Sophos Releases Upgraded Security Software

Sophos has incorporated several new features in a security software package released Wednesday that allows network administrators to manage security for thousands of computers from a single console.

Sophos Endpoint Security can detect, remove and block adware and applications that may have been downloaded by users but are not permitted on a network, said John Shaw, Sophos group product manager.

The product is aimed at enterprises, as Sophos does not make a consumer product. Its customers requested adware and unwanted application-removal functions wrapped in one product, Shaw said.

It also includes a client firewall that stops worms and controls unauthorized application communication, Shaw said. The firewall technology comes from Agnitum, a security company in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Endpoint Security includes Antivirus 6.0, an upgraded version of it antivirus software. Antivirus 6.0 receives regular virus signature updates for desktops, laptops and servers. Sophos says the antivirus product has technology called Genotype that protects against new threats by comparing them against known ones.

Antivirus 6.0 is compatible with 64-bit versions of Microsoft’s Windows 2000, XP and 2003 operating systems.

Endpoint Security also integrates with Cisco Systems’ Network Admission Control technology, which stops computers without proper security updates from connecting to a network, Shaw said.

The central management console has a cleanup function that administrators can use to alter the registry of a computer without physically visiting the machine.

Pricing is per user per year, with discounts for more users for multiyear terms. For fewer than 200 users, the price is 25.92 pounds (US$48.44) per user with the firewall or 21.60 pounds without.

-Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service

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