Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued) vs. Sophos SG Firewall Appliances

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker is an enterprise class firewall, VPN gateway and router. Each model offers five gigabit ethernet ports and wireless for connectivity. Cisco now recommends the Meraki Z4 Teleworker.N/A
Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Sophos SG Firewall Appliances are designed to provide optimal protection for organizations of all sixes from small remote offices, to global organizations requiring high-availability andN/A
Pricing
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
Features
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
9.4
8 Ratings
8% above category average
Identification Technologies00 Ratings9.78 Ratings
Visualization Tools00 Ratings8.58 Ratings
Content Inspection00 Ratings9.58 Ratings
Policy-based Controls00 Ratings9.08 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP00 Ratings9.78 Ratings
Firewall Management Console00 Ratings8.78 Ratings
Reporting and Logging00 Ratings9.58 Ratings
VPN00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
High Availability00 Ratings9.58 Ratings
Stateful Inspection00 Ratings9.78 Ratings
Proxy Server00 Ratings9.76 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

pfSense
pfSense
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Routers
Cisco Routers
Score 8.9 out of 10
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Routers
Cisco Routers
Score 8.9 out of 10
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(3 ratings)
8.7
(8 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.5
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker (discontinued)Sophos SG Firewall Appliances
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
The Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker appliance was ideal for scenarios where the remote worker spent the majority of their time remote. It alleviates the need for VPN software and gives the IT staff additional visibility into the connectivity of the user. We often encountered scenarios where the users broadband was having issues vs the Meraki network and the tools Meraki provides help to work through these scenarios. The case for the Meraki devices is not as strong for occasional users who cannot justify the cost of the appliance vs just logging in via VPN.
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Sophos
Well suited in tech companies that have an IT person to monitor and adjust settings as needed. It is not SUPER user-friendly if you don't know what you are doing.
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Pros
Cisco
  • Easy setup for remote worker
  • Versatility with WiFi and cable connections
  • Safe to outages with dual wan setup
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Sophos
  • It helps you to protect your corporate network and data from external cyber threats.
  • It provides you with with advanced features like load balancing, web and app access, etc., to optimize bandwidth uses.
  • It enables you to configure an IPsec VPN to access organization resources remotely.
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Cons
Cisco
  • When Internet is lost and come back we need to reset the Z3 device from the dashboard in order to register the IP Phone to CUCM
  • It would be nice to manage the Z3 device to a local web portal just for TS
  • Max Speed 100Mbps. It would be nice if it could run up to 1GB
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Sophos
  • We would like more feature reach port blocking. This could be reorganized to make it easier on Network Admins to add or change ports.
  • I would like easier access to the CLI
  • I would like it to perform faster
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
I rated Sophos SG Firewall a 9 out of 10 because it has consistently provided strong and reliable security for our organization over the past five years. Its unified features like IPS, VPN, web filtering, and reporting make it easy to manage and highly effective in protecting our network. The interface is user-friendly, and support from Sophos has been timely and helpful. I deducted one point only because deeper cloud-native integration and more advanced analytics would further enhance its future readiness.
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Usability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
It does the job well, but is not easy to learn if you are not an IT person (but it can be done!)
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Reliability and Availability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
I rated the availability of Sophos SG Firewall a 10 because, in our experience, it has been highly reliable and available whenever we needed it. We have not faced any significant application errors or unplanned outages. The system has been robust, ensuring continuous protection and minimal downtime, even during firmware updates or configuration changes. Its stability and uptime have been consistent, allowing us to trust it as a critical part of our network security infrastructure.
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Performance
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
I rated the performance of Sophos SG Firewall a 10 because it consistently delivers fast and reliable results. Pages load quickly, reports are generated within a reasonable time frame, even for complex queries, and overall system responsiveness is excellent. Additionally, the firewall integrates seamlessly with other software and systems without causing any noticeable slowdowns or performance degradation. Its optimized performance has contributed to smooth network operations and minimal disruption to other services, making it a highly reliable solution for our needs.
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Support Rating
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
The biggest selling point for sophos is their vendor support. Those guys put a smile on our faces. There are multiple ways you can contact their support like chat, or telephone or email. They are very responsive and they do have very knowledgable and patient support staff. We have raised tickets at all odd hours and they have been addressed correctly
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In-Person Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
I rated the in-person training a 10 because the sessions were thorough, engaging, and well-structured. The trainers had a deep understanding of the Sophos SG Firewall and were able to clearly explain both basic and advanced features. The hands-on approach allowed us to directly apply what we were learning, which made the training highly practical and valuable. Additionally, the trainers were available to address specific questions and provide real-time troubleshooting during the sessions, making it an overall positive experience.
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Implementation Rating
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
I was very satisfied with the implementation of the Sophos SG Firewall, giving it a rating of 9. One key insight from the implementation process is that while the setup was relatively straightforward, it’s crucial to carefully plan the network configuration in advance, especially for high availability (HA) and VPN setups. Ensuring compatibility with existing infrastructure and performing thorough testing before going live can significantly reduce issues later on. Additionally, leveraging the built-in wizards and configuration guides helped streamline the process, but hands-on testing was essential to ensure everything worked as expected in our specific environment.
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Alternatives Considered
Cisco
At the time of implementation, we were not aware of a comparable product from Cisco or comparative vendor. We had initially deployed the Z1 appliance and had so much success that the transition to the Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker was a quick and easy fit for us. The device is easy to deploy and just works.
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Sophos
It certainly stacks up well as it is very competitive in the pricing segment while having all the features that an ideal NGFW should possess. Basic functionalities like Network Firewall, Proxy and VPN work flawlessly while advanced features like IPS perform reasonably well. The detection content is very relevant and performs well.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
I rated the contract terms and pricing structure a 9 because, overall, they were fair and competitive. The unit pricing for the Sophos SG Firewall was reasonable considering the features and performance offered, and the billing frequency was flexible, allowing us to align it with our budget cycles. However, one area that could be improved is the pricing for multi-year commitments—there could be more significant discounts or additional incentives for long-term agreements. Overall, the structure worked well for our needs, but some adjustments could make it even more cost-effective.
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Scalability
Cisco
The product is very scalable due to its implementation to the Meraki cloud and SD-WAN capabilities.
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Sophos
I rated the product's scalability a 9 because Sophos SG Firewall offers excellent flexibility and can be easily scaled across multiple departments and sites. It provides the ability to add more firewalls, manage them centrally, and integrate with other security solutions as our network grows. However, the only reason I didn’t give it a perfect score is that, in some complex environments, managing a large-scale deployment with many firewalls can become a bit challenging, especially in terms of centralized management and monitoring. Despite this, the overall scalability is highly effective for most use cases.
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Professional Services
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Sophos
I rated the professional services a 10 because the support we received was outstanding. The team was highly skilled, responsive, and provided tailored solutions to meet our specific needs. They guided us through the entire implementation process, from setup to optimization, ensuring that the firewall was configured efficiently and securely. Their expertise helped us avoid potential pitfalls and ensured a smooth deployment, which greatly contributed to the success of our project.
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Return on Investment
Cisco
  • Good visibility for IT team so we can monitor and validate the teleworker traffic
  • Zero Touch Provisioning so we do not need to send a Engineer to configure it.
  • Consumer-grade network security
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Sophos
  • Positive. We are able to expand our network by using the Flexi Port Modules that are available.
  • Positive. We are able to boast that our network is more secure than other businesses of the same model.
  • Negative. The VPN needs to be updated to use OVPN configs and then it would be perfect.
  • Negative. The home license needs to have the IP restriction removed for folks who work from home and need to access on-site terminals.
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ScreenShots