Mar 19 — IT security and control firm Sophos recently introduced Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0, incorporating Network Access Control (NAC) technology to go beyond reactive and proactive anti-virus – offering businesses complete preventive computer protection.

Sophos’s offering integrates anti-virus, anti-spyware, host intrusion prevention, application control, firewall and NAC to block viruses and spyware as well as ensure that computers are running authorized, up-to-date software and adhering to company policies. Recently conducted research by Sophos showed that two out of every three corporate computers are failing to meet standards because they are running out-of-date anti-virus, missing security patches or have a disabled firewall.

“Historically it’s been difficult for IT managers to know whether their users’ computers are safe, protected and compliant with corporate policies. NAC has been touted as the answer to this problem, but the technology has often been beyond the reach of most companies in terms of budget and resource,” said John Shaw, Director of Endpoint Security and Control at Sophos. “We are addressing this pain with Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 – delivering preventive protection, in a form that is simple to roll-out at no additional charge. Its integrated NAC and application control technology gives administrators the confidence that all the computers on their network are updated with the latest security patches and are only running authorized software.”

A recent report from Forrester Research showed 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 (Forrester Research, “Client Management 2.0: IT Ops Needs Next-Gen NAC And Client Security To Manage Endpoint Risk”, Natalie Lambert and Robert Whiteley, March 29, 2007). By integrating NAC with endpoint security protection, the new Sophos offering is designed to simplify implementation, helping to enable the mainstream adoption of the technology.

“As a current Sophos customer we were excited about looking at the integrated NAC features that are part of the Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 product,” said John Endahl, Senior Information Security Administrator at TechTeam Global. “The product just continues to get better by adding new functionality without over-complicating things. From the centralized management of the product (including multiple platforms) to the fantastic support they always provide, Sophos continues to deliver increasing value with its products.”

Much like its previous version, Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 provides cross-platform security and control for desktops, laptops, file servers and mobile devices. With Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0, Sophos is broadening its offering to also include policy control and assessment in a simple, cost-effective manner. Benefits include:

Organizations can automatically deploy and manage the assessment, control and protection of all Windows, Mac and Linux computers from one console. Sophos’s intuitive security dashboard gives instant visibility of the protection status on all computers, and fixing problems is as simple as two clicks. The company’s software includes an integrated removal tool to automatically remove another vendor’s anti-virus as part of deploying Sophos Endpoint Security and Control.

Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 will be a no charge upgrade for all current licensed Sophos Endpoint Security and Control customers. Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 8.0 will be globally available within 30 days and can be purchased through Sophos’s worldwide network of value-added authorized resellers.

www.sophos.com