We performed a comparison between Cisco Secure Firewall and Sophos XG based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: The two solutions are very comparable. The only major difference between the two is that some users of Cisco Secure Firewall consider the deployment to be somewhat complex.
"In terms of security, we have not experienced any security flaws or loopholes, and it has proven to be quite stable."
"FortiGate SD-WAN facilitated a smooth transition for our customers between their two internet service providers, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity without any downtime."
"It is a one box solution, which covers most of the edge device’s requirements."
"It has very easy management and an amazing ETM configuration."
"Their proxy-based inspection is responsive and secure."
"Web filtering and two-factor authentication are great features."
"The ease of setting the solution up is a valuable aspect for us."
"Fortinet FortiGate is a security device. It can optimize security on the networks of a company. It actually protects the company from attacks from outside. With FortiGate, you can categorize the users. You can create a group of users that can access all of the websites for their work. You can limit other users' access."
"The technical support is excellent. I would rate it as 10 out of 10. When there has been an issue, we have had a good response from them."
"It's very scalable. You can go to different models of the ASAs and they scale up to as big as you want to go."
"My confidence continues to build upon using Cisco firewalls."
"Cisco ASA provides us with very good application visibility and control."
"It makes it very easy to have delineated roles and responsibilities between network engineering and network security."
"Easy to deploy in a working environment between servers and users."
"We have been using a 5520 for seven years in our datacenter and we are satisfied by this version."
"When it comes to the integration among Cisco tools, we find it easy. It's a very practical integration with other components as well."
"The updates are helpful and add to the solution in a positive way."
"It is a scalable solution."
"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."
"Reporting is the most valuable feature."
"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 stability of Sophos XG is very good. However, there have been some issues with other weaker models because they are limited in hardware in resources."
"We've had good experiences with technical support."
"The solution was able to be integrated well with exciting hardware and software and in multiple business sectors."
"The reports are very basic."
"The sniffing packets or packet captures, can be simplified and improved because it's a little confusing."
"Some configuration elements cannot be easily altered once created."
"With the addition of some features, it is possible that FortiGate can be used in all verticals."
"Usually, we sell the bundle with the UTM or threat management piece with IPS, IDS. Other providers, such as Palo Alto, are ahead in terms of safe functionality. So, for me, delivering truly safe service is probably something that still needs to be improved."
"Cisco Meraki products are rising very quickly in the cloud and the connected era. Meraki products offer much better ROI, upgradability, and manageability."
"The solution's framework needs to be frequently updated in order to have a stable solution."
"I think there could be more QoS features"
"The IPS module is combined with the main operating system."
"They need to do an overhaul of the management console."
"It is surprising that you need to have a virtual appliance for the Firepower Management Center. It is not good if you have to setup a VMware server just for it."
"One of the problems that we have had is the solution requires Java to work. This has caused some problems with the application visibility and control. When the Java works, it is good, but Java wasn't a good choice. I don't like the Java implementation. It can be difficult to work with sometimes."
"We found it difficult to publish an antennae sidewalk with the ASDM. I think Cisco should improve this by creating a simpler interface for the firewall."
"Intrusion prevention, we currently need to apply deep bracket inspection manually to use web filtering."
"They need a user-friendly interface that we could easily configure."
"It needs to provide the next-generation firewall features that other vendors provide, like data analytics, telemetry, and deep packet inspection."
"One area where Sophos XG could improve is in its patch management system."
"The VPN features can be improved. Due to covid-19, we have a lot of employees that work from home and we need better VPN capabilities."
"Network security is in need of improvement."
"The number of ports, especially on the entry-level appliances, should be increased."
"We are facing some technical issues with Sophos XG right now. We have already escalated this issue with the Sophos technical support. They seem to be working on it. We are satisfied with the technical support. They reply quickly to our queries, but sometimes take time upgrading their systems."
"The user interface could be improved and more bandwidth management would be helpful."
"The weakest point is the technical support because they are difficult to get into contact with."
"Sophos can improve the debugging of the WAPS function."
Cisco Secure Firewall is ranked 4th in Firewalls with 404 reviews while Sophos XG is ranked 7th in Firewalls with 192 reviews. Cisco Secure Firewall is rated 8.2, while Sophos XG is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco Secure Firewall writes "Highlights and helps us catch Zero-day vulnerabilities traveling across our network". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XG writes "Easy to use and deploy with an improved pricing structure in place". Cisco Secure Firewall is most compared with Palo Alto Networks WildFire, Netgate pfSense, Meraki MX, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls and Juniper SRX Series Firewall, whereas Sophos XG is most compared with Netgate pfSense, OPNsense, Sophos XGS, SonicWall TZ and SonicWall NSa. See our Cisco Secure Firewall vs. Sophos XG report.
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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.
My preference is the Sophos XGS, particularly when you team it up with the Sophos Endpoint Protection client and configure it for synchronized security.
Both can be managed through Sophos Central and are available at a decent price for the power they offer the SMB.
I recommend Sophos XGS firewall. It will offer the best solution for malware protection.
Also, I recomend Sophos CIXA with XDR (Sophos Endpoint), so you can use Syncronized Security.