Sophos rolls out security appliance for small businesses

• Offers network, email, web and wireless protection at affordable price
• Enterprise-grade security that can scale up as business grows, says Sophos

SECURITY specialist Sophos has released a new unified threat management appliance and software package exclusively for small businesses, the Sophos UTM 100 appliance which comes with BasicGuard, offering network, email, web and wireless protection.

According to a recent IDC report, “Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have as much need for information technology as much larger companies. They also require security because they are a target of cybercriminals, but there are unique issues that prevent SMBs from just buying what large enterprises purchase.”

Although companies of all sizes can fall victim to malware and security breaches, tight budgets and a lack of resources typically impact small businesses that are oftentimes obligated to deploy low-end security products that lack necessary security functions, Sophos said in a statement. And these functions don’t necessarily scale as the business grows or their needs evolve.

UTM 100 customers can easily upgrade their license to include more advanced security features and accommodate more employees, Sophos said.
BasicGuard includes many of the capabilities typically reserved for enterprise solutions, such as:

• Web Application Control features
• Network Firewall & IPS
• Remote Access and VPN
• Wireless Protection
• Web antivirus and URL filter
• Email antivirus and anti-spam capabilities

“Today’s small businesses want a reliable set of core capabilities with full flexibility to expand features as their needs and budgets grow,” said Chris Kraft, vice president, product management, Sophos.

“Complete security shouldn’t be out of reach for small businesses. We believe they shouldn’t have to compromise between security and budgets, which is why we developed the UTM 100 – enterprise features and the ability to upgrade, at an attractive price point.”

The Sophos UTM 100 appliance is available now in Malaysia, from accredited Sophos distributors and resellers, at a list price of US$695 - which includes a BasicGuard subscription for one year with 25 maximum recommended users. Sophos can be contacted at [email protected] for further information or pricing details.

Additional information on Sophos’ Unified solutions can be found here or at www.sophos.com/networksecurity.