Heinz chooses Sophos for web, desktop and application security
1 min read
Heinz has now deployed Sophos security systems across its sites around the world, protecting some 5,000 users and their systems against malware attacks and unauthorised application use using its combined software and hardware approach.
The company already used Sophos Anti-Virus to protect desktop computers, but recently introduced a web-based thin-client for global use, and wanted to bolster its gateway security to combat the growing threat of cyber crime.
“We’ve always taken an onion skin approach to IT security, ensuring that each layer of the organisation is sufficiently guarded against the threat of attack,” says Chris Leonard, European IT security and compliance manager at Heinz. “Given our growing use of the web, it made sense to look for a dedicated solution that would reduce our exposure to malicious online content.”
The company says it evaluated several hardware-based web security products, opting for Sophos’s WS1000 Web Security Appliance because of its proactive approach – stopping new and unknown threats before they have a chance to execute.
Heinz says it was also impressed that WS1000 did not have the false positive problems suffered by some solutions, ensuring that employees are not inconvenienced when accessing non-malicious websites.
“It was vital that we deploy a solution that was able to offer a high level of accuracy when analysing websites, rather than restricting access to legitimate websites and stopping our workforce from doing its job,” says Leonard.
“WS1000 met these requirements, while also offering peace of mind, thanks to its ability to block even unknown threats before they have a chance to hit users’ desktops,” he adds.
Incidentally, Heinz is also benefiting from Sophos Anti-Virus’ application control feature, which allows users to restrict usage of unauthorised or unwanted applications, such as games, IM (instant messaging), peer-to-peer file sharing or VoIP (voice over IP) programs.
The new technology also minimises the risk of malware entering the organisation via back doors or vulnerabilities in unsecured applications, while also ensuring that optimal bandwidth is reserved for core business processes.
