Recently 3 of our customers asked Foursys if we could offer better support service on Sophos or Websense than they received as standard from the vendors. In particular they wanted to bypass the call centre approach and talk direct to engineers who had the background already on their network and any previous calls they had made. They were also tired of waiting for support call-backs. 

 

We felt that Foursys could offer a better approach.

 

So in January we launched "Foursys Enhanced Support" with 3 Levels (1, 2 and 3) covering initially Sophos Endpoint/Email/Web or Websense Web Security.

 

All 3 Levels include Priority Telephone Support (with Target Response Times depending on the severity of the problem), remote technical support and discounts on all Foursys supplied services (including onsite work and training courses).

 

Customers can choose one of 3 Levels for Enhanced Support: Level 1 covers 8am-6pm 5 days, Level 2 covers 8am-6pm 7 days and Level 3 covers 24x7. Level 2 and 3 also include a free onsite or remote Health Check and report.

 

Prices start from £500 for smaller sites but are normally based on a percentage of the Sophos or Websense Licence price.

 

For more information call Foursys, download the Enhanced Support PDF here or go to www.foursys.co.uk/enhancedsupport

In 2007 we started to provide our own training courses and these have proven to be popular with customers for 3 main reasons: 

 

small class numbers (with a maximum of 4 delegates) means that everyone gets the most out of the course; courses can be held on a customer site (so reducing travelling costs and time); and they can be tailored (so we focus on the areas that you need to know most).

 

This has made Foursys Training Courses very cost effective for managers and great value for the administrators who take the courses.

 

We now have 4 courses available all with the latest content: Sophos Endpoint Admin 2 day, Sophos NAC Advanced Admin 2 days, Websense Web Security Admin 1 day and Microsoft ISA Server 2006 Admin 2 day.

 

Courses can be combined, eg Sophos 2 day and Websense 1 day into a combined 3 day course.

 

For more information or pricing call Foursys or go to www.foursys.co.uk/service/trainingcourses. All Foursys courses are delivered by certified technical engineers.

On January 22nd Sophos released a major (and free) upgrade to their Web Security and Control software that runs on the Sophos WS1000 Web Appliance.

 

Each WS1000 will provide web security support for up to 3000 users at normal web usage levels and can now link into existing Microsoft ISA networks or act as a standalone proxy, whichever approach is preferable.

 

Customers now have much more flexibility in setting WS rules and policies by users or groups. And a new URL Database has been included (SurfControl's URL database) which has dramatically improved URL Filtering. Reporting has also been significantly improved. (Note: if you need even more detailed reporting then Sophos WS works with Webspy Vantage, probably the most powerful and flexible reporting tool available in the UK - see Webspy item below).

 

The Sophos Web Appliance can be a low cost solution if you already have Sophos Endpoint/SAV or Sophos Email or both because you get a 25%-35% discount off the Web Licence as an existing Sophos customer.

 

Also if you use SurfControl Web Filter and move to Sophos Web Security (and so use the same URL Filter database) then you will get a rebate off any unused time on the old SurfControl Licence.

 

So for existing Sophos or SurfControl Web users the Sophos Web Security solution can be a cost effective and simpler move than many alternatives.

 

For more information call Foursys or see www.foursys.co.uk/sophos/websecurity

Do you think your "managed" computers on your network are fully up to date with latest Windows patches and releases, AV updates and other key programs? Are you concerned about "unmanaged" computers bringing a threat onto your network or running unauthorised or illegal applications? Are you worried about guest, contractor, laptop or non-compliant PCs?

Foursys is the most experienced and successful Sophos NAC partner in the UK, so is able to provide best advice as regards implementation and management.

For more information on NAC Advanced www.foursys.co.uk

Websense offer previous SurfControl customers price protection and upgrade options. Websense has guaranteed to all SurfControl customers that they will pay no more than their last price for their first renewal in 2008. So if a customer paid X for a 3 year SurfControl subscription product back in 2005 then he will pay the same price for his first renewal in 2008.

And if customers want to keep their present SurfControl Web software but upgrade later on in the term to Websense then they can do so. By paying an additional amount on their protected SurfControl price (10% for Websense Enterprise or 20% for Websense Security Suite) then the customer will receive both their SurfControl and new Websense Licence keys and can switch when it suits them. (Current offer available until end of March 08)

This gives all SurfControl customers security and flexibility and is a refreshing change to how most customers are treated after a merger/takeover.

For more information on how this affects your own site please call Foursys on 01223 810 910.

Foursys suggests users who are concerned about web threats take this action:

1. Leave SurfControl Web in place until you are able to change to Websense but seriously consider one of the 2 upgrades available.

2. Upgrade to Websense Security Filter if your primary concern is Web Filtering and Reporting since the Websense product will continue to be developed while the SurfControl Web Filter will not be developed after Q1 2008. The extra cost is just 10% more than the protected SurfControl price and a considerable saving over the normal price of Websense Enterprise. (Current offer available until end of March 08)

3. Upgrade to Websense Security Suite if you are concerned about not only Web Filtering and Reporting but also Web Threats since the Suite includes Real Time Updates and a number of other features to counter web threats , such as Malicious Protocol protection . The extra cost is just 20% more than the protected SurfControl price and a considerable saving over the normal price of Websense Security Suite. (Current offer available until end of March 08)

4. Make sure you are fully aware of Websense and how it works before making any change to your installation. Foursys can provide Webex demonstrations, onsite demonstrations, evaluations and training courses on Websense. Since our team are trained on SurfControl Web and Websense we can focus on your particular needs and requirements.

Foursys always recommend a layered approach to security, with a web gateway preventing access to malicious sites and malicious content as well as standard URL filtering so in general we would recommend a solution involving Websense Web Security Suite.

To discuss your own particular requirements and get detailed technical and commercial advice call Foursys on 01223 810 910

Celestix is Microsoft's largest OEM for web security appliances and has supplied appliances with Microsoft Windows and ISA Server globally for almost 2 years. The majority of these are used for web security with ISA on its own or with Websense pre-installed. 

 

Foursys has been working with Celestix ever since they have been in the UK and has now been recognised as the "Celestix UK Reseller of the Year 2007".

 

Foursys now includes "Enhanced Celestix Maintenance" in all renewals as from January 2008. This means that we can store the customers latest Celestix/ISA/Websense configuration so that in the case of an appliance failure onsite we can ship a fully configured replacement Celestix Appliance on a next day basis. This will save our customers a lot of time and effort building a new server from scratch.

 

For more information call Foursys or see www.foursys.co.uk/celestix

Clearswift have had a reputation for delivering security solutions for large organisations but are less well known in the Small/Medium sector. 

 

That changed in January 2008. Clearswift have dramatically reduced the pricing on their MIMEsweeper Email and Web Appliances for 50-500 user sites.

 

All Appliances supplied by Foursys also include our technical support and updates to the software. You can buy both Email and Web Appliances (with a common management console) or just one Appliance. Special pricing is now available for 50 to 500 user sites with prices from around £2000 for an Email Appliance.

 

Webspy Analyser and Premium have been used for Web and Email Reporting for many years. The new Webspy Vantage product has been improved and linked in to the latest products from Sophos and Microsoft. Webspy Vantage is very easy to use and totally flexible. And it includes support by Webspy themselves. 

 

For example one Vantage Licence on a Windows workstation can now be used to report on 3 systems. Choose any 3 from those that make most sense for you such as Sophos WS Web Appliances, Sophos ES Email Appliances, Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft ISA.