Sophos unveils new unified threat management appliance

Sophos released a new unified threat management appliance and software package exclusively for small businesses. The Sophos UTM 100 appliance with BasicGuard sets a new standard for small business security solutions—offering network, email, web and wireless protection together.

According to a recent IDC Report, “Small and medium-sized businesses 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. And these functions don’t necessarily scale as the business grows or their needs evolve.

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.”