Security solutions specialist Sophos announced the latest version of Sophos Cloud, the company’s cloud-based solution for small and midsize businesses (SMBs).
The platform allows organizations to manage Windows, Mac and mobile devices from a single console and features user-based management, reporting and licensing.
Sophos Cloud also has built-in Web security to prevent user access to malicious and infected Websites; it also has new policy-based Web control features to enforce safe and productive Web use.
“IDC predicts that the continuing SMB productivity push will drive cloud and mobility adoption, in a big way; in the U.S., a third of small businesses and almost three-fourths of midsize firms are using the cloud, and the share will continue to grow,” Raymond Boggs, research vice president at IDC, said in a statement. “Sophos Cloud can help manage security across Windows, Mac and mobile devices, which is especially important given the diversity—some might say chaos—of an SMB environment.”
Boggs also noted its user-based management would be well-suited for SMBs looking to secure users of corporate devices or bring-your-own-device (BYOD) equipment.
“We’re pleased to deliver this new release of Sophos Cloud, as it’s another positive step in our strategy to use the cloud to create new, innovative solutions to the ever-increasing security challenges faced by small and midmarket businesses today,” Bill Lucchini, vice president and general manager of Sophos Cloud, said in a statement. “Sophos Cloud is a differentiated offering that enables IT professionals to simplify security management without compromising users’ demands for usability and performance.”
In an effort to reach out to the company’s channel partners, the platform also offers a unified Web-based management console, hosted in the cloud by Sophos, to help enable complete protection for users and devices.
In addition, an updated partner dashboard gives partners visibility into, and control over, their customers’ subscriptions, devices and policies.
A recent Sophos survey of IT managers highlighted the growing challenge of device diversity across their organizations, with a need to support Windows PCs, Macs and mobile devices.
More than three-quarters (78 percent) support or plan to support Macs on their corporate networks, and 41 percent see the number of Macs increasing in their corporate environments.
“Our growing organization required cloud-based security to support Macs and PCs. In deploying Sophos Cloud, we gained a simple and non-invasive solution,” Ian Lotinsky, vice president of engineering at LearnZillion, said in a statement. “I can conveniently schedule real-time scanning to gain all the information I need to proactively do my job. Best of all, Sophos Cloud ensures staff productivity by not getting in the way.”