All points protection
Sophos Anti-Virus monitors all virus entry points, including disks, programs, documents, network drives and CD-ROMs. It also monitors emails, internet downloads, groupware and archive files at the desktop, complementing the gateway protection offered by Sophos MailMonitor. At any of these points Sophos Anti-Virus prevents access to any virus-infected file and, if appropriate, disinfects it.

Centralised automation for single point control
Sophos Anti-Virus's unique approach allows centralised, network-wide installation, configuration and updating from a single machine. Virus incidents are automatically reported and centrally logged. Adding new servers and workstations is simple and straightforward. Pull and push technologies ensure low network load operation without user intervention.

Unrivalled, leading-edge architecture
Through its Intelligent File Recognition, Sophos Anti-Virus's architecture determines which files need to be virus checked by the Sophos virus detection engine, even if they are embedded in other files. Fast scanning speeds, combined with maximum user transparency and minimal performance overheads are not affected by the growing number of viruses. 

Effective system resourcing
Sophos Anti-Virus performs incremental updating, downloading only files which have changed since the previous version. In addition Sophos virus identity files are quick and easy to download and have minimum impact on bandwidth when they are deployed over the network.

Simple, flexible licensing
Sophos Anti-Virus licences include protection for servers, workstations and portables, ensuring that there are no hidden extra costs.

Constant update
Continuous updates are available for new viruses detected in the wild. In addition, full monthly updates are available for download and are also sent on CD to all customers at the beginning of each month. All workstations and laptops automatically update when they detect that the server has been updated.

The Technology

Sophos Anti-Virus incorporates patented InterCheck technology, which has been developed to optimise on-access virus detection in networked environments. It uses a combination of virus scanning and checksumming to minimise the number of times each file needs to be virus checked, without compromising security. This eliminates the deficiencies of many anti-virus solutions which impact on performance, compromise on detection or, more often, both. Sophos Anti-Virus's leading edge virus engine ensures 100% detection.

The engine incorporates:

• a full code emulator
• an on-line decompressor
• an OLE2 engine for detecting and disinfecting macro viruses

When Sophos Anti-Virus detects a virus, it logs the incident and alerts the network manager. More importantly, it prevents the user from accessing the infected file: if auto-disinfection is enabled, it cleans the file which can then be used without risk, otherwise it prevents the file being loaded, opened or activated

Management

Sophos Anti-Virus incorporates a range of management features to support network administrators. This management capability is centrally installed as part of the initial setup.

The management core provides rapid, controlled installation across the network and automated update of all machines from a single point. All virus incidents anywhere on the network are centrally logged and Sophos Anti-Virus allows centralised reporting and messaging to the administrator, individuals and groups.

Additional sophisticated tools allow remote installation, remote update and web download of Sophos Anti-Virus.