Sophos UTM vs Sophos XG comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Sophos UTM and Sophos XG 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.
To learn more, read our detailed Sophos UTM vs. Sophos XG Report (Updated: March 2024).
763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Q&A Highlights
Question: What Is The Biggest Difference Between Sophos UTM and Sophos XG?
Answer: The Sophos UTM is a UTM and Sophos XG is the NGFW. First, you must know about the difference between a UTM and NGFW. They can not be compared with each other because the price, license, firewall throughput, and TLS Inspection are completely different. You can see the Sophos UTM brochure in this link:https://sophosfirewall.ir/wp-c...
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The license management is very valuable. You can get a new license each year, or you can enroll every two to four years. You can get the logs, and you will get the information on the risk in your network and the entire organization. With this information, you can take action on your actives, computers, or devices. You can bring your own device as an SSE.""FortiGate's web and URL filtering are unlike any other firewall I've used. The functionality of URL filtering in those solutions is problematic because everything is encrypted, and firewalls can't break that encryption protocol. Fortinet has an SSL proxy, so the encryption is done before the packet ever leaves the FortiGate. The URL filter is definitely one of the most helpful features.""The Intrusion Prevention System and the web filtering are both working well.""It enables our organization to become more productive. Also, it protects our NEtWare from viruses and malware.""The solution is very user-friendly.""Security management tool that's easy to integrate and easy to work with. No issues found with its stability and scalability.""The features that I have found most valuable are the SD-WAN and their IP4 policy.""The solution is highly scalable because they have devices that can handle a large amount of traffic."

More Fortinet FortiGate Pros →

"The UTM features are reasonably strong and the patterns are updated on a regular basis""It is not an easy task to protect your web servers from the big bad internet. The Web Server Protection in this solution does it elegantly and, if configured correctly, even hides the server's base system from prying eyes.""It now controls all the security aspects of our web servers with Sophos UTM WAF.​""The isolation of infected machines is a big feature. Also, the ability to detect external sources that change files on a file server is really big.""Installing Sophos UTM is straightforward. The deployment itself doesn't take long, but you have to spend some time planning and waiting for the hardware to be delivered.""Sophos UTM has improved the porting section. It has improved security by seeing the gaps. For example, when you discover that an entry has been using a certain application, with Sophos UTM acting as a Layer 7 firewall, you can block the application, not the port.""If a computer does get infected the Sophos appliance lets us know via it's Advanced Threat Protection so we can get a much faster response time.""This is a very stable product."

More Sophos UTM Pros →

"Great reporting feature and great customer support.""The most valuable feature is web filtering.""Sophos XG is very useful, it does many things.""The solution seems to be very easy to use.""The scalability of Sophos XG is good.""It is very user friendly and easy to manage from the administrative point of view. It is good, reliable, and easy to implement.""As a security solution, it's a very good security solution.""The solution comes with a common bundle which comprises all the feature."

More Sophos XG Pros →

Cons
"The cloud features can be improved.""The logging details need to be improved.""NGN, reporting and controls.""The security of Fortinet FortiGate could improve.""Vulnerability scanning could be improved.""There are a lot of bugs I have found in the solution and it is difficult to upgrade. These areas need improvement.""Technical support for this solution can be improved.""I would like to see a more intuitive dashboard."

More Fortinet FortiGate Cons →

"The reporting system needs to allow for customizations because many reports do not include details that we expect.""The pricing is an issue.""The lack of import/export functions for network and service options drives me mad.""I think that additional metrics features are needed to be able to monitor other areas or to monitor as much as you can, at a fine-grain resolution.""The only time we face a problem or issues is when we place a ticket. We have found that response is very slow.""There can be a delay when it comes to reaching out to technical support.""An area for improvement in Sophos UTM is load balancing because my company cannot use it currently. If Sophos could release a new configuration for the load balancing feature to work for my company, that would be great.""It is a pretty straightforward setup, but it should be some sort of documentation that takes you step-by-step to help set it up for your VPC."

More Sophos UTM Cons →

"The security of Sophos XG could be improved.""In the Firewall, the Intrusion Prevention System can be improved.""The vendor doesn’t publish the price on the website.""The solution could offer a bit more integration with other systems, with other platforms - just to be able to extend the capability and to interface with other kinds of platforms or systems that I can find on the market as it gives the possibility to improve the level of integration.""Technical support can be slow to respond, which is something that should be improved.""I wish to see an antivirus feature added to the solution.""In feature releases of the solution, I would like there to be an increase in the detection capability.""The UI needs improvement because it can be a little weird at times."

More Sophos XG Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make."
  • "These boxes are not that expensive compared to what they can do, their functionality, and the reporting you receive. Fortinet licensing is straightforward and less confusing compared to Cisco."
  • "Go for long term pricing negotiated at the time of purchase."
  • "Work through partners for the best pricing."
  • "The value is the capability of having multiple services with one unique license, not having the limitation per user licensing schema, like other vendors."
  • "Easy to understand licensing requirements."
  • "​We saved a bundle by not needing all the past appliances from an NGFW.​"
  • "The cost is too high... They have to focus on more features with less cost for the customer. If you see the market, where it's going, there are a lot of players offering more features for less cost."
  • More Fortinet FortiGate Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The licensing model is very straightforward, it's a bit pricey, but for what you get, it's well worth it."
  • "If you can afford it, go for a small Check Point, as it is easier to manage."
  • "Unless you are in the United States, or you have to use Sophos, you can't contact Sophos directly. You have to use a third-party ​company, and they all have different ways of how they explain their licensing."
  • "Go to a vendor and let them assess your needs so you can get a right-sized device."
  • "Sophos offers free training when selling their products from within the partner portal.​"
  • "I would recommend to follow Sophos’ sizing guidelines for choosing which license and model to use. Sophos has their own way of going about this and supplies partners with all the information required. If you follow their documentation and guidelines, there should be zero questions about licensing and sizing."
  • "For under 50 users, MSP licensing is profitable."
  • "​In the case of a software/virtual appliance subscription, you pay by protecting user/IP addresses. You can do this to as much hardware resources as you like.​​"
  • More Sophos UTM Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "For licensing the XG 210, we paid approximately $3000 for three years. There are no additional fees on top of this."
  • "It's a suitable price and license."
  • "We are paying about $1,500 yearly for the Enterprise Plus. As far as I know, there aren't costs above this standard fee."
  • "The Sophos pricing, in general, is better than SonicWall, Fortinet, WatchGuard, or anybody else."
  • "We paid for our licensing for three years, upfront, and there are no costs in addition to the standard fees."
  • "The price is cheaper than that of some competing vendors."
  • "The pricing is flexible. Sophos looks at a country's economy and offers flexible pricing. This is how they have managed to penetrate the market."
  • "It's approximately $6,000 for each device."
  • More Sophos XG Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Answers from the Community
    Miriam Tover
    Juan C. Sanchez Pignalosa - PeerSpot reviewerJuan C. Sanchez Pignalosa
    Real User

    The biggest difference between Sophos SG and Sophos XG is performance. 


    Now, there's even a newer Hardware Platform (same OS as Sophos XG, which is called SFOS) - the Sophos XGS which has different chipset architecture, to attend each security module, with its newest feature called XStream Technology. 


    Besides that, the GUI is very different. Nevertheless, it's worth trying the Sophos XG or XGS, since its GUI is getting overhauled for better performance and easier management, by each new release.

    Richard Artes - PeerSpot reviewerRichard Artes
    Real User

    Sophos UTM is no longer being developed, according to our reseller. All the development effort is going into XG. So XG will be the only Sophos firewall going forward, UTM will eventually be end of life.

    Alexandre RASTELLO - PeerSpot reviewerAlexandre RASTELLO
    Real User

    Hi,


    The new appliances XGS have a dedicated streaming CPU (Xstream), in addition to the main CPU.


    I have personally tested the differences between the XG and XGS similar appliances. The result is spectacular. 30% more perf minimum:


    https://www.sophos.com/en-us/p...


    The UTM-9 is soon end-life. Sophos security staff is now focused on SFOS 18, XG, XGS.


    To respond to the question "the biggest difference", I think is the "Synchronized Security":


    https://www.sophos.com/en-us/l...


    The firewall is one of the full security solutions centralized in Sophos Central:


    https://www.sophos.com/en-us/p...


    At most of our customers, we implement a Sophos Endpoint locally on servers and workstations and firewall XGS. The synchronized security interact between firewall and endpoints. This can resolve the problem with the "lateral movement" of an infected computer. It can isolate a computer from the network when detected as infected:


    https://news.sophos.com/en-us/...


    It can be extended to secure cloud systems with Sophos ClouOptix:


    https://www.sophos.com/en-us/p...


    Tested with VM in AWS and Azure, work 5*!


    Another big difference is the Webserver Application Firewall. All my customers with an internal webserver to be published in the net are protected with this "reverse proxy" (WAF). It really does the job of protecting IIS, Apache, etc. from externals attacks.


    Another trick is the SSL VPN sites to sites. When a branch office is implemented with a front ISP router, sometimes the NAT traversal is not possible, for IPSEC VPN connections (UDP 500). With this SSL VPN,  Simple NAT works and gives an SSL 128-bit AES encryption.


    Finally, I have a lot of experience in implementing UTM and, now, XG(S). No way, the log is a big difference, easier to use as in Fortigates! It is similar to CheckPoint firewalls.


    For my experience, no way: -> Sophos XG(S)


    Here is an interesting link on differences between UTM and XG:


    https://www.avanet.com/en/blog...


    Regards,


    A.Rastello

    Richard Artes - PeerSpot reviewerRichard Artes
    Real User

    My understanding is that UTM is the software; SG is the hardware. You can buy Sophos UTM running on SG hardware and then later upgrade to the XG running on the same hardware.

    Richard Artes - PeerSpot reviewerRichard Artes
    Real User

    I've been told by our Sophos reseller that Sophos are pushing the XG as next generation firewall, and developing it to at least as good as UTM. So XG will be the firewall of choice moving forward. UTM will not be developed further, according to him.

    Anthony Petecca - PeerSpot reviewerAnthony Petecca
    Real User

    To my understanding, UTM and XG are from different legacy companies that
    are now owned my Sophos. During my time researching anti-virus, UTM makes
    more sense for our needs seeing as XG is primarily a firewall. From the
    information I was able to find during the time of research, it seemed most
    of the community felt XG had feature gaps from UTM.

    Suheyl Khaki - PeerSpot reviewerSuheyl Khaki
    User

    UTM specifically SG series is a very mature and stable platform. It lacks some of the new features of XG; however has a very strong feature set. If you are looking for stability, ease of use and something well documented and understood than I suggest going this way. If however you are looking for a strong level of integration and have a greater than 3 year horizon then I suggest XG.

    Wifi integration for example works better on the new platform.

    Javier Medina - PeerSpot reviewerJavier Medina
    Real User

    There are several differences since there are 2 versions, 


    XG firewall has integrations with other products like intercept X and admin from Sophos central. 


    SG UTM has less integration since it's a separate product. It was formerly Astaro firewall, but the most advanced features have been only set to the XG. 


    There are appliance and software versions of both products. Depending on your need you might choose one or another. But basically, look at them as 2 different firewalls.

    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage at… more »
    Top Answer:From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know… more »
    Top Answer:As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite… more »
    Top Answer:The Sophos UTM is a UTM and Sophos XG is the NGFW. First, you must know about the difference between a UTM and NGFW… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable features of the solution are application filtering and web filtering.
    Top Answer:Sophos UTM is a reasonably priced product. I rate the product's price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is… more »
    Top Answer:Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have both great features and performance. I like that Palo Alto has regular threat… more »
    Top Answer:Hi Arvind P ,  The Sophos XG firewall has a number of models right from XG86 to XG135w under the 1U Desktop Form… more »
    Top Answer:The solution's technical support is good.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
    Astaro
    Learn More
    Overview

    Fortinet FortiGate enhances network security, prevents unauthorized access, and offers robust firewall protection. Valued features include advanced threat protection, reliable performance, and a user-friendly interface. It improves efficiency, streamlines processes, and boosts collaboration, providing valuable insights for informed decision-making and growth.

    Sophos UTM is a unified threat management platform designed to protect your businesses from known and emerging malware including viruses, rootkits and spyware. The solution provides a complete network security package with everything your organization needs in a single modular appliance.

    Sophos UTM Features

    Sophos UTM has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Web and Email Filtering
    • General Management
    • Network Protection
    • Network Routing and Services
    • Advanced Threat Protection
    • Authentication
    • Email Encryption and DLP
    • Web Policy
    • End-User Portal
    • VPN IPsec Client, VPN SSL Client, and Clientless VPN
    • Web Application Firewall Protection
    • UTM Endpoint Protection and Management
    • SEC Endpoint Integration
    • Logging and Reporting

    Sophos UTM Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing Sophos UTM. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Simplifies your IT security without the complexity of multiple point solutions
    • Intuitive interface to help you quickly create policies to control security risks
    • Provides clear, detailed reports to give you the insight you need to improve your network performance and protection
    • Complete control to block, allow, shape and prioritize applications
    • Two-factor authentication with one-time password (OTP)
    • Integrated wireless controller
    • Allows you to connect remote offices with easy VPN and Wi-Fi

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the Sophos UTM solution.

    PeerSpot user Dana B., Network Administrator at a manufacturing company, says “The web and email filtering are the two biggest and most valuable aspects of the solution for us. The solution overall has just been a good, cost-effective solution for us. The solution offers a lot of functionality. The solution scales well. We've found the technical support to be helpful. The stability and performance are quite good.”

    A Technical Director at a security firm mentions, "Sophos SG UTM had all the basic functionality that you needed. It is user-friendly and easy to manage for any integrator."

    Marek M., Senior Network Engineer at a computer software company, comments, “Sophos UTM is the simplest of these products to set up. If you follow the instructions using the wizard, which is just a few steps, then you will have a firewall to protect you and your customer.”

    A Software Sales Manager at a tech services company explains, “The overall visibility of the console is what I find most valuable, plus it's very user-friendly. It can be integrated with other solutions such as SOAR, SIEM, etc., even when you have an existing firewall. I really like that the console can be integrated. You'll see everything on the same window, and the single window feature of the machine is so good. These are the features I really like.”

    James D., IT Manager at Manual Workers Union, states, “The fact that it's on the cloud means we don't have to administer it on our network or deal with a physical machine, which saves us money. The solution has many great features. From the console, we can start different scannings on different machines. We enjoy the centralized reporting part of it. The initial setup is simple. We enjoy its general stability. The solution can scale. So far, the solution has been problem-free.”

    Sophos XG Firewall is a complete firewall solution that provides all the real-time security and insights you need to protect your network from ransomware and advanced threats. Sophos XG Firewall provides visibility into suspicious users, unknown and unwanted apps, encrypted traffic, and other threats. With its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, Sophos XG Firewall immediately identifies potential risks and intrusions on web servers and networks.

    Sophos XG Firewall Features

    Sophos XG Firewall offers a wide range of security features, including:

    • Application control: Prevent widespread infections with XG’s Security Heartbeat. XG Firewall automatically identifies the source of an infection on a network and automatically prevents it from accessing other network resources.

    • Synchronized user ID: Eliminate the need for client or server authentication agents by sharing user identification between the endpoint and the firewall through Security Heartbeat.

    • Centralized management: Easily manage all activities with Sophos Central. The XG cloud management platform allows users to easily set up, manage, and monitor XG firewalls along with other Sophos products. Some of Sophos Central’s features include alerting, backup management, one-click firmware updates, and rapid deployments of new firewalls.

    • Lateral movement protection: Automatically isolate compromised systems at every point in the network to stop attacks dead in their tracks.

    • Network protection: Protect networks from attacks and threats while providing secure network access.

    • Web protection: Gain clear visibility and control over all users’ web and application activity.

    • Web server protection: Solidify web servers and applications against hacking attacks while providing secure web access.

    • Email protection: Consolidate email protection with anti-spam, DLP, and encryption. XG’s Live Anti-Spam provides protection from the most recent spam campaigns, phishing attacks, and malicious attachments. Data Loss Prevention automatically triggers encryption on sensitive data in outgoing emails.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Sophos XG Firewall stands out among its competitors, among other reasons, for its intrusion detection capabilities, its user-friendly management platform, and in general, for being a complete and robust firewall solution.

    Niranjan P., a network & system support engineer, writes, “Sophos is a comprehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos's firewall, endpoint, and encryption features. A nice feature of Sophos is that it offers in sync and heartbeat security. When my clients have a perimeter involving Sophos firewall and endpoints with Sophos Endpoint, they can communicate with each other.”

    Antonio D., sales manager at INFOSEC, notes, “The product has a console that is based in the cloud for all their products. In this console, they have email security, firewall security, endpoint security, et cetera. All of the products on offer in the console are very useful for us. The solution is stable. The solution works well for enterprises and large-scale organizations.”

    Antony M., ICT/HMIS supervisor at a healthcare company, writes, “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”

    Sample Customers
    1. Amazon Web Services 2. Microsoft 3. IBM 4. Cisco 5. Dell 6. HP 7. Oracle 8. Verizon 9. AT&T 10. T-Mobile 11. Sprint 12. Vodafone 13. Orange 14. BT Group 15. Telstra 16. Deutsche Telekom 17. Comcast 18. Time Warner Cable 19. CenturyLink 20. NTT Communications 21. Tata Communications 22. SoftBank 23. China Mobile 24. Singtel 25. Telus 26. Rogers Communications 27. Bell Canada 28. Telkom Indonesia 29. Telkom South Africa 30. Telmex 31. Telia Company 32. Telkom Kenya
    One Housing Group
    Information Not Available
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider16%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization20%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Manufacturing Company12%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Computer Software Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Comms Service Provider10%
    Government8%
    Educational Organization6%
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Healthcare Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Government6%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business48%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise30%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise32%
    Large Enterprise41%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business58%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise21%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business36%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise45%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business62%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise15%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise43%
    Buyer's Guide
    Sophos UTM vs. Sophos XG
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Sophos UTM vs. Sophos XG and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Sophos UTM is ranked 1st in Unified Threat Management (UTM) with 29 reviews while Sophos XG is ranked 7th in Firewalls with 25 reviews. Sophos UTM is rated 8.4, while Sophos XG is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Sophos UTM writes "It's a highly stable platform with very few hardware issues". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XG writes "Fined tuned web proxy, feature rich, and beneficial VPN technology". Sophos UTM is most compared with Netgate pfSense, OPNsense, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, Cisco Secure Firewall and Untangle NG Firewall, whereas Sophos XG is most compared with Netgate pfSense, OPNsense, Sophos XGS, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls and SonicWall TZ. See our Sophos UTM vs. Sophos XG report.

    See our list of best Firewalls vendors.

    We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.