Sophos is the largest privately held security company in the world headquartered in the UK and it is now completing an agreed takeover of Utimaco Safeware AG of Germany, a leader in encryption and data security protection. This move is significant because Gartner positioned Sophos in the leader quadrant for Endpoint Protection in 2008 and Utimaco in the leader quadrant for Mobile Data Protection in 2008. The merging of the two companies has major implications for their 3 main products:

1. SafeGuard Enterprise, Utimaco's flagship product in data security and encryption, has been very successful in the enterprise market with 5000+ user customers such as Aviva, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Scottish Widows, Airbus and so on. But SafeGuard will now be promoted to the much larger mid-market of Sophos customers in the UK and globally covering from 100 users up to 5000 users.

2. Sophos Endpoint will be enhanced with the option of SafeGuard encryption technology to give Sophos large installed base of Endpoint users access to more data protection.

3. Sophos NAC endpoint assessment and control will be enhanced to include data security checks.

See more about this here 

If you would like to discuss Sophos and Utimaco solutions then speak to Foursys on 01223 810 910, the largest added value reseller of Sophos products and services in the UK.

Here are 4 great Sophos promotions that run until end of March 2009 and apply to existing Sophos customers and those new to Sophos. Here are the main promotions:

1. Applies to Sophos Endpoint customers - Buy One Get One Free on Mail or Web Appliances - so if you decide to buy Sophos for both Endpoint and Email Security then you only pay for one ES Email Appliance and you get the second ES free to use for a second site or for failover use. The same applies if you order Sophos Endpoint and Web - your second WS Web Appliance is free. You need to order a minimum 3 years licence with 100 users or more for a free ES1000 or WS1000, or 500 users or more for a free ES4000. And if you order Email and Web Security and need one of each appliance then you can have the lower priced appliance for free.

2. Applies to all Sophos SAVI customers - Free Email Appliance - SAVI users who decide to replace their third party mail product with Sophos Email Licence will now get a free Email Appliance with their Email Licence. In addition they will get protection not only for their mail SMTP gateway with the Sophos ES Appliance, but also for their internal email servers (by using PureMessage for Exchange/Domino/UNIX) as PureMessage is included in the Sophos Email Licence. You need to order a minimum 3 year Sophos Email Licence and have at least 100 users to qualify for a free ES1000 and at least 500 users for a free ES4000.

3. Applies to all Sophos SAV customers - Free Upgrade to Endpoint software months - if you renew your licence at least 3 months before expiry for 2 years or more and upgrade from SAV to Endpoint then you get free months added. For example, you renew for 2 years and get 2 free months and so only pay for 22 months. Or you renew for 3 years and get 3 free months and so only pay for 33 months. Or you renew for 5 years and get 5 free months and so only pay for 55 months. That is like having 8% off the price and your licence will still run from the original expiry date so you lose no time on your licence.

4. Applies to all customers new to Sophos - Free Endpoint software months and/or Free Appliances! - for those who do not use Sophos on the desktop or for email/web protection then you can get a combination of both promotions. You get free Endpoint software to the end of your competitive desktop licence (e.g. McAfee, Symantec, Trend, etc) and a Buy One Get One Free on Appliances. You need to order a minimum 3 year Licence and have at least 100 users to qualify for a free ES1000/WS1000 and at least 500 users for a free ES4000. The free term is up to 6 months on a 2 year licence, up to 12 months on a 3 year licence and up to 18 months on a 5 year licence - you need to show proof of the competitive licence term as your free extra time will match this period.

For more information click here or call Foursys on 01223 810 910.

Now with Websense Web Security version 7, the world's best Web security just got better. Websense enhances the best-in-class Web security solution to include:

• New intuitive security dashboard shows instantly actionable data
• A state-of-the-art web-based GUI makes the product easier to use
• Delegated administration scales for distributed organizations
• Integrated drill-down reporting provides unrivalled visibility and control
• Current Websense Web Security Suite customers upgrade to Websense Web Security v7 for free.

Before upgrading speak to the experts at Foursys as the v7 software has larger processor and memory requirements so you need to be sure your hardware platform will still be sufficient for your needs immediately after the upgrade and going forward. Because the one thing we can be sure of is that web traffic by our users will increase dramatically over the coming year. For more information click here.
 

To help customers be better informed about Websense v7 Foursys ran a series of 7 workshops around the UK in October and November. If you want to a copy of the presentations or to know more click here or call Foursys on 01223 810 910 and ask for one of our Sales or Engineer teams.

NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust (PCT) can now actively enforce its security after becoming the first organisation to install NAC Advanced software in enforcement mode.
In common with many large corporate networks, the PCT faces an increasing problem from flexible and remote working. On the one hand, the Trust needs to allow visitors and staff to use their own hardware on the corporate network, both on and off site. On the other hand, it needs to retain the integrity of its own systems and protect them from viruses and other threats posed by unauthorised network access. The threat level is significantly increased by users connecting to the corporate network from their own PCs, as such use potentially causes real disruption and significantly increases the risk of virus infection. Although the problem was easy to identify, the solution was less simple. It needed to fit the PCT’s needs for a defence in depth model, providing a mechanism to control endpoint health and activity. It also needed to limit the network access of unknown devices and ensure that known devices met a strict set of IT criteria.

After a phase of testing and assessment, the PCT chose Sophos NAC Advanced. Andrew Brinded, IT Services Engineer for the PCT and technical lead for the implementation of Sophos NAC Advanced, explains why. "We’ve used Foursys in the past and have always been impressed with their ability to deliver and support projects. For a project as high risk as this, we needed a company who were both knowledgeable and would take every precaution to reduce the risk. I have been extremely happy with both the implementation and the support received from Foursys. The product is equally impressive. We can now say with a degree of certainty that our endpoints are complying with our defined baseline policies. We also have the ability to ensure that an issue is immediately resolved. Sophos NAC is also flexible. It allows a phased deployment, enforcing different policies for different users or sites and we are confident that the product’s reach will expand to cover other departments."

“We will be starting several projects shortly, involving the majority of our GP sites and all of our community sites (over 50 sites). This will include the deployment of Sophos Anti-Virus, Sophos NAC and Utimaco SafeGuard.”

Download more information and the full case study here.

Foursys, a Cambridge-based IT company specialising in network threat protection, has taken on extra professional services sales and technical staff to meet increased demand.
Foursys supplies security solutions throughout the UK to both the public and private sector, including the desktop, email and web gateway, and in the last year has seen a fourfold increase in the service side of its business. “In the past, 95% of our sales have come from resold products and licences from our vendors and less than 5% from our own services," said Sales Director Jez Turner. "But the company has now moved towards an increased focus on added value services. As a result, we took the decision earlier this year to increase the number of our sales and technical staff who focus on services including sales, technical support, implementation, training and security tests, such as penetration testing and vulnerability assessments. The demand from Foursys customers, both new and old, has been for a reliable supplier that could deliver more than just a product licence. Organisations of all sizes are increasingly concerned about threats that come from the web and email and can reach users desktops and servers."

“Customers recognise that their IT administrators need help in turning what can be an excellent product from a vendor such as Sophos, Websense or Clearswift into a secure solution that meets their business needs. They may also want an independent test of their overall security through a penetration test or a more comprehensive vulnerability assessment. Foursys can then report on detailed recommendations on how users can increase their security. Foursys is now positioned to be such a provider.”