FortiGate vs Sophos Firewall – Which Is Better for Businesses in Malaysia?

Choosing the right firewall is a critical cybersecurity decision for Malaysian businesses. This in-depth comparison by SYSIT explains the real differences between FortiGate and Sophos firewalls—performance, security, scalability, and long-term value— so you can make an informed decision.

Overview

FortiGate and Sophos are both Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) designed to protect organisations from modern cyber threats. However, they differ significantly in architecture, scalability, performance, and suitability for growing Malaysian businesses.

At SYSIT, we deploy and manage both platforms and see clear differences depending on business size, growth plans, and security maturity.

What Is FortiGate?

FortiGate is a Next-Generation Firewall developed by Fortinet. It is known for high performance, deep security inspection, and strong integration across networking, security, and SD-WAN.

  • Purpose-built security processors (ASIC)
  • Advanced threat prevention
  • Strong SD-WAN and ZTNA integration
  • Suitable for SME to enterprise environments

What Is Sophos Firewall?

Sophos Firewall is an NGFW designed with simplicity in mind, focusing on ease of use and tight integration with Sophos endpoint products.

  • User-friendly interface
  • Strong endpoint-firewall synchronisation
  • Well-suited for small and simple environments

Performance & Throughput

Category FortiGate Sophos
Firewall Throughput Very high (ASIC-based) Moderate (CPU-based)
Threat Protection Performance Minimal performance impact Noticeable degradation under load
Encrypted Traffic Inspection Optimised and scalable Resource-intensive
Scalability Excellent for growth Limited for larger environments

SYSIT Insight: For businesses with multiple users, branches, or growth plans, FortiGate consistently delivers better performance and stability.

Security Capabilities

Capability FortiGate Sophos
Application Control Very granular Good
IPS & Threat Intelligence Enterprise-grade Strong for SME
Ransomware Protection Layered, network-centric Endpoint-centric

Which Firewall Should You Choose?

Choose FortiGate if:

  • Your business is growing
  • You require high performance
  • You operate multiple branches
  • You plan to implement SD-WAN or ZTNA

Choose Sophos if:

  • You are a very small business
  • You prioritise simplicity over flexibility
  • You already use Sophos endpoints

SYSIT Recommendation for Malaysian Businesses

Based on real-world deployments in Malaysia, SYSIT primarily recommends FortiGate firewalls for organisations that value performance, scalability, and long-term security maturity.

Need Help Choosing the Right Firewall?

Still unsure whether FortiGate or Sophos is right for your environment? Talk to SYSIT for an independent firewall assessment tailored to your business.

Request a Firewall Assessment