Sophos delivers simplified data protection for the midmarket

Reduces complexities in how customers manage data loss concerns and data-specific compliance requirements

Singapore. June 3, 2009 – IT security and control firm Sophos today delivered to market a new solution that incorporates encryption and data protection capabilities across endpoint, email and web. The new Sophos Security and Data Protection offering simplifies how companies manage information security and compliance requirements alongside malware and spam protection in a way that reduces cost and complexity. This release combines the enhancements to Sophos’s endpoint, email and web products into a single solution proposition to the market that solves a wide range of security concerns including PCI compliance requirements.

Previous studies have demonstrated Sophos’s unique ability to simplify the deployment and management of security for customers thereby freeing up time to focus on revenue-generating IT initiatives. With the new Sophos Security and Data Protection solutions, Sophos continues its commitment to reduce IT complexity by addressing how customers manage data loss concerns and data-specific compliance requirements.

Sophos Security and Data ProtectionThe new solution represents the first integrated offering as a result of the recent acquisition of Utimaco. This solution is comprised of Endpoint Security and Data Protection, Email Security and Data Protection, and Web Security and Control. With Endpoint Security and Data Protection, customers receive a comprehensive suite that includes full disk encryption, control of devices, applications, network access control and industry-leading malware protection. The management console uniquely reduces administration time by automating endpoint security and compliance-related responsibilities.

In fact, customers can automatically configure and deploy to all of their endpoints – irrespective of operating system – using standard tools and with minimal impact to end users. Protecting data in transit, Email Security and Data Protection incorporates Sophos’s threat protection and content filtering capabilities with new email data protection functionality including integrated SPX Encryption, patent-pending email encryption technology that is uniquely simple to deploy and manage.

Messages triggered by administrator-configured policy rules are automatically encrypted into an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) container and secured using one of a number of password management options. The message is then forwarded to the recipient, who simply opens the encrypted package on their computer from any email client and decrypts it using the supplied password. No network connection is required to view the encrypted messages, which can be customized using administrator-configured templates.

IT teams are quick to tell us that their existing security products are too complex to manage and when they encounter issues, they then must deal with poor support from their current security vendors,” said Steve Munford, chief executive officer at Sophos. “Combine these frustrations with the fact that many companies are rethinking their security strategy to better address data loss concerns and therein exists a tremendous market opportunity for Sophos.”

New Sophos Web Security and Control Appliance ModelsWith one newly infected webpage discovered by Sophos every 4.5 seconds, and web-based applications increasingly becoming the de facto desktop for many business workers, Sophos has broadened the range of its award winning Web Security and Control product line to provide maximum value and control for mid-size businesses and enterprise organizations. Sophos is introducing two new models, including a high performance appliance aimed at large organizations as well a high-value branch office model to provide added deployment flexibility.

Sophos is also launching a new line of Security Management appliances which allow Web Security and Control customers to centrally manage and monitor multiple web appliances across one or more locations in real-time through a single dashboard. Customers can also collate and log data from across their organization’s web security infrastructure to simplify enterprise-wide reporting and compliance – including the ability to store up to three years of data.

Web Security and Control ensures safe and productive browsing by blocking malware, phishing attacks, anonymizing proxies, and unwanted applications at the gateway before they can do any damage. The appliances also employ real-time behavioral genotype anti-malware scanning that provides the best zero-day protection in the industry. Each web appliance, wherever it is in the world, is automatically updated and remotely monitored by Sophos.