Sophos Joins Cisco Network Admission Control (NAC) Program
Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against spam and viruses, has announced that it has joined the Network Admission Control (NAC) program. This Cisco-led industry initiative uses network infrastructure to help enforce security policy compliance on all devices which attempt to access a company’s network computing resources, thereby limiting damage from viruses and other threats.
By joining NAC, Sophos commits to integrate the Cisco Trust Agent (CTA) into its industry-leading anti-virus solution, Sophos Anti-Virus. Integration of the Cisco Trust Agent with the Sophos anti-virus solution will further safeguard enterprise environments by helping to ensure that only systems compliant with corporate security policies can connect to the network. Helping to prevent full network access for individual, non-compliant systems in this way helps to significantly reduce the risk of critical computing resources being compromised.
The NAC program supports the Cisco Self-Defending Network strategy which aims to increase network intelligence in order to identify, prevent and adapt to security threats automatically.
When NAC identifies non-compliant devices, it can deny access or allow restricted access to the network. NAC allows organisations help verify that all endpoint devices, such as PCs, PDAs and servers, are compliant with established security policies before they are granted access to the enterprise network.
“The NAC program is significant for the industry because it will help organisations develop networks which are resilient to a wide range of damaging threats,” said Richard Baldry, global head of strategic alliances at Sophos. “Joining the NAC program underpins endpoint security as a key aspect of Sophos’s approach to network security.”
“Helping to protect customers’ networks by helping to control who and what can access their networks is fundamental to our approach to security,” said Russell Rice, director of product marketing in the Security Technology Group at Cisco Systems. “Sophos’s involvement in the NAC effort further strengthens our customers protection against virus and worms, and we greatly value its participation in the program.”
To help accelerate its involvement in the program, Sophos recently participated in a Cisco-hosted NAC Developer Conference which brought together more than 25 vendors representing best-of-breed companies in the security market. As part of its development effort, Sophos now hopes to deliver NAC compliant products to market in mid-2005.
Customers interested in beta testing Sophos Anti-Virus solutions with the Cisco Trust Agent should contact their local Sophos reseller.
More information about the NAC effort can be found at: www.cisco.com/go/nac
About Sophos
Sophos is a world leading computer security specialist, developing anti-virus and anti-spam software. Headquartered in the UK, the company produces solutions tailored for businesses of all sizes – from small enterprises to global corporations. Sophos is acclaimed for delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction and protection in the industry. The company’s products are sold and supported in more than 150 countries and protect more than 35 million users. www.sophos.com