Sophos XG 125 firewall – A closer look

The Sophos XG 125 firewall spot lit on a stage

The Sophos XG 125 is part of the hugely popular XG line of Next-Gen security appliances. It is absolutely one of our most popular firewalls at Corporate Armor.

It’s part of the foundation of the XG series, which is Sophos’ range of easy-to-deploy, easy-to-manage appliances. The XG series has something for just about any network size – from home office to small business to enterprise.

The XG 125 is well-known for superior visibility into risky activity, as well as the ability to stop both known and unknown threats quickly and effectively. When it comes to malware, the XG 125 can see it, stop it, and secure it.

If you’re looking for completely centralized network protection in a desktop appliance that’s packed with outsized security features, the Sophos XG 125 is for you.

Under the hood

The Sophos XG 125 has Max Firewall Throughput of 6.5 Gbps, and NGFW Throughput of 1.1 Gbps. IPS Throughput is 1.5 Gbps, and VPN Throughput is 700 Mbps. It can handle 35,000 new connections per second and is suitable for up to 50 users.

Installation of the XG 125 is a breeze, as it is with all Sophos firewalls. The web browser quickstart wizard guides you through securing administrative access, setting up the LAN and WAN ports plus a secure wireless network, and adding an email address for alerting.

The base license of an XG Firewall is included free of charge. It features Wireless protection, SSL VPN or Sophos Connect Client, and IPsec VPN connections.

Of course, you can purchase additional security services a la carte, but the best and most efficient way to get the most out of your XG 125 is to purchase it as part of a bundle. There are two bundle types, EnterpriseProtect Plus, and TotalProtect Plus. Reach out to our specialists for more information on which of these bundles is best for you.

XG or SG? Which one’s right for me?

Basically, the hardware on the SG and XG series are identical in terms of CPU, RAM, memory and ports. The main difference is that SG Series appliances come pre-installed with UTM 9 firmware while XG firewalls come pre-installed with XG Firewall firmware. As a newer product, the XG’s Sophos Firewall Operating System (SFOS) is updated more frequently.

However, it is possible to install the SFOS of the XG Firewall on SG hardware. The license can then be migrated 1:1.

There are some technical advantages to the SFOS over the UTM operating system, however. For example, Firewall Rules are much clearer and more granular. Also, the Log Viewer is a real highlight of the XG operating system. It’s extremely quick and easy to check logs right through the GUI. And, with Synchronized Security on the XG firewall you can see the applications that are running on all the endpoints.

Should I consider a Sophos XG 125?

The XG 125 is truly a carefree “install and forget” firewall. As long as you maintain firmware upgrades, the standard installation does an excellent job.

From setting up business rules to access points to Remote Ethernet Devices, XG 125 offers an ease-of-use that is nearly unmatched. As with most of the firewalls we review, this appliance is very suitable for small-to medium-sized businesses and remote branch offices. Any firewall designed for this kind of use case has to be easy to fire up, figure out, and forget about. After all, it’s built for organizations that may not have tons of resources to throw at IT staff and security, but that nevertheless deserve first-rate protection.

So, if you have any questions, please reach out to us here, or call Corporate Armor at 877-449-0458. Thanks for reading!