Sophos XGS 2U firewalls for the enterprise and campus edge.
The Enterprise Edge range is the 2U rackmount tier, built for large organizations, campuses, and data-center edges with heavy traffic and many users. These appliances bring the highest throughput in the XGS lineup, high port density, built-in redundancy, and up to 100 Gbps uplinks.
Sizing an enterprise edge? Get a quote or call 1-833-283-7373 and we will size it.
Who each model is for.
All four are 2U appliances with built-in redundancy. The difference is throughput and the top-end uplink speeds.
XGS 5500 & 6500
The entry 2U models, for an enterprise edge or campus that needs more than the 1U range can deliver, with high port density and redundancy.
XGS 7500
Steps up throughput and adds 40 GE QSFP28 uplinks, for high-traffic campus and enterprise cores.
XGS 8500
The top of the XGS range, with the highest throughput and 100 GE QSFP28 uplinks for a data-center edge.
Compare the models.
All figures are Sophos published specifications. Threat protection throughput is the real-world number with protection on.
| XGS 5500entry 2U | XGS 6500 | XGS 750040 GE uplink | XGS 8500100 GE uplink | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firewall throughput | 100 Gbps | 120 Gbps | 160 Gbps | 190 Gbps |
| Threat protection | 46 Gbps | 53.5 Gbps | 70 Gbps | 92.5 Gbps |
| TLS inspection | 13.5 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 19.5 Gbps | 24 Gbps |
| Concurrent connections | 32.4M | 39.9M | 48M | 58M |
| Max port density | 48 | 68 | 70 | 70 |
| High-speed uplinks | — | — | 40 GE QSFP28 | 100 GE QSFP28 |
| Redundancy | Dual PSU + SSD | Dual PSU + SSD | Dual PSU + NVMe | Dual PSU + NVMe |
| Buy | Shop 5500 | Shop 6500 | Shop 7500 | Shop 8500 |
All 2U models include redundant hot-swap power supplies, redundant storage, and high port density with Flexi Port expansion. The XGS 7500 adds 40 GE and the XGS 8500 adds 100 GE QSFP28 uplinks. Exact throughput depends on the protection you enable.
Sizing a 2U firewall.
At this tier it comes down to sustained inspected throughput and the uplink speeds your core needs.
Enterprise edge or campus? 5500 or 6500
The entry 2U models cover most enterprise and campus edges with redundancy built in.
Need 40 GE uplinks? 7500
Higher throughput and QSFP28 40 GE uplinks for busier cores.
Data-center edge? 8500
The most throughput in the range and 100 GE QSFP28 uplinks.
Gbps uplinks at the top end
Send us your throughput needs, user count, and uplink requirements and we will match the exact XGS model and licensing, quote it, and reply in two to three business days.
Not quite this big?
For mid-size and multi-site networks, the 1U Distributed Edge range is the right fit and picks up below this tier.




