We don't have remote workers, so Sophos XG is only used for our in-house applications and users within the same building. For remote access, we use the Sophos free firewall home edition to connect to the Sophos XG 450, so there was no problem when the license was still activated. We experienced problems currently since the license is no longer activated.
Sophos Cloud Firewall (PAYG)
SophosExternal reviews
External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.
Offers intuitive interface but needs licensing improvement
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The user interface of Sophos XG enhances our administrative tasks because it is intuitive and easy to navigate.
We find the network security, protection, and web features most effective for threat prevention.
Sophos XG has facilitated better traffic management because the model we purchased is only utilizing resources at 40%. We have no bottlenecks, unlike the previous Cyber Room model that we purchased, which was at 85% resource utilization, causing traffic problems. With 40% resource utilization, we don't experience problems with all the features of the base firewall, such as IPS.
What needs improvement?
They could change their licensing model, simplify it, and make it more available to upgrade. We are looking into upgrading or refreshing these firewalls since they will be end of life. We are looking to replace it with another firewall with a five-year license, at least, so that we can survive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Sophos XG since 2020.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I am struggling with the licensing model of Sophos XG because we don't have a license. Our licenses expired and we're not supposed to renew the licenses at this time.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are looking into other brands, including FortiGate because it's closer to Sophos XG. I'm also looking at Sangfor because they say it has better web and network protection. Our objective is to find a solution that is price-wise and affordable for us, with longer coverage and good web application firewall features and network protection for five years license.
I haven't concluded my research on the advantages Sangfor has over Sophos XG yet, but Sangfor has better pricing and states that if the license expires, all the features until the day subscribed prior to termination of the license remain active. This is appealing for us to explore, and we will be asking for a model or POC for that product in the next few weeks. FortiGate comes with an appliance and is somewhat expensive. We're considering Sangfor, Sophos XG, and FortiGate because these are the appliances that we think are affordable for us.
What other advice do I have?
Sophos XG Firewall has improved our network security posture only partially because we don't have the license, so it's just the base license that we are using currently. When we had the license activated, there was no problem, but now that we don't have a license, it reverts back to the base license features only.
We are not so much concerned about the reporting and analytics tools in Sophos XG. I have seen that of Sophos XG 450; it's not comprehensive. I hope Sophos XG 4300 will be better with updated features for reporting because we had problems with minimal reports for the Sophos XG 450. I haven't seen the material white paper on Sophos XG 4300 on the reporting feature yet, but from what I've read, it's still not on par with FortiGate. I don't know about Sangfor yet, so we still have to check on that.
I would still recommend the Sophos XG firewall to others, particularly the Sophos XG 4300, depending on the price. I would also recommend some other vendors when it comes to firewall.
On a scale of 1-10, I rate Sophos XG an 8 out of 10.
Very fast learning curve, effective partner support, some trouble with end of life products.
Fast learning interface
Sophos employees and partner really helpfull
The product and the features they offer are worth.
Has offered reliable support with an intuitive interface for configuration
What is our primary use case?
We have experience with Sophos XG, which is the older version as well. It has been around three or four years that I have been working with Sophos XG.
We are the partners of Sophos XG, and we are in the partners platform.
For Sophos XG, we are not using it in our on-premise environment, so we pitch it to customers based on their requirements.
In some scenarios, we offer maintenance for the firewalls, especially in high availability situations.
What is most valuable?
The interface of Sophos XG is basic, and we can manage it easily compared to other firewalls; for example, it is much easier for configurations than Palo Alto.
Regarding the security level in Sophos XG, we need to see the Gartner reports because there are competitors such as SonicWall that we have to consider.
As for valuable features in Sophos XG, I am not able to recall many at this moment, but it has good integrations with Active Directory Protocol and others.
What needs improvement?
I do not have any specific ideas on what disadvantages Sophos XG could improve upon.
Everything has been good; I have not encountered any major challenges or problems.
AI could be one of the area for improvements.
For how long have I used the solution?
It has been around three or four years that I have been working with Sophos XG.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have found that Sophos XG is stable; I would say it is stable overall.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I am not sure how scalable Sophos XG is.
We have not reached any enterprise customers pitching for Sophos XG, so I have no clarity on its effectiveness for them.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Sophos XG is good, and the response times are also good.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Sophos XG is quite easy, and we have not found any difficulties in the process.
What other advice do I have?
That is the older version of Sophos XG.
Generally, Sophos XG is used in an on-premise environment.
Adding AI features would be practical, especially given the current trend of integrations across products.
Clients would use AI in the product for addressing configuration issues or simply to query the AI when they face problems.
Regarding disadvantages, only the potential for AI in configuration seems to be the area for improvements; I cannot clarify any more disadvantages.
I give Sophos XG an overall experience rating of nine out of ten.
Excellent support and great price point
Solid firewall with good support
Satisfied Customer
Sophos Firewall is a very good solution for mid-size companies
I'm a long time customer
VPN needs optimization despite user-friendly firewall UI
No MFA text box for logging in.