We performed a comparison between Meraki MX and Sophos XGS based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Firewalls solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."Whenever I need something, Fortinet improves and updates the software for me."
"We are using the FortiGate 100D series. VPN, firewall, anti-malware, OTM, and intrusion prevention are useful features."
"The product is very stable, easy to troubleshoot, and configure, so it has reduced the time it takes for support."
"The next-generation firewall is great."
"The features that prevent internet connections, the filtering are the most valuable because we did not have any internet protection before."
"The management console is pretty simple, so anyone who understands networking can initially deploy the solution."
"Its user interface is good, and it is always working fine."
"One of the nice things about FortiGate is that it can be deployed on the cloud or on-premises. You can actually do both. That's the biggest reason why I stick with this solution as opposed to something like Cisco Meraki. Another nice thing is that I can log directly into a FortiGate or get to it through their FortiCloud access products. They're pretty reliable and consistent. One of the reasons why I started using the product was their single pane of management. I can deploy their line of firewalls in conjunction with their switching and access points, and I can manage the entire network from one interface. I don't have to log into one interface for the firewall, another one for the access points, and another one for the switches. These firewalls have access point controller functionality built right into the system, so I don't even have to purchase additional devices to manage them."
"Traffic Shaping: The device lets you decide how you want to use your internet services. Due to the fact that Meraki can accept dual WAN, you can decide the way you balance the data traffic."
"They have very good technical support and I have relied heavily on them."
"The simplicity of configuration is the most valuable feature of the solution."
"It has a helpful feature for database troubleshooting issues."
"The cloud management system is really valuable."
"The technical support people from Meraki are brilliant."
"Meraki MX offers advanced filtration options, plus it behaves like a router and a firewall at the same time."
"The initial setup for me was straightforward."
"All the features are valuable, in my opinion, but for us the most important features are the network security, application control, and web server protection. Sophos Sandstorm is another good feature off the top of my head."
"The most valuable feature of Sophos XGS is the application control."
"The solution is easy to use and configure, once you know how to apply the policies."
"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."
"Web filtering and intrusion detection are essential features. As system integrators, we also like the dashboard because it's easier to configure all the features."
"The most valuable feature of Sophos is the VPN solution. I also value their threat management, IPS IDS features and login features with single sign-on."
"The threat management system and VPN are most valuable."
"Sophos XGS's best features are its VPN and ATPR1 cert protection."
"The captive portal could be improved."
"Fortinet already improved FortiGate, but in the current market, many brands of security devices have improved together. Fortinet still needs to catch up with market standards. Fortinet is lacking in features in comparison to competitors."
"Some of the software stability could improve."
"Pricing for it is a bit high. It could be cheaper."
"I use the FortiGate 60D model and realized the 300Mbps bandwidth limitation. Because it is a product that offers many services, I think it could have greater bandwidth capacity."
"It does not have key authentication for admin access."
"We were not able to build a full-mesh VPN; however, I am not sure if this was the fault of Fortinet FortiGate."
"I have to say that the initial setup was complex. The deployment took a few days to get set up. Initially, we were using an IPVanish. We switched to this tool since we thought it would be easier. But it turns out it wasn't easier to set up and run."
"When it comes to cost, that's a pain point."
"The current lead time is longer for Meraki MX, and it needs to be improved."
"The client-side VPN is weak. The product could be improved with deployment templates."
"You can only have one tunnel in the whole infrastructure — one tunnel with one device."
"You cannot use switching behaviors as you see on the Meraki switch."
"The whole Cisco Meraki range requires easier access for cameras. For a security center, it would be helpful to have easier access to cameras through the portal. Its licensing cost could also be better."
"It can be hard to get a hold of the solution’s technical support team."
"MX can only be managed via a web interface, but I'm accustomed to using a CLI or a graphical interface. I would also like to see more reporting features. It doesn't provide enough information for me to know precisely about some clients."
"It has recently started to suddenly block and crash."
"Compared to Fortinet, the cost is high."
"It would be useful if Sophos XGS included DDNS-based features."
"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."
"Sophos configurations are a bit complex."
"Sophos XGS could be improved by adding a built-in hyper-converged solution."
"In Sophos, the user portal is not user-friendly."
"The price of Sophos XGS could improve, it is high."
Meraki MX is ranked 2nd in Unified Threat Management (UTM) with 59 reviews while Sophos XGS is ranked 18th in Firewalls with 62 reviews. Meraki MX is rated 8.2, while Sophos XGS is rated 7.8. The top reviewer of Meraki MX writes "Cost-effective, simplified, easy to manage, and reliable with advanced security features and granular visibility". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XGS writes "Easy to use, simple to learn, and offers great reporting". Meraki MX is most compared with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, Cisco Secure Firewall, Sophos XG, SonicWall TZ and OPNsense, whereas Sophos XGS is most compared with Sophos XG, OPNsense, Netgate pfSense, WatchGuard Firebox and Check Point NGFW. See our Meraki MX vs. Sophos XGS report.
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