Sophos Web Security and Control uses a highly advanced system of technologies to catch and defend against web threats. This system uses real-time deobfuscation and behavioural analysis of JavaScript to proactively detect new, dynamically obfuscated malicious code on hijacked trusted sites, which allows for solid protection against even unknown threats. This, combined with the ability to detect traditional threats such as viruses, worms, spyware, adware and phishing attempts, makes this a solid all-round web scanning machine.
We found this appliance to be very simple to install and configure. Once it is connected to the network, configuration is done via a setup wizard in the web-based GUI. This setup wizard is the first thing that comes up at the first login with the default administrator credentials and once completed, the appliance is pretty much ready to go. All administration is done from the web interface, which is clean and organised with an intuitive layout.
This product can be configured as a proxy or as an inline appliance at the gateway, depending on the model. We tested the proxy version and found deployment and setup to be quite simple and straightforward. It also has a strong focus on policies and flexible configuration options on the web filter and control side, which provides for solid protection all the way around.
Documentation included a short setup guide, a configuration guide and an in-depth help PDF. The setup guide details the steps necessary to get the appliance connected to the network, while the remaining guides focus on advanced configuration and deployment options. All of the guides included many screenshots, diagrams and step-by-step instructions.
Sophos offers standard 24/7 phone and email technical support as part of the licence fee to customers. However, additional support upgrades are available and include features such as priority incident handling, remote system support, a named technical support account manager and emergency onsite support, among many others. There is also a support area available at no cost on the website that includes documentation downloads, a knowledgebase and user forum.
We find Sophos Web Security and Control to be solid value for money, with a strong feature set and controls that are easy to administrate.