Sophos Unveils Enhanced XGS & Updated Firewall Software

Sophos, a global leader in innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today introduced nine new XGS Series desktop firewall appliances for midmarket and smaller-sized businesses, as well as branch offices of larger organizations. The new XGS appliances feature a streamlined architecture to deliver double the performance of previous models but with 50% lower energy consumption. All of the new Sophos XGS appliances are available with multiple high-speed connectivity options, and four models are fanless, making them ideal for noise-sensitive environments.

Sophos has also announced updated Sophos Firewall software that provides enhanced protection against cyberattacks, including the ability to integrate third-party threat intelligence feeds. This allows organizations with specific regional or vertical market requirements to customize and apply additional information to strengthen their firewall security. The new software also enhances distributed network scalability and provides a seamless transition for customers on legacy firewalls to upgrade to the latest Sophos XGS appliances. By leveraging the improved acceleration capabilities of the virtual FastPath in the new Sophos Firewall software, along with the new streamlined architecture, the new Sophos XGS firewall appliances can deliver up to three times the performance in IPsec VPN throughput compared to previous models.

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“The new Sophos XGS appliances and Sophos Firewall software launches are all about providing users with world-class ‘performance and protection’ at competitive pricing. We’re innovating and advancing how organizations should use firewall technology to defend against persistent, modern-day cyberattacks targeting the midmarket and smaller businesses,” said Dan Cole, senior vice president, of Network and Content Security at Sophos. “This includes designing our firewall software to now also leverage threat intelligence feeds from third-party sources, in addition to Sophos’ native threat intelligence, for faster, real-time response to a broader scope of suspicious activity. The support also gives defenders greater control over their risk profile.”

Specifically, users can now configure Sophos Firewall software to ingest paid and free feeds published by security vendors, Managed Service Providers [MSPs], specific industry consortiums, Information Sharing and Analysis Centers [ISACs], or other threat intelligence platforms. The third-party data augments Sophos’ proprietary threat intelligence, which derives from Sophos X-Ops and includes telemetry from SophosLabs, Sophos Managed Detection and Response [MDR], and Sophos Extended Detection and Response [XDR] technology. In conjunction with Sophos Active Threat Response, a feature built into Sophos-managed endpoints and the intelligence feeds, Sophos Firewall software will initiate a synchronized response that automatically walls off potential attacks, giving defenders critical time to assess, respond, and remediate.

Additional Sophos Firewall software enhancements include:

1. Enhanced performance and scalability: Triple the IPsec VPN performance boost on the new XGS Series desktop appliances, as well as faster authentication burst performance and optimizations to reduce downtime and increase resiliency during failovers for SD-RED tunnels, dynamic routes, and Active Directory interactions for distributed enterprise environments.
2. Streamlined management: Refreshed user experiences; support for Let’s Encrypt certificates; integrated support for Google Workspace authentication; and expanded network object visibility that simplifies firewall management.
3. Seamless device upgrades: A new configuration backup assistant and port mapping support, backed by free license overlap for Sophos XG firewall customers, that enables added flexibility and easy upgrading from previous hardware generations. 

“This release of new desktop models as part of the Sophos XGS Series of hardware appliances sets a new high bar for performance and efficiency. The update enhances value at every price-point, with a three-fold increase in IPsec VPN throughput and up to two times better overall performance, all while cutting energy consumption in half,” said Christopher Rodriguez, research director for Security and Trust at IDC. “Combined with enhancements in protection, scalability, and ease-of-use from their latest OS release, Sophos Firewall provides significant value to organizations of all sizes, without raising its prices.”

“Sophos makes firewall deployment, integration, and management straightforward,” said Benjamin Schwarzbauer, team lead, Network and Security at Luithle + Luithle, a Sophos partner in Germany. “Its tight integration with the broader Sophos ecosystem allows us to efficiently manage security for our customers. The firewall’s comprehensive features not only strengthen security but also ensure reliable performance and regulatory compliance. This allows our customers to focus on their business.”

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