support improves responsiveness and email detection sees significant updates
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
For how long have I used the solution?
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
How are customer service and support?
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
How was the initial setup?
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
What other advice do I have?
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Comprehensive security management with seamless deployment, efficient maintenance and excellent value for money
What is our primary use case?
The Central manager oversees multiple client sites, with one of them being located in Colombo. Once accessed, this entry point enables management of both virtual and physical environments across all three sites from a single interface.
How has it helped my organization?
Utilizing Sophos Central for endpoint security management for our customers, we've installed it for a client with three sites. Within this client, there are four companies under the same group. With Sophos Central, we can seamlessly communicate between the separate locations of these companies, such as Company 1, Company 2, and so forth.
Sophos Central has enhanced our client's organization's threat detection and response capabilities significantly. The solution requires minimal resources, with very low data usage, ensuring minimal impact on daily operations. It swiftly identifies advanced threats, with zero data loss during testing, and enables easy deduction of other potential threats.\
The Central interface greatly simplifies the management of our security policies and procedures. It's remarkably straightforward and intuitive, making it easy to understand and navigate quickly. I've personally noticed this simplicity reflected in the ease with which others grasp it. Once guided through the initial steps, users can comfortably navigate and continue managing tasks with little to no difficulty.
I find the biggest advantage of Sophos Central is the absence of physical hardware requirements, which alleviates the headache associated with managing server rooms, PCs, and other hardware. This eliminates any potential issues related to maintenance and upkeep. Additionally, in terms of cost, Sophos Central is competitively priced compared to alternatives like CrowdStrike and SandBlast by Checkpoint.
Sophos Central Reporting and Analytics are highly effective in delivering quick and valuable insights. However, one area that requires improvement is in addressing the increasing frequency of yearly attacks. Apart from that, the signature detection methods and other aspects function seamlessly.
What is most valuable?
There's no need for any upfront hardware costs with Sophos Central. By leveraging cloud-based solutions, we can significantly reduce expenses.
One of the most valuable features of Sophos Central for maintaining our cybersecurity posture is its ease of use. In my experience, managing Central is simple and can be done from anywhere, at any time. This accessibility is crucial for administrators, as it facilitates seamless communication and control.
What needs improvement?
In terms of improvement, there are several areas to focus on. Firstly, addressing market perception issues is crucial. From a technical perspective, one key area for improvement is strengthening its defense against zero-day attacks. Having and option for endpoint security on mobile devices, it would be advantageous.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with it for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It provides good stability capabilities.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Regarding technical support in my region, there are two separate entities, one being Indian-based. Unfortunately, the quality of support from the Indian region is lacking, although I have worked with other providers such as Check Point. In comparison, the support provided by Check Point surpasses that of the Indian-based support. Locally, we have two distributors available, but we currently only collaborate with one. While we generally find satisfaction with their services at the local level, there are occasions when issues arise that they cannot resolve on their own, particularly with Sophos Central. During these times, we encounter significant challenges, often experiencing prolonged wait times for responses and resolution. I would rate it four out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used CheckPoint. When comparing Sophos with other solutions, one significant advantage is that they offer similar features for the same price.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
Initially, we begin with a Proof of Concept phase, followed by a one-month trial period using the free license. If the results are satisfactory, we proceed to purchase the EDR solution from the distributor. Once purchased, we simply update the license using the provided link. Deployment time varies depending on the size of the company. For instance, in a company with a thousand users spread across three locations, deployment typically takes less than two hours if there are no issues with endpoint communication and the network has a high bandwidth internet connection. Maintenance is straightforward.
What was our ROI?
Our customers find Sophos Central to offer excellent value for money, and they are highly satisfied with the service it provides.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.
Affordable, scalable, and reliable
What is our primary use case?
I mainly use Sophos Central to keep our clients' digital world safe. I focus on three main things: making sure emails are protected, managing the firewall, and handling endpoint protection to stop viruses and other threats on devices. These are my key areas, but I'm also familiar with other parts of Sophos' tech to ensure our clients have solid overall security.
How has it helped my organization?
Sophos Central made it easier to manage the multitude of Sophos Solutions currently in the market. It easy to switch between different products to quickly address alerts or make policy changes.
What is most valuable?
The best thing about Sophos Central is how it brings all its security solutions together in one place. It is like having a control center for everything. Since Sophos has been doing this for a while and has many tools, having them all in one platform makes my job a lot simpler. It beats jumping around different tools all the time. Having it all in one spot is a game-changer.
What needs improvement?
One area that could use some work in Sophos Central is the user experience. Despite the continuous improvements, the user interface could be more intuitive and user-friendly. It feels like there is still room to make it smoother and simpler for users to navigate and manage security settings.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos Central for ten months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, Sophos is generally solid and robust. However, during significant system updates or internal migrations by the Sophos team, there can be some shakiness. Overall, the solution has been reliable with minimal downtime or performance issues. I would rate its stability at a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of Sophos Central as an eight out of ten. In my experience, if a client needs to scale up, like adding more licenses to protect additional devices, it is a relatively smooth process. Communication with the Sophos team and getting things in order doesn't take too long. So, in terms of scalability, it has been quite effective in adapting to changing needs. There are eight to ten users within our organization.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate the support as a six out of ten. They do respond when necessary, but it seems like they are often busy. While they are continuously improving their technology, there are times when they don't respond promptly. If they don't reply immediately, it usually takes them until the next day to get back to you. There is room for improvement in terms of responsiveness, but they eventually address the issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used IBM Reaqta now formally known as IBM Security QRadar EDR for our endpoint protection and response. We always had Sophos Central but made the switch not too long ago.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Sophos Central depends on the specific technology being implemented. For software-based solutions like Intercept X or email protection, it is generally straightforward, with the bulk of the work handled by the software agents. However, if something goes unplanned, it may require a bit more technical know-how to troubleshoot. On the other hand, setting up hardware like firewalls varies based on deployment methods, each with its own challenges. It can be more complex, requiring a good understanding of deployment methods to navigate through the setup process. All in all, the ease or difficulty of the setup depends on the specific technology and deployment approach. The deployment time for Sophos solutions varies based on the type of technology. In my experience, it usually takes about three to five days to complete the installation and configuration for a hardware-based solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Sophos solutions are generally affordable, especially considering that we manage them in South Africa and Africa at large. The pricing is particularly favorable for software-based solutions, while the hardware side can be a bit more challenging. Overall, for software-based Sophos solutions, the pricing is reasonable and not overly expensive.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for those looking into using Sophos Central for the first time would be to invest time in training. Sophos, particularly through its partner program, offers training courses for most of its solutions. From my experience, these courses are comprehensive, self-explanatory, and often include practical labs. Some are free, and some may have a cost, but they provide valuable material and hands-on experience. For newcomers, I highly recommend going through these training sessions to navigate the maze of Sophos solutions effectively. Overall, I would rate Sophos Central as an eight out of ten.