Vancouver, BC - Sophos, a global leader in policy-based network
security software for viruses and spam, continued to build strong
momentum in Canada in 2004. A year after acquiring Vancouver-based
anti-spam company ActiveState, Sophos has expanded its customer
list to include eight top Canadian universities, hired 70 new
employees and established its North American headquarters in
Vancouver.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is the most recent
addition to Sophos's growing list of customers. Other Canadian
universities using Sophos's consolidated protection against
multiple email-borne threats include McGill University, University
of Quebec Chicoutimi, University of Regina, University of
Saskatchewan, University of Toronto and the University of
Windsor.
"Universities in particular, have unique administrative
challenges, such as a huge user base, multiple platforms and
decentralized infrastructures. Like other organizations, they are
also struggling to keep pace with the volume and complexity of
converged threats," said Steve Munford, who was appointed president
of Sophos North America after the acquisition.
"For a community as large and diverse as UBC, spam and viruses
present not just a nuisance, but a significant financial strain,"
says Jens Haeusser, Manager of IT Security for UBC, who estimates
50-70 percent of all email received at UBC is either spam or
messages containing viruses.
"UBC email users often spend more than 10 minutes a day dealing
with spam alone," says Haeusser. "That, combined with computer
virus infections, makes up an estimated $12 million in lost
productivity each year. We are already seeing a catch rate of 99
percent with the Sophos implementation."
In 2004, organizations continued to face threats and joint
attacks from virus writers and spammers. Sophos's Vancouver-based
spam lab reported a 100 percent increase in spam volume over last
year as well as in the first six months of 2004. Sophos's virus
labs also detected 9345 new viruses in the first 10 months of 2004,
an increase of 47 percent over last year.
"Threats and compliance issues are evolving and becoming more
global," continued Munford. "Virus writers are no longer satisfied
with simply infecting a computer, they now want financial gain from
spam, phishing and cyber theft. There's an enormous need for the
vendor community to adapt to new threats through proactive
protection. Sophos not only addresses the unique administrative
challenges of universities, but continues to deliver new
technologies to protect at all points of the network."
Sophos has been ranked 19th on the Deloitte Canadian Technology
Fast 50. The list ranks the 50 fastest growing technology companies
in Canada based on percentage of revenue growth over the past 5
years. Get more information on the Fast 50 here.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.