Sophos announced additions to its range of SG Series firewall/UTM appliances, WiFi access points, and the availability of Sophos iView, a new dedicated virtual reporting appliance. By extending its Network Security portfolio with new entry-level and enterprise class appliances, Sophos now provides businesses of any size and the channel partners that serve them with the flexibility to consolidate their security with a complete proven solution set.

Sophos SG Series Appliances 

In April 2014 Sophos released the first of its new generation of network security appliances, the Sophos SG Series. Today, Sophos announced six additional firewall appliances, meaning that Sophos customers and partners can now choose from 12 SG Series models. As with the existing models, each uses the latest Intel multi-core technology to provide optimal performance. The new appliances include four desktop models ideal for small office deployments and two new 2U models that utilize the fastest Intel Chips and deliver extensive redundancy and customization features. Further desktop models will be available later in the year with integrated wireless connectivity, including two which support the 802.11ac standard.

Sophos iView

The release of the Sophos iView virtual appliance addresses what a recent Sophos survey on Spiceworks of SMB IT managers identified as their most significant frustration with existing firewalls from any vendor – insufficient reporting. This was the number one complaint with 35 percent of respondents saying they’d like greater reporting options. With over 1,000 built-in reports, including regulatory compliance reports, Sophos iView will give IT managers the extra depth they need. Users can also build their own custom reports and dashboards, focusing on problem areas or users on their network. Available as a virtual appliance only, Sophos iView supports VMware, Hyper-V, Citrix, and KVM virtual environments.

As a dedicated reporting appliance, Sophos iView can offload reporting duties and provide a range of added capabilities such as:

• Compliance reporting for industry standard regulations such as HIPAA, PCI, SOX, and GLBA
• Consolidated reporting across multiple UTM firewalls for a complete view of all network traffic from a single console
• Long-term persistent log management and storage for security and backup with convenient access for audits or forensics
• Licensing that is based on storage requirements, with the entry level vSI-Light including 100GB of storage and the vSI-Unlimited

Wireless Access Points

In addition to the SG Series and iView appliances, Sophos also announced the AP 100, the first in a new generation of wireless access points that support the latest 802.11ac protocols, and an entry level access point, the AP 15. As with previous Sophos wireless access points, the new AP15 and AP100 models can be managed directly from the Sophos SG Series appliances, meaning the wireless network is tightly integrated with the firewall protection.

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