Network Engineer at Spectrum Engineering Consortium Ltd.
Real User
Reliable and flexible for small and large companies, but has some feature issues to resolve
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos XG Firewall is very usable, very easy to install, and very user friendly."
  • "We are facing some problems on this firmware version, version 18, that require improvement. We want to improve the email security because it doesn't give proper security with the data protection. Also, our clients are facing some problems where most of the sites which they're accessing are getting blocked. I want to improve those sites, that email security, and the data protection on the Firmware version 18."

What is our primary use case?

You can use Sophos XG in small or large companies. In a small company we are using it as a router and firewall. In larger company, like in the Bangladesh government, they are using Sophos Firewall in various sites, including the Bangladesh Navy. Many of the sites are using Sophos Firewall as a router and firewall and also for security purposes.

How has it helped my organization?

Sophos XG Firewall is for security purposes and we are also using it as a router. Wherever we are deploying it as a router we are mapping and also port forwarding. More clients take it as a router and also a firewall.

What is most valuable?

Sophos XG Firewall is very usable, very easy to install, and very user friendly.

The features that I have found most valuable are the infiltration prevention and data protection. We provide immune security. There are also many features on the VPN. We provide a social VPN. We deployed so many features.

What needs improvement?

We are facing some problems on this firmware version, version 18, that require improvement. We want to improve the email security because it doesn't give proper security with the data protection. Also, our clients are facing some problems where most of the sites which they're accessing are getting blocked. I want to improve those sites, that email security, and the data protection on the Firmware version 18. Also, sometimes it gets frozen and we cannot access it. After we shut it down and restart, then it's perfect. That's a point that we want to improve. 

In the next release, I want them to please improve version 18 so that it has more features and is more user friendly and it should have a VRF option.

Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
772,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We are using Sophos XG for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XG is stable.

Maintenance, once it is established on the network, requires about two to three people dedicated to Sophos Firewall. We have to give about two to three days monthly.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good.

We have about a thousand or more users and have plans to increase usage of this product.

How are customer service and support?

The Sophos support team is good now.

How was the initial setup?

Initial setup is easy. It took about one hour to do the initial setup.

What about the implementation team?

I am an implementer so I deployed it by myself.

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

Sophos XG is on a subscription basis. We can take a one year or two year subscription.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I will give Sophos XG a seven.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sr. Network Officer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Features a great firewall but better solutions exist regarding email security
Pros and Cons
  • "The user interface is very good."
  • "We are not very happy with the customer support they provide — it's quite slow."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution as our main firewall. We also use it for email security purposes. Within our organization, there are roughly eight employees using this solution. 

What is most valuable?

The user interface is very good. As we've been using Sophos for four years now, we're very comfortable with the GUI interface. In addition, the IPS is quite good. 

What needs improvement?

We recently updated our previous version; now, the security licensing fee is quite high. I don't know if it's a bug in the OS, but it's not been very stable after we upgraded to the latest version.

For how long have I used the solution?

we have been using Sophos for XG for four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos is quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's not that scalable but it's good enough for us. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We are not very happy with the customer support they provide — it's quite slow.

A year ago, we contacted technical support regarding the high security licensing fees but they still haven't gotten back to us; they're still analyzing the log.

Support-wise, I would only give Sophos a rating of three to four out of ten. 

How was the initial setup?

For us, the installation was very straightforward. We deal with a local vendor and they guide us through the installation process. We haven't experienced any issues setting up this solution. 

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

The price of Sophos is reasonable. It's not too expensive — I think it's worth it. Price-wise, I'd give Sophos a rating of eight out of ten.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before Sophos, we were using Fortinet. Fortinet was also a good solution but Sophos was equipped with more features that we needed. 

What other advice do I have?

Feature-wise, I would give Sophos a rating of seven out of ten.

They need to improve their support, overall customer care, and lower the security licensing fees. If they improved these issues, I would give them a higher rating.

 Before upgrading any Sophos firmware, be sure to contact the Sophos team and upgrade it according to their advice. Without their advice, I wouldn't recommend performing an upgrade.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
772,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network Manager at a outsourcing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Protects our network but has a limited range of IP addresses
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos XG protects our network from advanced threats."
  • "There's an IP address delivery for our VPN client and a limited range of IP addresses. So this is a problem in the latest firmware release, but rather than using homework scenarios, we need a lot of VPN clients."

What is our primary use case?

Sophos XG protects our network from advanced threats.

What is most valuable?

VPN client list has a secondary client, so we need to use it without specific software for Sophos Connect client. I am using the VPN client list and it works fine.

What needs improvement?

There's an IP address delivery for our VPN client and a limited range of IP addresses. So this is a problem in the latest firmware release, but rather than using homework scenarios, we need a lot of VPN clients.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for a couple of years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's important to put together the VPN client features and others because we need to use this to improve the scenario and implement the IP address delivered to the VPN client. With another point of sale there, I believe that incorporating the two solutions is important to make the VPN client work.

How are customer service and technical support?

We offer contact center services and have a channel to reach the product support team, and they are ready to help when needed.

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
ICT/HMIS Supervisor at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
A stable and seamless solution with good support and useful VPN and filtering features
Pros and Cons
  • "The VPN feature is the most valuable. It has come in handy during this period when people are working from home. The filtering feature is also valuable because you can easily filter the sites that you don't want to visit. You can also set timely surfing quotas."
  • "They made some changes to the firmware update sometime last year, which moved some of the policies from where they were before. Some of the policies, such as NAS policies, were separated, which made it a bit hard for people to trace the policies they had configured."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for VPN and for filtering direct traffic. We are using XG50.

What is most valuable?

The VPN feature is the most valuable. It has come in handy during this period when people are working from home.

The filtering feature is also valuable because you can easily filter the sites that you don't want to visit. You can also set timely surfing quotas.

What needs improvement?

They made some changes to the firmware update sometime last year, which moved some of the policies from where they were before. Some of the policies, such as NAS policies, were separated, which made it a bit hard for people to trace the policies they had configured.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It has been very stable. We haven't had any outages. It has been seamless.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I am not quite sure about that. In terms of the number of nodes, we have around 200 nodes. All the internet traffic has to go through Sophos XG. In terms of the number of people who handle the support, we have two people.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is good. Whenever I have contacted them, they have given us support. They have been quite fast.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were using Cyberoam. When they were acquired, we just upgraded to Sophos because, at that time, they were providing the hardware and support to transfer your configs to Sophos.

What about the implementation team?

Its initial setup was done by a contractor. We just maintain it. We have an expert, and we also have access to an IT department.

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

In terms of price, it is a mid-range product.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. I would rate Sophos XG an 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
PeerSpot user
Networking Engineer at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Easy to set up, good support, and the display of bandwidth usage statistics is interesting. There is a drill down menu showing bandwidth usage for each application. Easy to configure e-mail rules.
Pros and Cons
  • "What we found valuable is the way they deal with emails, as well as the way the bandwidth usage is shown."
  • "We are having challenges when using Zoom with Sophos XG deployed."

What is our primary use case?

Right now, we are using this product as a perimeter firewall just to deal with emails and to protect servers, as well as other equipment that is on the network.

What is most valuable?

What we found valuable is the way they deal with emails, as well as the way the bandwidth usage is shown. I find this information to be very interesting.

What needs improvement?

We are having challenges with social media because ever since this issue of COVID-19 came into existence, the idea of using online discussions has become relevant. Before this, they were not made the priority because they were not considered to be important. Now, we've discovered that we need to use a lot of these online applications.

We are having challenges when using Zoom with Sophos XG deployed. Our wireless network is not stable through the connection. More work needs to be done there, since the FW is doubling up as a wireless controller.

I would like to see improvements made to the display and visibility. I'm also using Sophos XG firewall as our wireless controller, but as it is now, I can't see my access points on the firewall. My wish is to see the Wireless network and reports also on this firewall cum- controller. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos XG for almost three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XG is stable and we have no problems with it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I think there is a limitation on the issue of scalability, and it is related to the interfaces that we bought. Right now, all of the employees are using it. The traffic that passes through it covers close to 2,000 users.

For us, our bandwidth is growing so we may have to scale further, in terms of the hardware networking components.

How are customer service and technical support?

We are constantly in touch with the distributor in Zimbabwe and they are excellent.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Prior to Sophos XG, we were using Cyberoam for our firewall. We switched because Cyberoam was acquired by Sophos.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple. It takes perhaps an hour to complete, which included importing rules from Cyberoam.

What about the implementation team?

We completed some certifications for using this product, but for the implementation, we were assisted by IDSS. In some instances, we are doing the maintenance on our own. When we have a challenge, on a case-by-case basis, we might contact the vendor and may require them to come in and assist.

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

The issue of a recurring license is a hassle because every year, we have to subscribe. It causes us problems in our organization.

What other advice do I have?

We are expanding and setting up a new data center, and I want to put a new firewall in. We have an interest in diversifying, in terms of vendors, so that we do not create a single point of failure in case one product fails. Ideally, we want to have different products.

This is a product that I can recommend for anybody who is looking for a firewall.

I would rate this solution a eight point six 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
Manager IT at a retailer with 201-500 employees
Real User
Stable IPS features and good technical support, but the reporting needs to be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the intrusion prevention system."
  • "The two main areas where this product needs improvement are routing and reporting."

What is our primary use case?

We use this firewall as part of our security solution.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the intrusion prevention system.

What needs improvement?

The two main areas where this product needs improvement are routing and reporting.

The security can be improved, as well.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for more than two or three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability has not been a problem for us.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I am satisfied with the scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support from Sophos is excellent.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used the Microsoft Firewall. It is easy to use but it doesn't the IPS and malware detection capabilities that Sophos has.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup and configuration are not difficult for somebody with firewall experience. However, for somebody who has not worked on one in the past, it will be complicated.

What about the implementation team?

We had assistance with the deployment.

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

The price is cheaper than that of some competing vendors.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Prior to implementing Sophos, I tried using a solution by Fortinet. However, it was much more expensive.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is implementing this solution is to ensure that somebody with firewall experience handles the deployment.

Overall, I find that this is a good product. That said, there are improvements that need to be made in the routing, reporting, and security.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Project Consultant at a tech services company
Consultant
Very intuitive and easy-to-use interface making it much easier to setup access and business rules

What is most valuable?

  • URL Filtering: because of the importance of controlling what and individual might access from the organization’s network. Sophos XG has 90+ categories, providing a level of granularity that eliminates the need to create customized categories.
  • IPS (Intrusion Prevention System): because of the importance of preventing hackers from using exploits and other mechanisms that might compromise the network
  • Anti-malware: Sophos XG comes with two anti-malware engines: its own and Avira, making the UTM more effective at catching malicious code.
  • Control Center: an interface crammed with the most vital information like security issues, appliance performance, and Internet link status.

How has it helped my organization?

With a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface, it made it much easier to setup access and business rules, VPNs and to identify issues like Internet link outages and security issues.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XG lacks link load balancing options like ratio and spill over, both useful in some scenarios.

I also think they might consider improving the RAM of some of the appliances, since there are processes that are very memory intensive.

Lastly, I would say packet monitor is another area for improvement as it lacks capabilities like exporting the capture from inside the GUI tool.

For how long have I used the solution?

A year and a half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Yes, on the SFOS Version 15, I had to upgrade the firmware of an appliance since it had a problem with the JAMVM process (an apparently known issue in which that process consumes almost all of the CPU resources).

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would say that Sophos Brazil has an excellent support team.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

No.

How was the initial setup?

It was very straightforward. And I credit that to the great job Sophos did on its OS interface, providing different ways of accessing the same option, hiding some of the complexities of a firewall system, and deploying it with many pre-built policies, objects and rules that for most of the environments makes it unnecessary to spend hours tuning the system.

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

Sophos is clearly trying to position itself as the market leader in the UTM niche. One way they are doing this is by having an aggressive pricing policy and this makes it a good moment to start using their products.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes, FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

Try to have the help of a Sophos Partner for the correct sizing and purchasing of an adequate licensing bundle.

In addition, I would recommend having a PoC in place in order to make sure that the solution is what the organization needs.

It is important to notice that the XG is available for a 30 days free trial and that there are virtual appliances available for the main virtualization platforms on the market.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Terry Cheung - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Director at TopSOC
Real User
Reliable, simple installation, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability of Sophos XG is good."
  • "Sophos XG could improve Data Loss Prevention(DLP)."

What is our primary use case?

Sophos XG is an on-premise next-generation firewall with comprehensive features and the console is centralized on the cloud.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XG could improve Data Loss Prevention(DLP).

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XG is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Sophos XG is good.

We have approximately 20 users using the solution.

How are customer service and support?

The support is a bit behind compared to other vendors.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward and only took one and a half hours.

What about the implementation team?

We have one or two people for the deployment and maintenance of the solution.

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

My customers pay a license for one or three years to use Sophos XG.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Sophos XG a nine 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
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2024
Product Categories
Firewalls
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.