Sophos launched a cloud platform designed to ease and unify security management as part of a strategy the company hopes will appeal to the midmarket.
Available today, Sophos Cloud features a management console hosted in the cloud. At the moment, it includes an endpoint security module for managing Sophos antivirus, application control and device control technologies for Windows. During the next several months, Sophos will be adding support for Macs as well as modules for mobile devices and network security.
“Sophos Cloud is the answer to the constant struggle IT teams face in protecting and securing their enterprises,” said Kris Hagerman, chief executive officer for Sophos, in a statement. “These IT teams may be as small as a single person, but the constant threats and challenges they face could overwhelm an army. To come to their rescue, we’re thrilled to deliver Sophos Cloud – it will be one of our key strategic priorities as we execute on our vision of being the best in the world at delivering complete, powerful, and simple IT security to small and mid-market enterprises and the channel that serves them.”
According to the company, the launch of Sophos Cloud is the first step in the company’s strategy of cloud-enabling its entire portfolio. In an interview with SecurityWeek, Sophos CTO Gerhard Eschelbeck the move is aimed primarily at the midmarket, which tends to be early adopters of cloud.
“The challenge within the midmarket, the smaller end of the [enterprise] market as well, is they usually have very limited resources,” he said. “They don’t have security expertise onboard. They are looking for help.”
For now, Sophos only plans to have support its in products with the platform, though the company will listen to input from channel partners and customers in regards to supporting third-party products, Eschelbeck said.
“Small and medium businesses are especially challenged regarding IT security,” said Charles Kolodgy, research vice president for IDC, in a statement. “They are targets and must meet security best practices yet are resource constrained. Sophos Cloud is a welcome addition. Its features can remove some of the complexity tied to security management thus allowing small and mid-market businesses to improve security without taxing their resources.”
