End of life for RED (Remote Ethernet Device)

As Sophos previously announced, legacy RED 50 and RED 15(w) devices will reach their end date on Aug. 31, 2023. While customers using this hardware will not experience an immediate change on the end date, this hardware is no longer supported and they are not eligible for RMA support in the event of a hardware issue. What to do next. Check out all the solutions in our new blog post!

Migration Path

Sophos current SD-RED models are an ideal replacement for your legacy RED devices:

Sophos SD-RED (Remote Ethernet Device) is a hardware appliance from Sophos., It is designed to provide secure remote access to a corporate network for branch offices and remote workers. The Sophos RED device connects to the local network at the remote site and establishes a secure tunnel over the Internet to a central Sophos UTM or XGS firewall.

The primary purpose of Sophos RED is to extend the protection and networking capabilities of the central firewall to remote sites without the need for complex configuration or technical expertise at the remote site. It simplifies the process of establishing secure connectivity between remote sites and the central network. And best of all, no licenses needed!

Zero-Touch Edge and Branch Connectivity

Here’s how Sophos (SD)-RED typically works:

1. A Sophos RED appliance is installed at the remote site, such as a branch or home office. It connects to the local network and establishes a secure connection to the central firewall.
2. The Sophos RED device automatically establishes a virtual private network (VPN) tunnel to the central firewall. This tunnel encrypts all network traffic between the remote site and the central network.
3. Once the tunnel is established, the remote site appears to the central firewall as a local network segment. This allows secure access to resources and services hosted on the central network.
4. The central firewall manages the security policies, traffic filtering and other network services for the remote site, ensuring consistent security across the network.

Sophos SD- RED is particularly useful for organisations with multiple branch offices or remote workers who need secure access to the corporate network. It simplifies network setup and ensures that remote sites are protected by the same security measures as the central network.

Last supported software versions of Legacy Sophos RED

The final supported software version is the last version that supports and allows management of the RED 50 and 15(w) devices.

• Sophos Firewall OS (SFOS): Customers managing their legacy RED devices in SFOS should note that the final supported software version is v20. (expected early 2024). Any maintenance releases of v20 and any subsequent major releases will no longer support or allow management of these models.

• Sophos UTM: The final supported version of Sophos UTM 9.7 is yet to be determined and will be announced at a later date.

Please check following links for future updates:

• Klik hier voor het Knowledgebase artikel
• Klik hier voor de Retirement calendar

Call to action

We encourage our resellers to plan a product refresh with your RED customers as soon as possible. SD-RED 20 and SD-RED 60 are the direct successors, alternatively a small XGS 87 or 87w firewall appliance can provide additional functionality for remote sites and branch offices.

We strongly discourage the continued use of unsupported or end-of-life hardware or software as this may not only affect the customer’s protection, particularly if they remain on an older software version, but may also affect their compliance status.

If you have any questions, please contact your Kappa Data team [email protected]