IT security and data protection firm Sophos has signed a new OEM agreement with BlockMaster, a leading provider of managed secure USB drives. Under the terms of the agreement Sophos’s anti-virus technology will be integrated into SafeConsoleReady secure USB flash drives.
According to Sophos, some of today’s common forms of malware use USB drives as a key distribution mechanism, because these devices can be removed and plugged into different systems.
“Today, businesses need their employees to be able to securely carry, access and share data rapidly through a variety of methods, both in the office and on the move. IT teams need to put sophisticated layers of protection in place in order to be able to provide a complete defence against malware, data loss and other attacks. Protecting USB sticks from malware is an important element in any comprehensive security strategy and Sophos is delighted to be partnering with BlockMaster to provide built-in anti-virus protection to all brands of SafeConsoleReady secure USB drives,” said Mike Rogers, VP of Global OEM and Strategic Alliances at Sophos.
BlockMaster provides security such as hardware encryption, password authentication and active measures against zero day attacks and through the new agreement, Sophos’s anti-virus technology will help enhance the existing levels of security in SafeConsoleReady Devices, such as BlockMaster’s SafeStick and Kingston’s DTVP-M and DT4000-M.
“This was how anti-virus for USB was meant to be, centrally managed and easy for the end user. Sophos’s anti-virus solution is non-intrusive for the end user and doesn’t get in the way of everyday business. The on-access scanning of the onboard anti-virus scanner extends and enhances the anti-malware qualities already present on SafeConsoleReady devices such as the Kingston DTVP-M, the DT4000-M (FIPS 140-2) and SafeStick, ensuring that workers are protected at all times. And setup, deployment and maintenance are easily handled remotely by the SafeConsole server administrator,” said Anders Kjellander, CSO at BlockMaster.
Sophos Anti-virus can be purchased from BlockMaster as an add-on to the SafeConsole server licence with discounts available for existing Sophos customers.
