OXFORD, UK — February 23, 2021 —

Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, today announced its plans to provide Sophos Intercept X endpoint protection for 5G PCs powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ compute platforms from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. The combination of Sophos Intercept X with Snapdragon compute platforms will provide users next-generation security through an always on, always connected PC environment.

Snapdragon compute platforms enabling 5G connectivity build on smartphone technology to deliver premium performance and efficiency to 4G and 5G cellular-connected thin and light fanless laptops. Sophos Intercept X is designed to protect advanced computing systems and endpoints, stopping the latest cybersecurity threats with deep learning AI and anti-ransomware capabilities. Sophos expects Intercept X for Snapdragon compute platforms to be available in the second half of 2021.

“An always on, always connected, interactive computing environment that combines smartphone and PC technology delivers unique security capabilities and opportunities,” said Joe Levy, chief technology officer, Sophos. “Mobile devices historically have experienced far fewer security incidents than PCs powered by traditional architectures. It’s certainly not because they aren’t ubiquitous, but rather because of their modern architecture that offers overall predictability relative to PCs, enabling application vendors to design high-performance and secure software.  

“Snapdragon compute platforms mark a major step forward because they provide all the utility and performance of a PC, but with many of the benefits associated with modern mobile computing devices. Security loves predictability, and Sophos is excited to be a part of securing this next-generation computing platform.”

Sophos Intercept X will also:

  • Leverage Connected Standby for continuous communication with a fleet of Snapdragon powered PCs, so that security investigations have fewer unknowns as data won’t be missed due to devices being offline
  • Use AI acceleration through the Qualcomm® AI Engine to compile increasingly AI-dependent software real-time on device with optimizations to run faster and more power efficiently, which is important when devices are running on a battery
  • Harness the hardware-level root of trust to ascertain device and cryptographic integrity in order to create strong identity bindings

“Now, in addition to enabling always on, always connected PC experiences, our 5G-enabled Snapdragon compute platforms bring next-generation security innovation rooted in our advanced AI and 5G connectivity capabilities,” said Miguel Nunes, senior director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “By working with Sophos, we are taking on-device security to a new level by enhancing their industry-leading endpoint protection with AI accelerated threat detection on our solutions. We’re excited for Sophos to transform computing with next-generation enterprise-grade security on 5G powered Snapdragon compute platforms.”

Go to Sophos Intercept X Endpoint to learn more about stopping ransomware and other cyberattacks. To learn more about Qualcomm Technologies’ suite of Snapdragon compute platforms, click here.

About Sophos

Sophos is a global leader and innovator of advanced security solutions that defeat cyberattacks, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and incident response services and a broad portfolio of endpoint, network, email, and cloud security technologies. As one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity providers, Sophos defends more than 600,000 organizations and more than 100 million users worldwide from active adversaries, ransomware, phishing, malware, and more. Sophos’ services and products connect through the Sophos Central management console and are powered by Sophos X-Ops, the company’s cross-domain threat intelligence unit. Sophos X-Ops intelligence optimizes the entire Sophos Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem, which includes a centralized data lake that leverages a rich set of open APIs available to customers, partners, developers, and other cybersecurity and information technology vendors. Sophos provides cybersecurity-as-a-service to organizations needing fully managed security solutions. Customers can also manage their cybersecurity directly with Sophos’ security operations platform or use a hybrid approach by supplementing their in-house teams with Sophos’ services, including threat hunting and remediation. Sophos sells through reseller partners and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com.