Softcat Limited

Sophos Managed Detection and Response Essentials (MDR) Server

Sophos MDR Essentials offers 24/7 threat hunting, detection, and response delivered by an expert team as a fully managed service.

You control how and when potential threats are escalated, what response actions (if any) you want Sophos to take, and who should be included in communications.

Features

• 24/7 Managed Detection and Response and Proactive Threat Hunting

Benefits

• Ransomware and breach prevention services via managed security service

£8.40 a user

• Education pricing available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  ODS

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at psitq@softcat.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

549581903736478

Contact

Charles Harrison
01628 403403
psitq@softcat.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: Supports Sophos products and a defined number of 3rd party categories. Including Firewall,Identity, network,Email, Cloud, and Endpoint. Full list can be seen here https://docs.sophos.com/central/Customer/help/en-us/ManageYourProducts/ThreatAnalysisCenter/Integrations/index.html
• System requirements:
  • Supports Windows 7,8,8.1, 10 and 11
  • WindowsEndpoint: Free disk Space 8 GB RAM/4 GB CPU/Cores 2
  • MacOS10/15/11/12/Intel-based Macs(64-bit) macOS11/12(Native)/Apple Silicon(M1 Series)
  • MacOS: Disk space: 2 GB free RAM: 2 GB
  • https://shorturl.at/OPRT8

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Sophos Support is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year, including statutory, public, and bank holidays.; ; For Enhanced Support Plan:; Critical Within 4 hours; High Within 8 hours; Medium Within 24 hours; Low Within 24 hours; ; For Enhanced Plus Support Plan:; Critical Within 1 hour; High Within 2 hours; Medium Within 24 hours; Low Within 24 hours; ; Please see this link for details (page 9):; https://www.sophos.com/en-us/medialibrary/PDFs/Support/Sophos-Support-Services-Guide.pdf
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Web chat accessibility testing: No testing has been completed at this time
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: Enhanced ; • 24/7 multi-channel support ; • Software downloads, updates, & maintenance ; • Access to support knowledgebase and support forums ; • Warranty (Appliances only) ; • Hardware replacement (Appliances only) ; • Remote assistance support; ; Enhanced Plus - includes all features of the Enhanced plan above and the following:; • Remote consulting; • Priority case and sample handling ; • Phone calls routed to senior Technical Support Engineers; ; TAM (available at additional cost) - includes all features of Enhanced and Enhanced plus with the following:; • Named Technical Account Manager (TAM) ; • Front of the line access to product information ; • Personalized communications and alerts ; • Performance and feature optimization ; • Enhanced escalation ; • Emergency Onsite Support; ; Please see this link for reference:; https://www.sophos.com/en-us/support/technical-support; ; Professional Services (available at additional cost) can be procured for implementation and configuration support:; https://www.sophos.com/en-us/support/professional-services
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Sophos offer a Guided Onboarding Service at an additional cost. ; ; For self configuration and onboarding the following resources are available:; • Sophos MDR Getting Started:; https://docs.sophos.com/central/mdr/help/en-us/welcomeGuides/MDR/gettingstarted/index.html; • Sophos Central Admin Help:; https://docs.sophos.com/central/Customer/help/en-us/index.html; • Sophos TechVids:; https://techvids.sophos.com/
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: The MDR service retains endpoint and network telemetry for 7 days, MDR Detections in the Sophos Central Data Lake for 90 days (extendable to 1 year) and MDR Cases for 2 years. After these time frames the data is deleted. Additionally, Sophos will store licensed endpoint telemetry and network telemetry from licensed XG firewalls using Central Firewall reporting in Sophos Central for 7 days, or a longer timeframe based on data retention option the customer has purchased. This data is available to be used by the customer to perform their own queries and investigations independently from the MDR, or Rapid Response services. All customer data is deleted upon termination of the service.; ; Upon termination of the MDR service, access to the customer interface in Sophos Central is disabled after a 10-day grace period. After this period, the data will be permanently deleted and unrecoverable.; ; All data held in the Sophos Central platform and data lake is available for export manually or via API (as detailed in previous questions). MDR cases information is also detailed within the Sophos Central platform for obtaining if required.
• End-of-contract process: The MDR service retains endpoint and network telemetry for 7 days, MDR Detections in the Sophos Central Data Lake for 90 days (extendable to 1 year) and MDR Cases for 2 years. After these time frames the data is deleted. Additionally, Sophos will store licensed endpoint telemetry and network telemetry from licensed XG firewalls using Central Firewall reporting in Sophos Central for 7 days, or a longer timeframe based on data retention option the customer has purchased. This data is available to be used by the customer to perform their own queries and investigations independently from the MDR, or Rapid Response services. All customer data is deleted upon termination of the service.; ; Upon termination of the MDR service, access to the customer interface in Sophos Central is disabled after a 10-day grace period. After this period, the data will be permanently deleted and unrecoverable.; ; All data held in the Sophos Central platform and data lake is available for export manually or via API (as detailed in previous questions). MDR cases information is also detailed within the Sophos Central platform for obtaining if required.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: Yes
• Compatible operating systems:
  • Linux or Unix
  • MacOS
  • Windows
• Designed for use on mobile devices: No
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Description of service interface: The Managed Detection and Response (MDR) dashboard shows a summary of threats we've recently detected and investigated. It consists of the following:; • Action required banner; • Detections; • Detections by time, by OS, and by technique; • Connector status report; • Detections classification summary; • Most investigated devices; • Active cases; ; Please see this link for details:; https://docs.sophos.com/central/customer/help/en-us/ManageYourProducts/MDR/MDRDashboard/index.html
• Accessibility standards: None or don’t know
• Description of accessibility: Sophos Central Admin Console can be accessed at https://cloud.sophos.com/ with supported web browsers.; Sophos Central currently supports the following browsers:; •Google Chrome.; •Microsoft Edge.; •Mozilla Firefox.; •Apple Safari (Mac only).; ; It is recommended to install or upgrade to a supported version in the above list and to always run an up-to-date version. Sophos aims to support the latest version and previous versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.; ; Aside from the SuperAdmin account, only users with an admin role can access the management console. The login requires an email and password as well as an MFA (Multi-factor Authentication).
• Accessibility testing: Sophos Central does not currently have a VPAT compliance attestation. As a central console, many separate Sophos products appear in Sophos Central. Some of these products are accessibility compliant and we continue to improve the accessibility of our individual products.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Sophos Central has a public API program that can automate monitoring, security, and administration activities in Sophos Central. It can do many of the things normally done in the Sophos Central Admin Console including Live Discover queries and pulling events/alerts into a SIEM.; ; All our APIs are offered as RESTful HTTP endpoints over the public internet. We use standard authentication, JSON requests and responses, and standard HTTP verbs. All communication is over HTTPS.; ; Please see the following link for details:; https://developer.sophos.com/intro; https://developer.sophos.com/apis
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: HTML
• API sandbox or test environment: No
• Customisation available: No

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Should operational targets not be met, or where the MDR service reaches 80% SOC capacity, Sophos recruit additional analysts or employ additional measures to ensure services are able to operate as outlined in the SLAs and SLTs.; ; Sophos Central is segmented into a number of logically separate virtual networks based on the various workloads they perform (such as authentication or endpoint management). All workloads are then placed into auto-scaling groups, behind a load balancer, so that when a particular workload sees increased load/traffic, additional temporary resources can be allocated to give the group capacity to handle the load.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: The Managed Detection and Response (MDR) dashboard shows a summary of threats we've recently detected and investigated. It consists of the following:; • Action required banner; • Detections; • Detections by time, by OS, and by technique; • Connector status report; • Detections classification summary; • Most investigated devices; • Active cases; ; Please see this link for details:; https://docs.sophos.com/central/customer/help/en-us/ManageYourProducts/MDR/MDRDashboard/index.html
• Reporting types:
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller (no extras)
• Organisation whose services are being resold: Sophos

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: None

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations:
  • United Kingdom
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
  • Other locations
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Encryption of all physical media
  • Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: All data at rest is encrypted using volume-level encryption: storage volumes, object storage, and virtual drives of virtual machines.; ; For sensitive customer data, we use field-level encryption within storage volumes using a per-field multi-part key. These parts are formed from several different locations, including a key management system. Each key is unique to every customer, and every field.; ; Transport-level encryption is used to secure management communication between the client software and Sophos Central platform via certificates and server validation.; ; Sophos never stores nor sends Central account passwords in plain text.
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
• Equipment disposal approach: In-house destruction process

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Sophos MDR reports can be downloaded as PDFs from the admin console.; ; All data held in the Sophos Central platform and data lake is available for export manually as CSV or PDF files, or via API (as detailed in previous questions). MDR cases information is also detailed within the Sophos Central platform for obtaining if required.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats: PDF
• Data import formats: Other
• Other data import formats:
  • Manually type contact information for Authorized Contacts
  • Active Directory and Entra ID Synchronisation for user information

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • Other
• Other protection between networks: Transport-level encryption is used to secure management communication between the client software and Sophos Central platform via certificates and server validation.
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • Other
• Other protection within supplier network: Sophos MDR service is configured to use and operate with TLSv1.2 for all data transfers from endpoints and server agents, and additional third-party integration log collectors. ; ; Transport-level encryption is used to secure management communication between the Sophos client software and Sophos Central and Sophos MDR SOC platforms via certificates and server validation.; ; Third-party integrations utilising REST APIs support SHA256 encryption over TLS 1.2 for communication.; ; Sophos use field-level encryption within storage volumes using a per-field multi-part key. These parts are formed from several different locations, including a key management system. Each key is unique to every customer, and every field.

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Sophos Central does not provide a traditional SLA because the availability of our products is not dependent on the availability of the web portal. However, the availability of the web portal ranged between 99.99 and 100% over the past year, depending on geographic region.; ; Sophos Central is a cloud-native application with high availability. It is hosted on public cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, that dynamically scale to handle an ever-changing workload.; https://www.sophos.com/en-us/trust/sophos-central; ; Sophos Central status can be viewed here:; https://centralstatus.sophos.com/#!/
• Approach to resilience: Sophos Central is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), across a number of virtual machine instances and services that dynamically scale to handle the current Sophos Central workload.; ; Sophos Central is segmented into a number of logically separate virtual networks based on the various workloads they perform (such as authentication or endpoint management). All workloads are then placed into auto-scaling groups, behind a load balancer, so that when a particular workload sees increased load/traffic, additional temporary resources can be allocated to give the group capacity to handle the load.; ; For more information please see:; https://www.sophos.com/en-us/trust/sophos-central
• Outage reporting: Sophos Central status can be viewed here:; https://centralstatus.sophos.com/#!/; ; It also has a subscribe button at the top right to receive status notifications.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Other
• Other user authentication: Access to the Sophos Central admin console requires a login (email and password) as well as MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication).; Sophos Central also supports Azure AD Federation authentication.; ; Except for the SuperAdmin, Users need to have an admin role assigned to them to get access to the Sophos Centrla admin console.
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Sophos secures your information by authenticating access via username and password based on managed Active Directory group membership coupled with multi-factor authentication. The Sophos MDR platform has achieved SOC2 Type II certification and PCI DSS v3.2 attestation to demonstrate its strong security practices, policies and internal controls environment. ; ; Sophos Central has a Role Management feature that provides admins the capability to assign pre-defined administrative roles to users who need access to the Sophos Central Admin Console. The following are the available pre-defined administrative roles:; •Super Admin; •Admin; •Help Desk; •Read-only; ; Please refer to this link for more information:; https://docs.sophos.com/central/Customer/help/en-us/central/Customer/concepts/AdminRoles.html
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Description of management access authentication: Access to the Sophos Central admin console requires a login (email and password) as well as MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication).; Sophos Central also supports Azure AD Federation authentication.; ; Except for the SuperAdmin, Users need to have an admin role assigned to them to get access to the Sophos Centrla admin console.

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: Between 1 month and 6 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: Between 1 month and 6 months
• How long system logs are stored for: Between 1 month and 6 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Coalfire Certifications
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 16/01/2024
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: The certificate scope comprises the Sophos information security management system supporting the operations underlying the ; Sophos Labs, Sophos Central, Sophos OPTIX, Intelix, and MDR/MDR services. The organizational scope includes the Security, ; Information Technology, Product, and Legal teams affecting the Sophos information security management system. These activities ; are governed by the implemented controls in accordance with the organizational Statement of Applicability.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: Yes
• Who accredited the PCI DSS certification: A-Lign
• PCI DSS accreditation date: 09/02/2021
• What the PCI DSS doesn’t cover: It only covers our Sophos MDR Product.; ; Other Sophos Central products do not contain or protect any cardholder-related information and is therefore not required to be PCI Compliant.
• Cyber essentials: No
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: SOC 2 Type 2

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: No
• Security governance approach: Sophos is certified to ISO27001:2022. Additionally the Sophos Information security framework (SISP) is based upon leading practices such as ISO 27001, SOX, and PCI. Our ISPF and Security policy is part of a holistic approach to Information Security Management. Contents of ISP and security policy drives development of technical security standards, processes, and configurations will be utilized by staff and vendors to implement security controls. They also provide the context for training, awareness, audits, and compliance assurance activities. Lastly, they provide Sophos with necessary information to risk adjust business initiatives and improve the state of the Sophos Information Security Program.
• Information security policies and processes: ISO27001:2022, SOC 2 Type 2 ; ; Sophos has a dedicated cybersecurity team. The team has developed and deployed security policies, standards, and procedures validated by an active governance and audit program.; Sophos aligns with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO 27001 controls.; ; Please see this link for the High-Level Overview of the Sophos Security Policy:; https://www.sophos.com/en-us/trust/high-level-security-policy-overview

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Changes to the production environment are strictly done after following our Change management process (including approval from the Security team if needed) and are reviewed by the operational team.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: The Security team (Red team) is tasked with scanning systems for vulnerability scans.; We follow a risk-based approach while deciding on the remediation of vulnerabilities. ; ; Most of the systems are set for automated patch management. In cases where systems are set for manual patch updates, a time frame is mandated to the system owners to apply patches (especially security/ critical patches); All relevant teams involved in patch management (like system owners, business units, IT, Security, etc.) are notified in advance for patch activity. ; Patches are tested in a test environment before moving to the production environment.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Plans with guidance from the NIST 800-61 Computer Security Incident Handling Guide and we frequently review these plans for compliance with industry standards.; ; There are many ways Sophos identifies or becomes aware of security incidents. These include:; • Security monitoring capabilities, often in our products, or complementary methods we have developed; • Bug-bounty reports; • Penetration test findings; • Vulnerability analysis; • Code and application analysis; • Research and threat intelligence analysis; • Customer notifications; To report a potential security incident, please see our Responsible Disclosure Program.; ; Please see this link for the Overview of the Sophos Incident Response:; https://www.sophos.com/en-us/trust/incident-response
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Plans with guidance from the NIST 800-61 Computer Security Incident Handling Guide and we frequently review these plans for compliance with industry standards.; ; There are many ways Sophos identifies or becomes aware of security incidents. These include:; • Security monitoring capabilities, often in our products, or complementary methods we have developed; • Bug-bounty reports; • Penetration test findings; • Vulnerability analysis; • Code and application analysis; • Research and threat intelligence analysis; • Customer notifications; To report a potential security incident, please see our Responsible Disclosure Program.; ; Please see this link for the Overview of the Sophos Incident Response:; https://www.sophos.com/en-us/trust/incident-response

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Conforms to a recognised standard, but self-assessed

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Softcat are dedicated to reducing our environmental impact and actively promoting sustainability. Our commitment to sustainability is a core aspect of our business strategy, driving us to innovate and lead in the creation of a more sustainable future for our company and the communities we serve. This commitment is embedded in our policies, operating procedures, and training programs.; ; We are proud to be the first FTSE 250 company to be awarded 5-star status in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. ; ; We aim to achieve a Carbon Net-Zero Value Circle by 2040 by prioritising renewable energy, reducing natural resource use, minimising waste, and safeguarding biodiversity in compliance with environmental legislation.; ; At Softcat, we have taken significant steps towards securing renewable energy across our organisation, reducing our scope 1 & 2 emissions. We had the target of using 100% Renewable Energy across all our locations by 2024. We successfully delivered against this target ~2 years early.; ; In May 2023 we took delivery of 15 electric vehicles, replacing all existing fossil-fuelled company cars used by employees for business means. The implementation of the EV pool fleet will see a saving of over 80 tons of CO2e per year. A huge impact on our Net Zero targets.

  Tackling economic inequality

  As a value-add reseller, Softcat outsources the products, services, and solutions through our extensive network of partners, to best suit the needs of our broad client base. We always consider and promote SMEs and local providers where appropriate, particularly for the products and services we offer via the G Cloud framework.; ; We remain dedicated to improving employability and educational awareness across schools, colleges, and universities to help break down the barriers to joining technology organisations.; ; We work collaboratively with many schools that are close in proximity to our offices, to ensure we are actively supporting the community as well as schools from lower socio-economic backgrounds. ; ; We visit the schools to talk about the IT sector and the roles in our organisation, as well as promoting work-experience opportunities during the summer. In particular, we actively encourage students from diverse backgrounds to engage in work experience to appreciate the roles available in our sector.; ; For ambitious school and college leavers, a Softcat Apprenticeship is a great first step into the world of work, with 94% of our apprentices offered a permanent position at Softcat post apprenticeships, which goes to show the amazing opportunity available with us.; ; We were ranked 1st in IT & Consultancy, and 10th overall in by RateMyApprenticeship.com - Best 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2023-2024 list.; ; Softcat now also offer 12 month paid internships to University students looking to complete a year in industry as part of their undergraduate studies.

  Equal opportunity

  Our approach to diversity and inclusion is introduced first during our induction training, as part of our Softcat values, outlining responsibility to uphold our principles. This message is reinforced by our process and policies, networks, Allyship Training and Inclusion Awareness campaigns.; ; Softcat supports diversity and inclusion through various networks including:; - Supporting Women in Business (SWIB); - The Ethnic and Cultural Network; - The Pride Network; - The Family Network; - The Empowering Disability and Neurodiversity Network (EDN); - The Faith at Work Network; - Armed Forces & Veterans Network; These networks aim to create a supportive and inclusive work environment for all employees, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or family commitments.; ; Our allyship programme, Stronger Together, is a mixture of event and workshop-based training available to all staff. Programme topics include, bias, power, privilege, and being a greater ally. ; ; Inclusion Awareness campaigns include race, disability, sexual orientation, gender, faith, and caring responsibilities. These sessions highlight and celebrate minority groups, through panel sessions, Q&A sessions and training, providing an opportunity to discuss and understand ways to be more inclusive. ; ; Our efforts to improve diversity and inclusion have been incredibly successful. Since 2020, the number of female employees below management level has increased to 35%, and the number of ethnic minority employees rose to 17%.

  Wellbeing

  At Softcat, all employees are provided with access to our multidimensional wellbeing programme which includes flexible work arrangements, free nutritious breakfast, mental health support, employee benefits scheme, health and wellbeing week activities, and online workshops.; ; Giving back to the community is an innate part of who we are as a company. All Softcat employees are therefore given two volunteer days per year to support a charitable or community cause. ; ; Each of our 10 regional offices also support local charities through fundraising, donations and events. For example, our Manchester office has raised over £30,000 for the WeLoveMCR charity. This funding has supported young, disadvantaged Manchester citizens in gaining qualifications to broaden their work opportunities and supporting local groups in delivering indispensable services that enable community cohesion.

Pricing

• Price: £8.40 a user
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  ODS

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at psitq@softcat.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.