We compared Sophos XG and Sophos XGS based on our user's reviews in several parameters.
These include the need for more intuitive user-friendliness, clearer interface, enhanced stability, and improved alert management. Users suggested improvements such as easier navigation, better display of options, and more efficient alert handling. Some users also reported occasional performance issues and system crashes, indicating areas that can be refined for a more reliable user experience.
Features: Sophos XG is known for its advanced threat protection capabilities, seamless integration with security tools, and exceptional technical support, while Sophos XGS focuses on robust security measures, comprehensive network visibility, and efficient performance.
Pricing and ROI: The setup cost for Sophos XG product varies depending on user feedback. Customers have emphasized the overall cost of implementation, the initial investment required, and the licensing arrangements. On the other hand, feedback on Sophos XGS suggests that some users find the product competitively priced and of good value, but there are concerns about significant setup costs and complexities in licensing. Experiences with setup costs differ among users for both products., The Sophos XG product offers positive ROI with its effective protection and simplified network management. On the other hand, Sophos XGS provides a significant increase in ROI by improving security infrastructure and streamlining security operations.
Room for Improvement: Sophos XG has room for improvement in user-friendliness, interface clarity, and stability. Users desire more intuitive navigation, clearer options, and improved alert handling. Performance issues and system crashes are also a concern. Meanwhile, there are areas of opportunity for improvement in Sophos XGS according to user feedback.
Deployment and customer support: The reviews for Sophos XG and Sophos XGS show that the duration required for deployment, setup, and implementation phases varies among users. Some users reported longer deployment duration for XG compared to XGS, while others mentioned similar timeframes for both products. Context is important in understanding the differences., Users have reported positive experiences with the customer service and support provided by both Sophos XG and Sophos XGS. They appreciate the expertise, prompt responsiveness, and willingness to address concerns shown by both teams.
The summary above is based on 79 interviews we conducted recently with Sophos XG and Sophos XGS users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"The initial installation is very straightforward."
"The features that we have found most valuable are the SSL VPN and the User Portal."
"The ease of setting the solution up is a valuable aspect for us."
"It has very easy management and an amazing ETM configuration."
"Their proxy-based inspection is responsive and secure."
"I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud."
"It can expand easily."
"The multi-tenancy feature is most valuable. It integrates very well with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer."
"The solution's technical support is good."
"I rate Sophos support 10 out of 10. When my device was freezing, I contacted them, and sent me a replacement. It only took a couple of days for Sophos to ship the device to Kenya. I didn't have a redundant device, so it was urgent."
"The most valuable feature is that it scans all of the data for any kind of malware."
"I have found the solution easy to use and fully integrated."
"We are able to trace any user and pinpoint any vulnerability or any malicious software. We are able to synchronize between the local and active directories so we can catch users easily through their login names and IDs."
"We've had good experiences with technical support."
"Sophos XG has cybersecurity. It integrates with the antivirus software."
"There are many features. VPN, firewalling, and intrusion detection are the main features that are most useful for us at this time."
"It's much faster than the previous firewall, so you can do the work faster."
"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 solution is easy to use and configure, once you know how to apply the policies."
"It is scalable."
"The solution is stable."
"It offers an easy initial implementation."
"XGS' most valuable feature is ransomware protection."
"The feature that I find most valuable is the synchronized security option where the endpoint talks to the firewall."
"Lacks training for new features."
"My only complaint about FortiGate is a lack of QinQ VLAN tunneling. I haven't found this feature in any Fortinet product. You can do this on all Cisco routers, including the smaller models. However, QinQ isn't available on the biggest, most expensive Fortinet units. They still don't have that. I think now we're on software version 6.0, and they still haven't found a solution for QinQ. It isn't a dealbreaker, but that's my main complaint."
"The solution is very expensive."
"I would like Fortinet to add more automation to FortiGate."
"The pricing could be reduced or include the first year warranty."
"The UI could be improved."
"The license renewal process, annual renewal price, and the web application firewall features should be improved."
"They can do more tests before they release new versions because I would like to be more assured. We had some experiences where they release something new and great, but some of the old features are disabled or they don't work well, which impacts the product satisfaction. The manufacturer should be able to prove that everything works or not only that it might work. This is applicable to most of the other services, software, and hardware companies. They all should work on this. We cannot trust every new release, such as a beta release, on the first day. We wait for some comments on the forums and from other companies that we know. We always wait a few weeks before we use the updated version. They should also extend the VPN client application, especially for Linux versions. Currently, it has an application for Linux devices, but it doesn't work the way we want to connect to the VPN. They use only the old connection, not the new one. They have VPN client applications for Windows and Mac, but they can add more useful features to better manage the devices and monitor the current health of each device. Such features would be helpful for our company."
"We are having challenges when using Zoom with Sophos XG deployed."
"The interface of Sophos XG could be improved. I would prefer the Sophos XG to have an interface for the technician who is setting it up similar to the Sophos SG. I felt the Sophos SG user interface was superior. however, in terms of the functionality of the product, Sophos XG is in many ways more powerful than the Sophos SG. I have no complaints about the quality of the product or the end result. For someone who has used both, I preferred the old interface to the new one."
"The pricing has gotten much higher."
"The program is rather expensive."
"It is a very basic and entry-level firewall. It doesn't give very granular control over the traffic. It should have more granular control over the traffic. This feature should be there similar to Palo Alto and Cisco. It should have such advanced features."
"The user interface could be better."
"The weakest point is the technical support because they are difficult to get into contact with."
"The interface can bit a bit more user-friendly."
"What could be improved in Sophos XGS is its connectivity with Azure AD. It's best if it could work directly without using any servers locally, or in the data center, and this functionality should be made available in this product."
"Sophos XGS could improve the price."
"I would like to see a history of the monthly bandwidth utilization, the bandwidth consumption for a period of time."
"In Sophos, the user portal is not user-friendly."
"Sophos' technical support has degraded in the last couple of years. They seem to need to ask a lot of questions, even with simple problems, and take a long time to provide solutions."
"The first time a person sets it up, they will need training."
"Support is great, however, it can always be improved."
"Sophos XGS could improve by having better integration with Active Directory."
Sophos XG is ranked 7th in Firewalls with 192 reviews while Sophos XGS is ranked 18th in Firewalls with 58 reviews. Sophos XG is rated 8.2, while Sophos XGS is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Sophos XG writes "Easy to use and deploy with an improved pricing structure in place". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XGS writes "Highly stable, scalable, and priced well". Sophos XG is most compared with Netgate pfSense, OPNsense, SonicWall TZ, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls and Meraki MX, whereas Sophos XGS is most compared with OPNsense, Netgate pfSense, WatchGuard Firebox, Meraki MX and Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. See our Sophos XG vs. Sophos XGS report.
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