Platform flexibility
Deploy on VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, Citrix, or bare metal x86 systems with identical functionality across platforms.
Sophos XG Firewall Virtual Appliances
Enterprise firewall protection without hardware. Deploy on VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, and Citrix with flexible licensing for any network size.
Virtual firewall deployment flexibility
Sophos XG Firewall is available as a software installer for Intel x86 and virtual environments including VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, and Citrix. Virtual deployments deliver the same advanced protection as hardware appliances without the physical infrastructure requirements.
Virtual appliances provide deployment flexibility for cloud environments, hybrid infrastructure, and organizations that prefer software-based security architectures. Perpetual licensing ensures predictable costs for virtual firewall deployments.
Virtual appliance advantages
Deploy enterprise firewall protection in virtualized and cloud environments with the same capabilities as hardware appliances.
Perpetual licensing
One-time license purchase with annual subscription renewals for updates and support. Predictable long-term costs.
Scalable configurations
Seven configurations from 1 core / 2GB RAM for small networks to unlimited cores for large enterprise deployments.
Complete feature parity
Access all XG Firewall capabilities including TLS inspection, IPS, web filtering, and Synchronized Security.
Supported virtualization platforms
Sophos XG Firewall Virtual Appliances support the most widely deployed virtualization and hypervisor platforms for flexible deployment across your infrastructure.
- VMware ESXi — Full support for VMware vSphere environments with OVF deployment templates
- Microsoft Hyper-V — Native support for Windows Server Hyper-V and Azure Stack deployments
- KVM — Compatible with Linux KVM environments including RHEL, Ubuntu, and Debian
- Citrix Hypervisor — Certified for Citrix Hypervisor (formerly XenServer) deployments
- Bare metal x86 — Software installer for dedicated Intel x86 hardware without virtualization layer
Available virtual appliance models
Choose the configuration that matches your network size and performance requirements. All models include perpetual licensing with the same advanced firewall capabilities.
SF SW/Virtual Appliance
1 Core & 2GB RAM
- Recommended: 11-25 User Network
- Virtual Firewall
- Perpetual License
SF SW/Virtual Appliance
2 Cores & 4GB RAM
- Recommended: 26-35 User Network
- Virtual Firewall
- Perpetual License
SF SW/Virtual Appliance
4 Cores & 6GB RAM
- Recommended: 51-100 User Network
- Virtual Firewall
- Perpetual License
SF SW/Virtual Appliance
6 Cores & 8GB RAM
- Recommended: 101-200 User Network
- Virtual Firewall
- Perpetual License
SF SW/Virtual Appliance
8 Cores & 16GB RAM
- Recommended: 501-750 User Network
- Virtual Firewall
- Perpetual License
SF SW/Virtual Appliance
16 Cores & 24GB RAM
- Recommended: 751-1000 User Network
- Virtual Firewall
- Perpetual License
SF SW/Virtual Appliance
Unlimited Cores & RAM
- Recommended: 2500+ User Network
- Virtual Firewall
- Perpetual License
Licensing and subscriptions
Virtual appliances use perpetual licensing with one-time license purchase and annual subscription renewals. This provides predictable costs and flexibility for virtual and cloud deployments.
- Perpetual base license — One-time purchase provides unlimited duration license for the virtual appliance
- Protection subscriptions — Annual subscriptions include Network Protection, Web Protection, Email Protection, and enhanced support
- Xstream Protection bundles — Complete subscription packages with all protection modules and Synchronized Security capabilities
- Flexible terms — Choose 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year subscription terms with volume discounts
- Subscription portability — Transfer subscriptions between virtual appliance models as your requirements change
Advanced firewall capabilities
Virtual appliances deliver the complete XG Firewall feature set without hardware limitations.
TLS inspection
Decrypt and inspect encrypted traffic to detect threats hidden in HTTPS sessions.
Intrusion prevention
Block exploits and network attacks with IPS signatures updated continuously from SophosLabs.
Web filtering
Control access to websites based on categories and enforce acceptable use policies.
Advanced threat protection
Detect and block zero-day threats with sandboxing and machine learning analysis.
SD-WAN
Optimize application performance across multiple WAN connections with policy-based routing.
Synchronized Security
Share threat intelligence between firewall and Sophos Endpoint for automated response.
Virtual appliance deployment planning
Virtual firewall deployments require appropriate host resource allocation to ensure optimal performance. Reserve sufficient CPU cores, RAM, and network bandwidth based on your selected model configuration. Consider network interface requirements and throughput expectations when provisioning virtual machine resources.
Sophos provides deployment guides and best practices documentation for each supported virtualization platform to ensure successful implementation.
How to buy
Purchase virtual appliances and subscriptions
Sophos XG Firewall Virtual Appliances are available through EnterpriseAV.com with perpetual licensing and flexible subscription options. Choose your virtual appliance configuration and required protection subscriptions.
Volume discounts available for multi-year subscription terms and multiple appliance deployments.