FortiGate as a better alternative to SG, XG and XGS.
Sophos firewalls were a good choice for SMEs, branch offices and campus networks in the midmarket. However, the Sophos SG and XG classes will reach the end of life in June 2026. Nomios Germany recommends FortiGate NGFW in particular as an alternative.
Why these are also convincing in comparison with the Sophos NGFW successor XGS:
On-prem management for more data protection:
- Sophos XGS requires a connection to the Sophos Cloud for centralised management. FortiGate firewalls, on the other hand, enable 100% data sovereignty, as they are either managed centrally on-prem or connect via one of the secure Fortinet POPs to receive the selected security features. Fortinet is one of the few manufacturers that even allows FortiEDR to be installed in an AirGap environment, so that management can also take place on-prem.
Established security ecosystem:
- The trend is moving away from multi-vendor strategies, as their operation is time-consuming and costly. Fortinet is established in the security environment with all the necessary portfolio components such as FortiEDR, FortiMail, Fortinet Universal ZTNA and Wireless LAN through to switching. With consulting from Nomios Germany, all components can be easily and reliably customised to the needs of SMEs, campuses and branch offices.
FortiManager is the central management platform for the core products:
- This offers professional change management, config management, licence management and comprehensive scripting options, so that the right tool is integrated for every purpose. As usual with Fortinet, there is also a choice here: FortiManager as hardware, as a VM, in the public cloud or as a service directly from the manufacturer.
FortiGuard URL Filtering Service:
- The only web filtering service with years of continuous VBWeb awards that has also been certified by Virus Bulletin for its security effectiveness.
Price-performance ratio:
- Each FortiGate allows up to 10 virtual domains (VDOMs) - in other words 10 firewalls - and, unlike Sophos from the 80 series upwards, comes with two built-in power supply units. Sandboxing is also usually included in Fortinet's mail security.
Performance:
- Fortinet always tests with all features enabled and a traffic mix that reflects a real mix of protocols. Unlike Sophos, Fortinet itself is the chip producer, so the physical load limit (e.g. maximum sessions per second) is precisely known and communicated. Points for hardware acceleration and transparency therefore go to the FortiGate series for Nomios Germany.
Nomios Germany advises, procures, migrates, configures and operates on request.
Managed FortiGates from Nomios Germany.
The setup, configuration and ongoing operation of FortiGate firewall clusters can be a challenge. If there is a lack of manpower or time for the necessary training of internal technicians, the Managed Service from Nomios Germany can be a good relief.
As a managed security provider, our Fortinet-certified engineers take on all tasks - such as 24×7 monitoring, capacity management or RMA. With a modular service structure, reliable SLAs and absolutely predictable costs.
