Security news
Security news7 December 2001
Sophos Anti-Virus declared Company of the Year
Sophos wins Company of the Year in 2001 Real Business/CBI Growing Business Awards
Sophos Anti-Virus, a world leader in corporate anti-virus protection, was proclaimed Company of the Year at last night's 2001 Real Business/CBI Growing Business Awards. Chosen because of its business performance, ambition, potential and management quality, Sophos fought off strong competition from the other four finalists to take the award. The Abingdon-based company was the unanimous choice of the judges.
"It gives me a warm feeling inside to see a couple of academics setting up a successful company in a market largely dominated by US competitors," said Bob Jones, one of the award judges and founder of DICA Technologies/Equiinet. "There are five world leaders in the anti-virus market and Sophos is one of them."
Simon Woodroffe, another of the judges and founder of YO! Sushi, added: "Sophos makes a world class product that British business should be proud of."
The average growth rate in the anti-virus industry was 24% in 1999-2000*. Sophos's results show more than double this growth rate; profit before tax for the year ending March 2001 was £7.8 million, a 65% increase on the previous year.
"We are delighted to have received this prestigious accolade, which acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the hundreds of Sophos staff around the globe," said Peter Lammer, co-founder and joint CEO of Sophos Anti-Virus. "Since its infancy Sophos has maintained a tight focus on meeting the needs of our customers, and as a result the company has gone from strength to strength. We fully expect this success to continue."
The company has recently opened offices in Milan and Singapore, reflecting Sophos's growth on a global scale. Construction has also begun on a new £32 million research and development centre at its headquarters in Abingdon.
The Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP gave a ministerial address at the ceremony. She was followed by Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft Corporation, who delivered the keynote speech.
¹ Source: IDC Research's "Worldwide Anti-virus Software Market Forecast and Analysis, 2001-2005"
About the Growing Business Awards
The Growing Business Awards, launched in 1999 by Real Business Magazine in conjunction with the CBI, recognise and celebrate the UK's entrepreneurial talent, as well as those companies which have shown substantial growth year after year. The presence of the world's greatest business leader, Bill Gates, keynote speaker, plus Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Digby Jones, Director General of the CBI truly demonstrates the stature of these Awards and the continued growing spirit of entrepreneurism in the UK.
About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
