Sophos (LSE:SOPH), a global leader in network and endpoint security, today announced Sophos Mobile 8, the latest version of its Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) and mobile security solution. This new version lets system administrators manage and secure corporate-owned and personal Mac, Windows, and mobile endpoints in the cloud-based Sophos Central management platform to deliver a simpler management strategy for businesses of any size.

This unified approach to endpoint management ensures consistent security policies and secure access to resources regardless of an employee’s choice of device. Sophos Mobile 8 adds a range of management features like MacOS management and configuration, Windows 10 application management, and extended Android and iOS management functionality.

'Mobile devices continue to be the fastest growing malware target,” commented Dan Schiappa, senior vice president and general manager of Products at Sophos. “Personal and IoT devices on the network represent a significant threat to corporate security due to management and discovery issues. With Sophos Mobile 8, IT admins in any size of business can manage and secure all their MacOS, Windows, and mobile endpoints from a single management platform. This streamlined approach to security management helps both administrators and users save time and effort, improving productivity across the business.”

Responding to the rise in mobile malware and ransomware, Sophos Mobile 8 includes the latest in mobile security and anti-ransomware technology to protect devices against the evolving threat landscape. In 2017, SophosLabs processed more than 10 million Android samples (up from 8.5 million in 2016) submitted by customers for analysis. Within that sample, nearly 3.5 million were deemed potentially suspicious or malicious apps, 77 percent of which were malware.   More recently, SophosLabs discovered attackers are increasingly using Google Play to stash malicious apps like cryptocurrency mining or unwanted advertising that can cause a variety of problems for Android users.

“Our Unified Endpoint Management solution can protect user productivity within a secure operating environment. Sophos innovation has led to endpoint protection based on deep learning technology to deliver market-leading levels of detection and prevention. Our vision is to extend that predictive security layer to all endpoints, including mobile devices, giving customers the most comprehensive security tools to maintain secure, productive working environments,” concluded Schiappa.

Sophos Mobile 8 is available now both in the cloud-based Sophos Central platform and for installation on the customer’s own premises.