Sophos unveils new XGS desktop firewalls & software

Sophos has announced the release of new XGS Series desktop firewalls and updated software aimed at enhancing automatic threat protection for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The introduction includes nine new XGS Series desktop firewall appliances designed to serve midmarket companies, smaller businesses, and branch offices of larger organisations. These appliances boast a revamped architecture that promises double the performance and 50% lower energy consumption compared to previous models. Notably, four of these models are fanless, which is beneficial for noise-sensitive settings.

In addition to the hardware updates, Sophos has upgraded its firewall software to offer better protection against cyberattacks. The updated software now allows integration with third-party threat intelligence feeds. This enhancement provides organisations with the capability to tailor their firewall protection according to specific regional or industry-based threat intelligence needs.

These software improvements also facilitate better distributed network scalability, ensuring a seamless migration path for customers transitioning from legacy firewall systems to the newer Sophos XGS appliances. The company highlights that the new software improvements allow for up to three times the performance in IPsec VPN throughput compared to earlier models, thanks to enhanced virtual FastPath technology.

Dan Cole, Senior Vice President of Network and Content Security at Sophos, commented, "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 organisations should use firewall technology to defend against persistent, modern-day cyberattacks targeting the midmarket and smaller businesses." Cole further explained that leveraging third-party threat intelligence feeds enables faster, real-time responses to a more extensive array of suspicious activities, offering defenders enhanced control over their risk profiles.

The upgraded Sophos Firewall software now supports the ingestion of both paid and free threat intelligence feeds from various sources like security vendors, Managed Service Providers, industry consortiums, and Information Sharing and Analysis Centers. These external data sources complement Sophos' proprietary threat intelligence, which is pulled from various Sophos services, including SophosLabs and Sophos Managed Detection and Response.

Christopher Rodriguez, Research Director for Security and Trust at IDC, noted the significance of these developments, stating, "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."

In addition, Benjamin Schwarzbauer, Team Lead for Network and Security at Luithle + Luithle, a Sophos partner in Germany, shared his insights, "Sophos makes firewall deployment, integration and management straightforward. 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."

Available through Sophos' global network of partners and Managed Service Providers, the new XGS desktop firewall appliances and software can be managed via the cloud-native Sophos Central platform. This integration allows users to manage installations and respond to alerts alongside the existing suite of Sophos' security solutions.