Sophos Shop Update v3.3 - Improvements and Roadmap

With our Sophos shop, we never set out to be just another online store. We specialise in Sophos and aim to offer not only the products themselves, but also our services as a complete package.

From the very first design draft of our webshop, we’ve been working towards becoming a central point of contact for people who already use Sophos in their network, or who are planning to do so.

With our webshop, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to order Sophos products, renew licences, obtain free purchasing advice, plan larger projects with us, and get support when you’ve reached the limits of your own Sophos expertise.

For us, Sophos is not just another product on a shelf. You’re buying your Sophos product from professionals - a certified Gold Partner that genuinely understands the technology.

Update: In 2017, we achieved the highest partner status with Sophos and were officially appointed Platinum Partner.

Of course, we’re still a long way from where we ultimately want to be. Our roadmap is packed with great ideas that still need to be implemented.

Here’s a brief update on what we’ve improved in our shop over the past few weeks, and which new features you can look forward to.

Optimised prepayment ordering

To minimise the time between order and dispatch when paying in advance, the invoice with all required payment details is now attached to the order confirmation e-mail straight away. Previously, we created each invoice manually, which caused unnecessary delays for customers. This step is now fully automated, and it’s entirely up to the customer how quickly the invoice is paid. In our experience, we’re usually notified of the incoming payment as early as the next day and process the order immediately.

Compared with purchase on account, PayPal or credit card, you lose at most one working day when using prepayment.

Improved credit card payments

Until now, we always offered PayPal and credit card as a combined payment option. Since PayPal also allows payment by credit card, this was very convenient for us as a provider.

Based on feedback from customers who wanted to pay directly by credit card, we realised that the PayPal payment process can be quite confusing. We therefore decided to separate the two payment methods and look for a dedicated payment provider for credit card transactions.

It should now be significantly easier and clearer to pay by credit card in our shop. We’ve also decided to fully absorb any credit card fees ourselves, instead of passing them on to customers as is the case with PayPal.

Purchase on account on request

The most popular payment method for end customers is, and remains, purchase on account. As a provider, however, this always involves a higher risk, because we deliver in advance and have to rely on the amount being paid within the payment term. Customers who have ordered from us multiple times have been able to purchase on account for some time.

To avoid losing new customers just because this payment option isn’t available by default, simply give us a quick call beforehand or send us an e-mail. We’ll briefly check the order value and the company behind the order, and then decide whether we can accept an order on account. For private individuals, we very rarely make exceptions.

Roadmap

To conclude, here’s a very brief overview of what you can expect in the near future:

TotalProtect Plus bundles

The popular TotalProtect Bundle (hardware + FullGuard) is getting a big brother. With the TotalProtect Plus Bundle, you’ll receive Sophos Sandstorm in addition to the FullGuard licence (hardware + FullGuard + Sandstorm).

Sophos Clean

How can you be sure your current antivirus solution really hasn’t missed anything? With Sophos Clean, a brand-new product from Sophos will be added to our shop in the coming months. Sophos Clean follows the “belt-and-braces” principle and is designed to run in parallel with your existing antivirus. It’s essentially the sidekick to your antivirus software. We’ve written more about Sophos Clean in the following blog post: Sophos Clean: Der Sidekick unter den Virenscannern

Sophos Cloud becomes “Sophos Central”

Sophos has announced that the product “Sophos Cloud” will be renamed to “Sophos Central”. In line with this, we will also revise the “Sophos Cloud” section of our shop. However, we don’t yet know the new product names. We’ll keep you updated here as well.

MSP

With MSP, Sophos is introducing a new pay-as-you-go billing model. A licence no longer has to be purchased for 1, 2 or 3 years, but can be rented on a monthly basis. We’ve already given some thought to how we can integrate this model as conveniently as possible into our shop. If you can already see that this model might be attractive for you, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Update: Until further notice, we no longer offer monthly licences. Unfortunately, we had to discontinue our developed model for a Sophos Central or XG subscription in May 2018.

Become a reseller

We’ve repeatedly received enquiries from companies that would like to use Sophos for their own customers but don’t want to go through the hassle of registering directly with Sophos and a distributor. Certifications are also required, which is too time-consuming for many who don’t see Sophos as part of their core business. They asked whether they could obtain Sophos hardware and software through us and rely on our Sophos support if they ever get stuck.

In response to these requests, we set up a reseller programme. A company that registers with us as a reseller and orders from us on a regular basis will receive special reseller terms. For the fourth quarter, we’re planning a major update to our shop that will allow you to create a reseller account directly.

Until then, we’re already offering an interim solution. If you’d like to learn more about our reseller programme, please get in touch with us.