What defines a “zone” in the Sophos XG Firewall configuration?

A zone in the Sophos XG Firewall configuration is defined as a logical grouping of network interfaces that share the same security requirements. Zones facilitate the organization of network traffic and access control by allowing system administrators to define similar security policies for multiple interfaces or networks at once.

For instance, if several interfaces are used for a particular segment of your network, such as the internal network or the DMZ (demilitarized zone), those can be grouped into a single zone. This simplifies policy management since security rules can be applied at the zone level rather than individually to each interface, enhancing both operational efficiency and consistency in applying security measures.

This logical grouping approach allows for more flexible and streamlined firewall management, enabling specific traffic rules, such as which services are permitted or denied, to be uniformly enforced across all interfaces within that zone. Thus, the concept of zones is central to effectively managing the security posture of networks in the Sophos XG Firewall environment.