Sussex Health Informatics Service is deploying Sophos's security
and management solutions.
IT security and control firm, Sophos, today announced that
Sussex Health Informatics Service (HIS), which provides IT services
to all eleven NHS trusts in the Sussex region, is deploying
Sophos's security and management solutions to consolidate and
strengthen IT security across the board. The rollout, which is due
for completion in December 2007, will protect 25,000 users and will
replace a range of disparate solutions from different vendors,
including McAfee, Symantec and Trend Micro, thereby streamlining
efficiency and reducing costs whilst increasing functionality and
raising defenses.
Set up to consolidate the IT operations of eleven trusts, Sussex
HIS is currently in the process of standardizing on best-of-breed
technology, and has recognized that security is a crucial component
of this overhaul. The decision was taken to deploy a complete and
consolidated security solution, provided by a single vendor, not
only to fend off dangerous malware attacks, but also to ease
pressure on IT staff by simplifying management and to significantly
reduce costs.
After a full tendering process, Sophos was chosen ahead of
competitors due to its understanding of the organization's complex
business and IT requirements, as well as its comprehensive,
round-the-clock support. Sophos
Endpoint Security and Control, which combines anti-virus
protection with a client firewall, is being deployed to protect
Sussex NHS trusts' desktops against viruses, Trojans, worms,
spyware, adware, potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) and
hackers. Additionally, Sophos Email
Security and Control will protect the trusts against spam and
email-borne malware, scanning all inbound, outbound and internal
messages at the email gateway.
"We're delighted with the solution Sophos is putting in place,
which is completely in line with our complex operational
requirements," said Steve Orman, Head of IT at Sussex HIS.
"Consolidating the IT security of eleven separate trusts is a tall
order. However, Sophos has risen to the challenge impressively. The
high level of support the company offers also gives us peace of
mind that no matter what security situation may arise, we'll be
able to handle it and easily fend off any attacks."
With Sophos Endpoint Security and Control, Sussex HIS will be
able to conduct just one scan to detect all kinds of malware, as
well as block unauthorized applications such as Voice-over IP,
instant messaging systems and games - all via a single management
console. The trusts will also benefit from the added security of
Sophos's Behavioral Genotype Protection - a proactive intrusion
prevention technology that combats zero-day attacks and
automatically guards against new and targeted threats by analyzing
behaviour before code executes.
Sussex HIS will undertake the day-to-day running of the new
security system, backed up by Sophos's 24/7 Platinum support
services.
"By consolidating its security solutions, Sussex HIS has
bolstered defenses at the region's NHS trusts and removed the need
for separate deployments that could have left the network
vulnerable to attack," said Andrew Bradshaw,
vice president of UK sales and marketing at Sophos. "In addition,
for organizations such as Sussex HIS, which have complex
infrastructures to maintain and serve large numbers of users at a
range of different sites, a centralized management process can help
to improve efficiency and dramatically reduce the strain on
in-house resources."
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.