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Softcat Limited

Sophos Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

Sophos ZTNA is a lightweight agent that is better than remote access VPN in some circumstances, wherein it can validate users, validate devices, more secure, provide granular access with device health checks and scalable.
ZTNA allows users to securely access network resources.
It is also transparent to end users.

Features

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

Benefits

  • Ransomware and breach prevention services via managed security service

Pricing

£3.19 a user

  • Education pricing available

Service documents

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

6 7 7 0 9 2 9 5 5 2 4 0 0 4 3

Contact

Softcat Limited Charles Harrison
Telephone: 01628 403403
Email: psitq@softcat.com

Service scope

Software add-on or extension
Yes, but can also be used as a standalone service
What software services is the service an extension to
Works with Sophos Firewall and Sophos Intercept X
Cloud deployment model
Hybrid cloud
Service constraints
Supported Platforms
Identity Providers:Microsoft Azure/Okta
ZTNA Gateway Platforms:VMware ESXi 6.5+, Hyper-V 2016+, and Sophos Firewall v20+(all hardware, virtual, and cloud platforms including AWS and Azure)
ZTNA Client Platforms:Windows 10 1803 or later, macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later; All platforms support agentless web application access
ZTNA Device Health:Sophos Security Heartbeat (Intercept X)

Gateway Specifications
Recommended VM:2 Core / 4GB
Multi-Node Clustering:Up-to 9 nodes with load balancing for performance, capacity, and business continuity
Node Capacity and Scaling 10,000 agent connections for a single node, up-to 90,000 agent connections in a cluster(max. 9 nodes)

Deployment Options:
ZTNA-as-a-Service
ZTNA on-premise Gateways
Hybrid Deployment
System requirements
  • Identity Providers: Microsoft Azure and Okta
  • ZTNA Gateway Platform
  • ZTNA Client platform
  • Gateway specifications

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
Customers can open a web chat support for technical assistance and indicate the issue and can expect a chat technical support specialist to answer their inquiry.
Chat Support Schedule:
ACST Monday 07:30 AM Saturday 08:00 AM
IST Monday 03:30 AM Saturday 04:00 AM
GMT Sunday 10:00 PM Friday 10:30 PM
EST Sunday 05:00 PM Friday 05:30 PM
PST Sunday 2:00 PM Friday 02:30 PM
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
The following resources are available:
• Sophos Central Admin Help:
https://docs.sophos.com/central/Customer/help/en-us/index.html
• Sophos TechVids:
https://techvids.sophos.com/

Can also inquire about Professional Services.
Service documentation
Yes
Documentation formats
  • HTML
  • PDF
End-of-contract data extraction
Data such as alerts, logs, and lists of devices can be readily exported out of the customer’s Sophos Central environment at the customer’s discretion.
Sophos Central also has a Logs & Reports section that contains several reports that can be exported to PDF or CSV.
End-of-contract process
Speak to a representative

Using the service

Web browser interface
Yes
Supported browsers
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
Application to install
Yes
Compatible operating systems
  • Android
  • IOS
  • Linux or Unix
  • MacOS
  • Windows
  • Windows Phone
  • Other
Designed for use on mobile devices
No
Service interface
Yes
User support accessibility
None or don’t know
Description of service interface
Sophos ZTNA can be managed through Sophos Central, our next-gen, cloud-based management platfor for all Sophos products.
The ZTNA agent will seamlessly run transparently to the end users devices.

Sophos Central has a simple and intuitive dashboard, offering easy navigation and alert functions. Sophos Central provides default policies and recommended configurations to ensure you get the most effective protection from day one.
The Management console is web-based and can be accessed on supported browsers on this link:
https://cloud.sophos.com/
Accessibility standards
None or don’t know
Description of accessibility
Once deployed on a gateway or through Sophos Firewall, DNS should be configured, a directory service must also be used to manage user groups such as MS Entra ID (Azure AD) or Active Directory. An identity provider is also needed (Okta or MS Entra ID (Azure AD). The ZTNA agent will then be installed on the end user's devices

Sophos ZTNA can be accessed and managed via Sophos Central.
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
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 Sophos Central Dashboard lets you see the most important ZTNA information at a glance:
• Most recent alerts - shows the latest few alerts. It may include generated threat graphs that let you investigate malware attacks.
• Top 5 Applications by data transfer
Reporting types
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports
  • Reports on request

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
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
Data such as alerts, logs, and lists of devices can be readily exported out of the customer’s Sophos Central environment at the customer’s discretion.
Sophos Central also has a Logs & Reports section that contains several reports that can be exported to PDF or CSV.
Data export formats
  • CSV
  • Other
Other data export formats
  • PDF
  • HTML
Data import formats
CSV

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
It is carried out using secured services such as SFTP, HTTPS, TLS encrypted, etc.

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
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • 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 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
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • 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
Yes
Security governance standards
Other
Other security governance standards
SOC 2 Type 2
Information security policies and processes
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
£3.19 a user
Discount for educational organisations
Yes
Free trial available
No

Service documents

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.