Palo Alto Networks WildFire vs. Sophos SG Firewall Appliances

Palo Alto Networks Wildfire is well suited for pretty much anywhere that you need the latest and greatest network security. It is extremely good at protecting you from the latest malware threats that might pose a potential problem for your network/endpoints. We've been very please since we installed it and I would say cost of the Palo Altos is the only drawback. If money were no object I'd go with a Palo Alto with Wildfire every time. But unfortunately in some smaller branches it just doesn't make financial sense.

Incentivized

Great for securing our Datacenter as well as smaller branches. They have a great selection of Firewalls for all sizing requirements. We place them in locations with hundreds of employees or just a handful. They all work together great and the SD-WAN feature is good for connecting branches together. Couple this with MTR/MDR and you have a solid security foundation where packets can be analyzed from the firewall to the endpoints.

Incentivized

• This is could base and easily manageable for our collocation. While working within the could can review in live time potential treats that it has reported from other devices.
• Worked very well with existing Palo Alto devices.
• Another huge plus is the simplicity of managing and ease of scalability.
• Its cost is competitive with similar/like products available.

Incentivized

• 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.

Incentivized

• WildFire, like other sandboxes, has to stay up with malware sandbox evasion techniques, which necessitates larger file size limits.
• More file formats should be able to be submitted and scanned by WildFire, which needs improved initial administration and setup.
• It's quite pricey, and there's no warning choice for performance on the cloud.

Incentivized

• 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

Incentivized

It works very well and takes care of protecting us from threats new and well-known. It's been a game changer in terms of threat detection & prevention.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

Easy to use and works well. For the most part it's set it and forget it, but there's also some flexibility for high security environments and those with extra privacy concerns.

Incentivized

It does the job well, but is not easy to learn if you are not an IT person (but it can be done!)

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

PAN support is very good. You can get the reasonable and timely support on any conditions. When the product is already integrated with the PAN firewalls, you can choose the severity levels based on the effect. The customer service/TAC is very helpful, they even have additional recommendations of advises for product usability. Local partners are also assisting the cases and give their expertise.

Incentivized

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

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

We wanted a single device to handle numerous jobs, such as antivirus, antimalware, vulnerability detection, url filtering, etc. Palo Alto provides this, while TippingPoint IPS is a more dedicated product. Caveat: I used TippingPoint over 5 years ago, so things may have changed.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

• As we all know the product of Palo Alto is little bit expensive but its performance is far better than any of its competitors. So as I previously mentioned, Palo Alto should not sell WildFire Licence seperately.
• If the firewall is internet facing then only we should buy WildFire Licence.
• WildFire Licence is not necessary for internal firewall. If you are planning to buy a firewall for internal network where your traffic is not going towards internet so no need to buy WildFire Licence.

• 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.

Incentivized