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Sophos’s first-to-market 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 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that an alarming two out of every three corporate computers are failing to meet standards because they are running out-of-date anti-virus, missing security patches or have a disabled firewall.

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.

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.

(1) 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