Sophos Launches New Security Suites

The Boston-based company’s “Complete Security” suite includes endpoint protection features, such as antivirus, host intrusion prevention, firewall, web filtering, network access control, data loss prevention, as well as application and device control. In addition to the endpoint functionality that’s included, Sophos has also included its web and email gateways, which are available in either a virtual or appliance-based form factor. Likewise, full disk encryption and email encryption are also included. And, to top it off, it’s made mobility security for Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry available, as well as provided protection for Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Exchange.

The Data Protection suite features most of the same functionality but does not include the web gateway or SharePoint protection. The third offering is the Web Protection suite, which combines the endpoint functionality with the web gateway.

“We’re telling our partners to listen for customer concerns around threats, infections, and the need for broadly based protection,” explained John Metzger, product marketing manager at Sophos, to CRN. “The complete security suite includes everything. The data protection and the web protection are subsets of that.”

The primary sales target is focused on midmarket CIOs who don't have large IT staffs and are interested in comprehensive security that is easily managed. The “sweet spot” varies from market to market, but it is usually in the 200 to 300-seat range. But Metzger says Sophos is already selling down to as few as five seats and up to tens of thousands.

“The value proposition for the channel is a powerful one,” Metzger added. “Security audits are a big opportunity for the channel, and we have of patching assessment tool that will help you to assess which computers are missing critical patches. Data protection audits are another opportunity. Partners can also add service by setting up policies that meet the particular customer’s needs. And because it is offered as a suite, they no longer have to support five different point products and invest in training and collateral materials etc. for each of those.

The go-to-market strategy for each of the three suites supports both traditional resale and managed services.

Sophos has also changed its approach to patch assessment and web filtering. While those had previously been sold separately, they are now added to the endpoint protection advanced license at no additional cost.

“From a partner standpoint, you're getting more of their IT security spend, you're getting more ownership of the budget, and your becoming more of a trusted advisor to them so that when it comes time to turn on additional pieces of security, you're there to help them out,” added Metzger.