Introducing the all-new Xstream Architecture

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XG Firewall v18 is now available, sporting the all-new Xstream Architecture and delivering extreme new levels of visibility, protection, and performance.

Feb 18 2020 By

XG Firewall v18 is now available, sporting the all-new Xstream Architecture and delivering extreme new levels of visibility, protection, and performance to your customers.

XG Firewall v18 Highlights:

  • Xstream SSL Inspection offers unprecedented visibility into encrypted traffic flows, support for TLS 1.3 without downgrading, powerful policy tools, and extreme performance.
  • AI-powered Threat Intelligence extends protection against zero-day threats and emerging ransomware variants with multiple best-in-class machine learning models and unmatched insights into suspicious files entering your network.
  • Application Acceleration optimizes network performance by putting important application traffic on the fast path through the firewall and routing it reliably out your preferred WAN connection

Watch this short video for a quick overview of everything that’s new in XG Firewall v18:

What’s New: Sophos XG Firewall version 18 from Sophos on Vimeo.

 

Sophos Central

XG Firewall v18 also includes support for all new central management, reporting, and deployment options launching on Sophos Central next week:

  • Group Firewall Management. Easily keep full estates of firewalls consistent using groups that automatically synchronize policies, objects, and settings.
  • Central Reporting. Network activity and insights across all firewalls are now at your customers’ fingertips in Sophos Central, with several pre-packaged reports and flexible reporting tools to create your own.
  • Zero-Touch Deployment. It’s now possible to conveniently set up a new firewall in Sophos Central, export the config, load it on a flash drive, and have a new firewall automatically connect back to Sophos Central without having to touch it.

 

Other New Features and Enhancements

In addition, there are also a ton of other new features that enhance protection, visibility, management, and network versatility:

  • Synchronized SD-WAN brings the power of Synchronized Security to reliably and accurately route application and user-based traffic over preferred WAN links
  • Firewall, NAT, and SSL Inspection rules and policies are now more powerful, flexible, and easier to work with than ever before
  • Plug-and-play high availability (HA) makes it easier than ever to enable business continuity and added peace-of-mind – simply connect two XG Series appliances together and be up and running in no time
  • Real-time Flow Monitoring provides at-a-glance insights into active bandwidth consuming hosts, applications, and users
  • Expanded notifications and alerts ensure you never miss an important network security event, whether it’s related to a threat, service, or important performance metric
  • And much more – check out the Complete What’s New Guide for more full details

 

Get it now!

As usual, there is no charge for this firmware update for all licensed XG Firewall customers.  The firmware will be rolled out automatically to all systems over the coming weeks, but you can access the firmware anytime to do a manual update through MySophos.

Head on over to the XG Firewall Community Blog to get the full release notes.

Also, check that your current hardware appliance supports v18. If you want to upgrade from SG UTM, Cyberoam, or SonicWall, don’t miss our handy migration tools.

 

Resources:

Updated Certification Training: Now available for all partners through the training section of the Partner Portal. A new delta course, as well as updated full certification courses, are available.

Free Online Customer Training: XG Firewall customers have access to the delta training program on the customer training portal, so encourage your customers to take advantage of this.

Other Sales Tools and Resources: Be sure to visit the XG Firewall v18 Partner Resource Page for full access to sales tools, marketing assets, videos and more.

Here are some direct links to other helpful resources:

 

Please note: Many of the links above require access to the Sophos Partner Portal, which is available only to Sophos Partners. If you are a registered partner and have trouble logging in, please contact customercare@sophos.com.

In some cases, if you are not logged in, the direct links given may not work. If so, verify you are logged in to the Partner Portal and then click the link again to view the desired page.

About the Author

Chris McCormack is a network security specialist at Sophos where he has been focused on firewall and network protection since joining Sophos in 2008. When not evangelizing Sophos network security products, Chris specializes in providing advice and insight into the latest threats and network protection technologies and strategies.