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F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) vs. Sophos UTM

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AF5 Networks offers the F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager, a firewall software combining a number of features including DDoS, DNS security, and other protections.N/A

    Sophos UTM

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/ASophos UTM provides core firewall features, plus sandboxing and AI threat detection for advanced network security. It has customizable deployment options.N/A
    Pricing
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos UTM
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos UTM
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—t2.small - $0.123 - Total / hr m3.medium - $0.417 - Total / hr m3.large - $0.883 - Total / hr m3.xlarge - $1.366 - Total / hr m3.2xlarge- $1.982 - Total / hr c3.large - $0.555 - Total / hr c3.xlarge - $1.11 - Total / hr c3.2xlarge - $1.72 - Total / hr c3.4xlarge - $2.59 - Total / hr c3.8xlarge - $3.68 - Total / hr c4.large - $0.55 - Total / hr c4.xlarge - $1.099 - Total / hr c4.2xlarge - $1.698 - Total / hr c4.4xlarge - $2.546 - Total / hr c4.8xlarge - $3.841 - Total / hr m4.large - $0.868 - Total / hr m4.xlarge - $1.365 - Total / hr m4.2xlarge- $1.931 - Total / hr
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos UTM
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) and Sophos UTM
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
    5.6
    3 Ratings
    42% below category average
    Sophos UTM
    9.3
    1 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Identification Technologies2.73 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Visualization Tools1.83 Ratings00 Ratings
    Content Inspection5.53 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls6.43 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP10.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console2.73 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging6.43 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    VPN10.01 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    High Availability3.63 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection2.73 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Proxy Server10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
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    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos UTM
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    User Ratings
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos UTM
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (6 ratings)
    9.0
    (12 ratings)
    Usability
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.9
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos UTM
    Likelihood to Recommend
    F5
    We were able to eliminate a firewall from our network architecture by integrating the module into our existing F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM). This allowed us to save on tech refresh costs, since the F5 was able to handle the module without much additional strain on the device. However, if a firewall had features that the AFM lacked, then using that firewall in tandem with an F5 would be preferable.
    Incentivized
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    Sophos
    UTM works great if you want a solid, obvious firewall. There's not a lot of second-guessing as to what you are about to do with every change you make. If you incorporate their wireless access points and RED (remote ethernet device) for remote users or small offices, it's considerably much easier to set up than other comparable solutions. If you are looking to manage your firewalls via the cloud, you are out of luck.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    F5
    • Load balancing using pools
    • SSL offloading
    • iRules for threat handling
    Incentivized
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    Sophos
    • Firewall Protection. The protection is unmatched, setup it a little daunting, but once set up it pretty much runs itself.
    • Site-to-site VPN. Super easy to deploy so we are able to network all our sites together.
    • The DHCP server function is actually really nice, I prefer using it over the traditional way of using a DC for DHCP.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    F5
    • The GUI icons are very small and Overall UI can use some refreshing
    • The training on the tool is not easily available and mostly involves a high cost
    • The support or third party implementation teams could use some improvement
    Incentivized
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    Sophos
    • Better standard support, it used to be great, now, not so much (for paying customers, that only aquired the Hardware)
    • Better wireless solution, there is always room for that, now that everybody needs robust wifi, even at home!
    • Faster and more robust wireless Access Points, or different vendor-like compatibility.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    F5
    While parent policies help simplify the deployment, the UI definitely could be more straight forward and simplified for troubleshooting and tuning
    Incentivized
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    Sophos
    The interface is no non-sense and easy to understand. No need for any consultants to help implement this solution. The performance is consistent and solid. Paired with a good amount of firmware and definitions, it's hard to find any fault in this product. It's interoperability with other Sophos products make a compelling argument to invest in more Sophos products.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    F5
    F5 Advanced Firewall Manager has been a solid, strong solution to both keep our systems safe and being seamless for our end users. Most of the time, the end-user is not impacted and does not even know F5 Advanced Firewall Manager is running which is exactly what we are looking for.
    Incentivized
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    Sophos
    I find the support fair. The wait can be frustrating when dealing with fire. The pandemic has not helped with this. Although the wait can be long, the support reps are knowledgeable and was able to resolve the issues I was facing.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    F5
    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is a bit easier to initially set up than F5 Advanced Firewall Manager but not as robust in its ability to manage different devices with different profiles. Different machines need different access and F5 Advanced Firewall Manager is better at allowing flexibility in identifying different devices and managing what they can access.
    Incentivized
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    Sophos
    I would rate Sophos second on this list right below Webroot. Webroot has an easier user interface and policy builder. However, Sophos would be on top of its UI would be improved. I would rank CrowStrike third and McAfee last. Sophos is great for complex environments that have multiple needs.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    F5
    • When we had to decide on whether to buy different hardware our team were all in support of renewal for F5 [BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager]
    • F5 [BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager] requires proper training on tools and clear concepts of packets, headers, and content to create WAF policies
    • Overall, we are satisfied by the ROI provided by our F5 AFM and GTMs
    Incentivized
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    Sophos
    • Sophos has provided a secure Firewall for us.
    • Integration with Sophos Central makes it easier to manage both.
    • Site to site VPN Failover groups has caused more trouble than it's worth.
    • High availability doesn't recognize when you are restarting for an update.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots