Sophos to provide Intercept X endpoint protection for 5G PCs

Sophos announced its plans to provide Sophos Intercept X endpoint protection for 5G PCs powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ compute platforms from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. The combination of Sophos Intercept X with Snapdragon compute platforms will provide users next-generation security through an always on, always connected PC environment.

Snapdragon compute platforms enabling 5G connectivity build on smartphone technology to deliver premium performance and efficiency to 4G and 5G cellular-connected thin and light fanless laptops. Sophos Intercept X is designed to protect advanced computing systems and endpoints, stopping the latest cybersecurity threats with deep learning AI and anti-ransomware capabilities. Sophos expects Intercept X for Snapdragon compute platforms to be available in the second half of 2021.

“An always on, always connected, interactive computing environment that combines smartphone and PC technology delivers unique security capabilities and opportunities,” said Joe Levy, chief technology officer, Sophos. “Mobile devices historically have experienced far fewer security incidents than PCs powered by traditional architectures. It’s certainly not because they aren’t ubiquitous, but rather because of their modern architecture that offers overall predictability relative to PCs, enabling application vendors to design high-performance and secure software.  

“Snapdragon compute platforms mark a major step forward because they provide all the utility and performance of a PC, but with many of the benefits associated with modern mobile computing devices. Security loves predictability, and Sophos is excited to be a part of securing this next-generation computing platform.”

Sophos Intercept X will also:

• Leverage Connected Standby for continuous communication with a fleet of Snapdragon-powered PCs so that security investigations have fewer unknowns as data won’t be missed due to devices being offline
• Use AI acceleration through the Qualcomm® AI Engine to compile increasingly AI-dependent software real-time on device with optimizations to run faster and more power efficiently, which is important when devices are running on a battery
• Harness the hardware-level root of trust to ascertain device and cryptographic integrity in order to create strong identity bindings

“Now, in addition to enabling always on, always connected PC experiences, our 5G-enabled Snapdragon compute platforms bring next-generation security innovation rooted in our advanced AI and 5G connectivity capabilities,” said Miguel Nunes, senior director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “By working with Sophos, we are taking on-device security to a new level by enhancing their endpoint protection with AI accelerated threat detection on our solutions. We’re excited for Sophos to transform computing with next-generation enterprise-grade security on 5G powered Snapdragon compute platforms.”