Photo: Sophos
The antivirus manufacturer Sophos expands its portfolio with network access layer switches. The 100 series managed switches are equipped with 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports and either connectors for SFP or SFP+. The connections of the switches from the 200 series support 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and SFP+.
Sophos offers 8, 24 and 48 port switches. According to the provider, the majority of the models are already available, and the rest should appear by the middle of the year. They can be managed either via the cloud management solution Sophos Central (license required), via local web management, a CLI console (Command Line Interface) or via SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).
While the 24- and 48-port models are designed for use in racks, the switches can be mounted on a wall or placed on a desk with only 8 Ethernet ports. According to Sophos, the switches are particularly suitable for use in branches, branch offices, in retail or in remote offices.
In response to the question of why customers should now buy their switches from Sophos and no longer from the usual network manufacturers, the company gives several reasons: The switches would be seamlessly integrated into existing IT security environments based on Sophos solutions. According to the manufacturer, new and future customers will then only need one provider for the entire network stack.
Subscriptions that allow access to Sophos Central, for example, are available separately. It also includes extended support, which should also be available by phone 7×24, as well as firmware updates. Sophos has an overview of the functions of the switch family here compiled. The individual models can also be compare here. The company has not published prices. They are available upon request.