Apple is releasing the latest operating system—MacOS 11 or Big Sur—for Macintosh computers Thursday, November 12. At this time, Sophos is not compatible with Big Sur. On sophos KB I read to update the agent from v2.2.9 to v10, but before the upgrade to Big Sur I couldn't find any v10. Automatic updates didn't work, I always had v2.2.9. Our mistake, we shouldn't have upgraded. But Sophos had months to prepare for this moment with the Big Sur beta, I don't understand.
Early access programs let you try out new product features before we release them to all customers.
You can take part in more than one program at the same time.
There are two types of early access program:
- Open. Anyone can take part.
- Invitation only. We invite you to take part in the program and send you the code you need for access.
Join programs
To join programs:
- Click your account name (upper right of the user interface) and select Early Access Programs.
On the Early Access Programs page, you'll see a list of the available programs.
Note If you want to join an “invitation only” program, you must add the program to the list first. Under Invitation only programs, enter your invitation code. - Click the Join button next to a program.
- A description of the program is displayed. Click Continue.
- In the End User License Agreement & Privacy Policy dialog, view the agreement and then click Accept.Note If the program is for endpoint software, an Add devices button is displayed. You must continue to the next step.
- Click the Add devices button.
- On the Manage devices page, you see a list of the Eligible devices on which you can install the new feature. Use the picker to select the devices where you want to try the new feature. Click Save.Note You can add or remove devices at any time during the program. To do this, go to the Early Access Programs page again and click the Manage button beside the program.
The software on the selected devices will be updated to include the new feature.
Leave programs
To leave a program, click the Leave button next to the program.
If you want to stop using a new feature, you can also simply remove your devices from a program as follows:
- On the Early Access Programs page, click the Manage button next to the program.
- On the Manage devices page, use the picker to remove all your devices from the Assigned devices list.
Big Sur And Sophos
Can users with macOS 11 and the new Apple M1 hardware run Sophos Mac Endpoint Protection with the Big Sur EAP?
Yes. M1 users with Big Sur need to follow three steps:
- Install Rosetta 2
- Join the Big Sur EAP
- Run Sophos using Rosetta 2
What is Rosetta 2?
Rosetta 2 is a commonly used tool that enables a Mac with Apple silicon to use apps built for a Mac with an Intel processor. For instructions on installation, please refer to https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211861
Will there be a performance difference when using Rosetta 2?
Native support using the full power and performance of the Apple hardware will always be faster than using Rosetta 2. For normal business users there should not be any discernable difference. For heavy users of disk or CPU (for example: video editing, heavy photoshop usage, compiling) they will notice a difference in performance.
When is macOS 11 support coming?
The goal is to have macOS 11 support available to all customers by early March 2021. This includes support for both Sophos Central and Sophos Enterprise Console (SEC) managed devices. Brand new customers will have support from mid-February 2021. We will be upgrading all existing customers in stages, between mid-February and early March as per our normal release process.
Will Apple M1 Hardware be supported when we release Big Sur support?
Yes and this support will come in two stages. Stage 1 will be using Rosetta 2 and Stage 2 will be native support.
When will M1 processors be natively supported?
An early access program for native Apple M1 processor support will begin in early April. Planned GA is before the end of CYQ2. Native support means that Rosetta 2 is no longer required for emulation.
Sophos Big Sur Support
Sophos Antivirus Big Sur
Will customers need to take any action when we support macOS 11 or the Apple M1 hardware?
When we release GA support for macOS 11 we will move all EAP devices to recommended. Customers do not need to take any action. The same will be true when we GA native support for the Apple M1 hardware. All devices that were running using Rosetta 2 will automatically use the native implementation.
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