Sophos, a world leader in integrated threat management solutions, has announced that it has acquired ENDFORCE, a leader in endpoint security policy compliance and network access control (NAC) solutions for enterprise customers.
Sophos will build on ENDFORCE's position as the leading standalone NAC solution deployed in environments of greater than 10 000 users, and also integrate NAC as part of its comprehensive endpoint security solution.
Steve Munford, CEO of Sophos, says: "This acquisition brings our customers the most proven mass deployed enterprise NAC solution in the market. Administrators demand the option of choosing a NAC provider without the risk of disrupting installed systems, and Sophos is prepared to meet that demand ahead of our competitors."
ENDFORCE, based in Columbus, Ohio, has deployed its software-based NAC solutions to some of the most complex multinational corporate networks in the world. CEO Greg Moore says: "Securing the endpoint is the most practical and effective method to implement access control over a heterogeneous network."
The addition of network access control further expands Sophos's proposition of total security and control over what is allowed to run on the network as well as who has access and to what. "Network Access Control offers companies the added protection of having a lock on the door to the network. If you have the key, you can get in," says Brett Myroff, CEO of Sophos master distributor, NetXactics.
"Machines that aren't patched, will not be allowed to connect to the network, preventing hackers, for example, from gaining access.
"You will still be able to manage all this from within the Sophos security framework as part of a composite solution," he adds.
Robert Whiteley, senior analyst at Forrester, says: "The market seems to have settled on network access control as a key security technology. Organisations want NAC for increased security across all access technologies-wired, wireless and remote-access alike."
The acquisition of a NAC solution completes a year in which Sophos added application control and host intrusion prevention (HIPS) to its endpoint security offering and follows the launch of the industry's first all-in-one Web security appliance designed to provide content security, application control and URL filtering in a single appliance solution. The addition of a Web appliance and NAC solution rounds out Sophos's suite of e-mail, Web and desktop solutions for complete security and control.
Sophos will maintain the ENDFORCE operation in Columbus, Ohio, and expand its global network of engineering, product development, sales and support to include the existing staff. ENDFORCE products will continue to be developed and sold under the Sophos brand.
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Sophos is a world leader in integrated threat management solutions, protecting against known and unknown malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam and policy abuse for business, education and government. Sophos's reliably engineered, easy-to-operate products protect more than 35 million users in more than 150 countries.
Through 20 years' experience and a global network of threat analysis centres, the company responds rapidly to emerging threats - no matter how complex - and achieves the highest levels of customer satisfaction in the industry. Sophos is a global company with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information on Sophos, visit www.sophos.com.
NetXactics
NetXactics is a South African-based company, focused on the provision of security solutions. It is the Master Distributor for UK-based Sophos Plc, one of the leaders in the provision of anti-virus and anti-spam software for the corporate environment. For more information, visit NetXactics at www.netxactics.co.za.
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