Sophos Product Lifecycle Calendar - End-of-Sale / End-of-Life

The Sophos Product Lifecycle Calendar supports procurement, renewal, migration and risk assessment. For Sophos Firewall environments, it is not only important whether an appliance is still running today. It is also crucial whether it is still being sold, whether support can be extended, whether RMA is possible, and when a clean transition to a successor model must be planned.

This overview summarises important lifecycle data for Sophos Firewall appliances, REDs, Access Points and Switches. The data should be checked against the official Sophos Retirement Calendar and the current licensing documents for every major firewall planning, as availability, successors and renewal windows may change.

For concrete upgrade and migration planning, also consider Checking Sophos Firewall before SFOS 22 Upgrade, Creating or Restoring Sophos Firewall Backup and Selecting Sophos Firewall Hardware or Virtual Appliance.

Important: Lifecycle data are planning data. Before ordering, renewing, RMA or hardware replacement, you should verify serial number, license status, Sophos account, support entitlement and current Sophos lifecycle information.

Glossary

End-of-Sale (EOS)

The End-of-Sale date is the last day a product is officially sold new. In practice, a model may become hard to obtain earlier depending on stock, distributor and region. Therefore, projects should not be planned up to the last day.

End-of-Life (EOL)

From this date onwards, Sophos no longer provides regular support for this product. RMA or replacement processes can no longer be planned as with supported hardware. Productive sites should be migrated before this date.

Last Renewal

Last Renewal is the final opportunity to extend license and support. After this date, purchasing or renewing the service is no longer possible. This is often more important for budget planning than the later End-of-Life date.

Buyer’s Guide (BG)

The Buyer’s Guide is an Avanet classification for procurement and planning.

🟢 - The product is current and has a clear purchase recommendation.

🟠 - The product is still officially sold, but there are indications of a successor.

🔴 - No purchase recommendation, the product is already or soon End of Life or there is already a successor.

How to Use the Lifecycle Data

Lifecycle data should not be read in isolation. For administrators, four questions are especially relevant:

1. Can the hardware still be sensibly renewed? If Last Renewal is near, a migration is often more worthwhile than a short extension.
2. Is the firmware strategy realistic? Old XG and SG hardware no longer supports current SFOS versions. For SFOS 22 and newer, the platform must be checked early.
3. Is there a recovery scenario? Before EOL, it should be clear whether a replacement device, backup, SSMK, interface mapping and access documentation are available.
4. Is the successor really suitable? A successor model does not automatically replace throughput, port layout, WLAN module, SFP/SFP+, PoE, RED design or rackmount requirements.

For an ongoing firewall project, you should therefore not only read the table but also include Finding the Sophos Firewall Serial Number, Activating Sophos Firewall License Key and Correctly Assessing Sophos Firewall Sizing.

Recommended Checks Before Renewal or Replacement

Before renewal, hardware replacement or EOL migration, you should document at least the following points:

• Serial number, model, firmware version and location,
• current license and support status,
• End-of-Sale, Last Renewal and End-of-Life,
• planned successor including port layout and performance,
• current backup and Secure Storage Master Key,
• HA role, WAN design, RED locations and wireless dependencies,
• planned migration path and rollback window.

If a firewall needs to be transferred to another account, this should be clarified before migration. The procedure is described in Transferring Sophos Firewall to Another Sophos Central Account.

XGS Firewall

XG Firewall

SD-REDs

REDs

Access Points

AP Series

APX Series

AP6 Series

AP6 is the current WiFi 6 generation from Sophos. When planning wireless, you should also check whether access points are managed locally via Sophos Firewall or via Sophos Central, whether existing AP or APX models need to be replaced, and whether PoE, mounting, outdoor requirements and SSID/VLAN design fit.

Switches

Common Mistakes in Lifecycle Planning

Only checking End-of-Life: Renewal may already be impossible before then. Therefore, check End-of-Sale, Last Renewal and EOL together.

Replacing the model 1:1: Port layout, performance or WLAN will not automatically fit. Reassess sizing, interfaces, PoE, SFP/SFP+, rackmount, RED sites and location requirements.

Looking for the backup only during replacement: Migration is delayed or restore fails. Check backup, Secure Storage Master Key and restore compatibility before replacement.

Forgetting RED or Access Points: Branch offices or WLAN may be affected after the firewall replacement. Document dependencies per site.

Not maintaining lifecycle data in the asset system: Surprises around budget, renewal and support arise when data only exists in a spreadsheet. Record serial number, EOL, Last Renewal and planned successor per asset.

FAQ