Cyber threat refers to the possibility of a malicious attempt to damage or disrupt a particular computer network or system. Across the world the threat of such acts loom over every IT system, however with companies such as Sophos battling to keep the systems of their customers safe and threat-free cyber criminals have indeed met their match.
Sophos Technologies was established in 1985 in the UK. For the last 32 years, the company has been built on pure technical solidity and started to acquire companies since the early 2000s in order to complete the product portfolio. Being one of the oldest in the global security space, Sophos also sees continued YoY growth, mirroring its solidified business.
Commenting on the current portfolio of Sophos, Sunil Sharma, Managing Director of Sales (India and SAARC) of Sophos Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. stated that at present, Sophos has primary research and development centers in 5 locations globally, with India being one of them. With 22% - 25% of the company’s workforce based out of India, there is great focus on India and the SAARC region as part of Sophos’ long-term vision and plan. The business model of Sophos constitutes of 16 branches in India, Regional Heads for the rest of the countries, and a mo1del based purely on distributors in smaller markets such as Nepal and Bhutan.
Sophos is handled by Avian Technologies in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, a relationship counting almost a decade. According to Sharma the partner eco system is of high importance to Sophos. “Sophos worldwide does 100% business through channels only. One of our mission statements is a Channel-first commitment. Therefore, the only eco system that matters to us is the channel eco system. For us loyalty with partners is paramount. At Sophos we believe that a partnership is a give and take relationship. This is what has prompted us to work with Avian, as they have been in the industry for a considerable time, and have repeatedly proven their capability in building our business”, added Sharma.
Regarding the greatest challenge in Cyber Security as perceived by Sophos, he explained that he would prefer not to name one definite threat as he believed that the only thing companies like Sophos needed to do was to think and work faster than cyber criminals.
“In considering cyber threats, there are three different kinds; Global Cyber Warfare, State Sponsored Hacking and Attacks to the corporate business. For example, Ransomware, Malware, Advance Persistence Threats (APTs). In view of these, Sophos is very much prepared. We advocate a system, which is called ‘synchronized security’; it’s a very coordinated defense mechanism, which looks into both the end point as well as the network security. Cyber threat can enter at any point. A network security firewall alone will not make one safe. At one-point cyber security concentrated only on IPS or Network security firewall email gateway or web security gateway, but we have evolved beyond that. A complete security system should cover all potential threat points, and each point should be linked with one another. In this way, even the minutest breach will indicate that something has been compromised and the complete defense mechanism kicks off. We have proactive systems put in place by which the affected system is being quarantined, treated and put back as a clean system. It is with this simple philosophy that Sophos works worldwide”.
Sunil Sharma went on to explain that Sophos also has Cloud based solutions. This is a cost-effective system where clients have access to Sophos Central, a management console on the cloud, which gives access to a dashboard to CIO s and IT Managers. Sophos’ MSP – Managed Security Provider – caters to SME customers who are cost conscious and work with limited resources. This flexible option has been launched in India and will be expanding to the rest of the region. The MSP is integrated with Sophos Central and is compatible with local network software.
Network security is a 24x7 process. Sophos processes about 400,000 malwares daily at the Sophos threat lab.
The products are updated at an on-going basis. This involves a huge back-end operation, research and development in addition to maintenance to ensure that our customers are protected. “I regularly come across the question, “Does this mean the customer does not get attacked?” said Sharma. “Customers are bound to be attacked.
Will it increase? Yes. The solution to it is a vendor who takes care of you by deploying the right solution and a coordinated defense mechanism”.
The other main aspect, which Sophos is involved in, is Education. Phishing attacks are very common, but in spite of knowing an email could be a phishing email, people still click it. Phish Threat, introduced by Sophos, is a product for the internal system to educate users about Phishing. It can also simulate attacks to better educate the user.
As part of social responsibility, Sophos has also initiated Sophos Home, which is provided free of cost. It is a commercial grade phenomenal product, an anti-virus that has the latest capabilities, which can be downloaded free to your device.
Presenting his opinion on the cyber security landscape in Sri Lanka and the region, Sharma said, “My personal opinion is that Sri Lanka has great potential. It is on par with India, with only the size and volume making the difference. People are equally Internet savvy and the threats we face are the same. Along with Avian Technologies, Sophos continues to achieve milestones every year and yet it is a matter of ‘miles to go before we sleep’. South Asia is a developing economy resulting in differences in terms of use of technology and purchasing habits in comparison to the West. Worldwide, I see huge potential in cyber security”.
The cyber security market is 39 billion USD worldwide, and is expected to grow to 48 billion USD by 2020. “Therefore, as a company Sophos has a lot of work to be done, whether in terms of creating awareness with customers and resellers, or in giving a complete end-to-end solution to customers so that they can be protected and at the same time reducing the complexity in solutions and providing simplicity. This is a job for the entire security industry”.
Sophos considers Sri Lanka as a very important market as it foresaw that Sri Lanka was going to develop and has huge potential and scope. The company has invested to the length of having their own resource in addition to the distributor, so that the customer has direct access when they face issues. Along with Avian Technologies, Sophos is able to provide pre-sales support for resellers as well as post –sales support proactively. Sophos has separate training programmes for partners on both pre and post sales as well as quarterly online and on-site training. “Sophos is a product which has a lot of involvement and that is what makes it very strong”, declared Sunil Sharma.
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