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With two thirds of computers non-compliant, Sophos's simple preventive approach safeguards networks, at no additional cost.
IT security and control firm Sophos today announced Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0, incorporating Network Access Control (NAC) technology to go beyond reactive and proactive anti-virus, to offer businesses complete preventive computer protection.
With Sophos's first-to-market offering integrating anti-virus, anti-spyware, host intrusion prevention, application control, firewall and NAC to block viruses and spyware, channel partners can help businesses ensure that all computers connecting to their network are running authorised up-to-date software and adhere to company policies. This announcement coincides with preliminary research from Sophos which reveals that an alarming two out of every three corporate computers are failing to meet standards because they are running out-of-date anti-virus, missing security patches or have a disabled firewall.
"Businesses need to be aware of the significant risk of just allowing any device to connect to their network. What's needed are solutions that enable organisations to easily assess each and every endpoint before granting access," said Andrew Bradshaw, vice president of Sophos UK. "With NAC's key functionality now integrated into our endpoint security solutions, our partners are able to offer a simple and affordable solution to their customers that have dismissed NAC as too complicated and too expensive. "
Sophos's claims are backed up by a recent survey from Forrester Research(1), which reveals that approximately 40 percent of companies surveyed have tried to install NAC, but only four percent were able to complete the implementation, blaming the excessive complexity of network-based models. By integrating NAC with endpoint security protection, the new Sophos offering simplifies implementation, at last enabling the mainstream adoption of the technology.
Since last year's acquisition of Endforce, Sophos has seamlessly integrated the core policy control and assessment capabilities into its flagship endpoint solution without requiring additional software license costs. The release of Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 not only demonstrates Sophos's ability to execute much faster than its competitors, but also a continued commitment to reducing the complexity of endpoint security management.
Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 delivers cross-platform preventive security and control for desktops, laptops, file servers and mobile devices. With this offering, Sophos is broadening its offering to also include policy control and assessment in a simple, cost-effective manner. Specifically, it is able to identify managed, unmanaged and guest computers that do not comply with corporate security policies. Endpoints are assessed by looking for those that are incorrectly patched or have the firewall disabled. Customers can choose to configure automatic remediation to fix vulnerabilities before allowing network access or simply block non-compliant computers.
"With the proliferation of devices now connecting to corporate networks, more and more of our customers are on the look out for a solution that can ensure all the computers on their network are updated with the latest security patches and are only running authorised software," said Paul Prior, managing director at Sophos Platinum Partner, Foursys. "In conjunction with Sophos, we've already run a series of hands-on NAC workshops to demonstrate the advantages of NAC to our customers. With this new solution, we'll be able to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, giving them the benefits of NAC without any extra administrative or financial burden."
Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 requires no additional hardware investment. One automated console provides a single point from which to deploy, update and report on anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, and NAC protection, detecting malware, adware, suspicious files and behaviour, and unauthorised software.
Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 will be a no charge upgrade for all current licensed Sophos Endpoint Security and Control customers.
Sophos's Standard Support, included with every Sophos license, gives customers 24-hour support, every day of the year, provided by a globally managed team. Customers can contact Sophos engineers for one-to-one assistance at any time.