Check Point Harmony Endpoint Reviews

We resell Harmony Endpoint to many of our SMB customers and also use the product ourselves. It concerns environments of endpoints only, as well as (terminal) servers and a mix of these.

Our customers range from one to two endpoints to 100+ endpoints. In addition, as mentioned above, there are also customers where we deploy the Harmony Endpoint tooling on the servers. This also varies from customers with one or two servers to ten or more servers.

Both we and the customers are very satisfied with the use and functioning of the antivirus.

It is very powerful tooling that can be tuned a lot. It gives a lot of insight via Threat Hunting and stops things that other antivirus packages just let through.

Previous antivirus packages that we used and our customers used did not include a browser plugin. Now that users see that the endpoint really does scan everything on the browser page (such as username and password fields) they also see the added value of an antivirus package on the computer. Since users themselves see this added value, they also understand that they sometimes have to wait a little longer (for example, when downloading files, these are also scanned first).

The Harmony Endpoint browser plugin is powerful tooling that is visibly present and doing its job. 

Previous antivirus packages that we used and our customers used did not include a browser plugin. Now that users see that the endpoint really does scan everything on the browser page (such as username and password fields) they also see the added value of an antivirus package on the computer. 

It would be useful if you could also mark blocks as safe from a client. Now users always have to ask an admin to make exclusions.

In addition, it is also very desirable that there is support for Windows Server core machines.

In addition, it would also be useful if administrators could create exclusions directly from logging into the admin portal, instead of only being told where and how to add the exclusion. This will save work.

It would also perhaps be useful if you could connect from one endpoint directly to another tenant. Instead of having to roll out the endpoint again.

I've used the solution for one year.

The solution is very stable.

The management portal could be a bit faster. Sometimes we are waiting for pages.

It's very easy to create a support ticket and they always provide quick answers.

Positive

We previously used Trend Micro and ESET. We couldn't manage the endpoints of multiple customers centrally.

The initial setup was straightforward.

We handled the implementation in-house.

I'd advise users to buy a bundle with more Check Point products in it to better secure their organization and save money.

We did not evaluate other options. We use more Check Point products and are very happy about it.

The solution should be able to provide next-generation security for endpoints and should be able to monitor, detect, mitigate, and block attacks, as well as provide complete visibility in terms of the chain of events so that forensics can be performed accordingly.

All of the security features should be provided on a single agent and it should be lightweight and should not have a performance impact on the endpoint.

Provide required/relevant logs on the console and also should be able to forward to the SIEM solution. So accordingly, a use case can be created. 

The agent should be tamperproof and the admin should not be able to shut down or stop services without the security team concerned, or by using a password.

We should be able to integrate and share IOC with other security devices.

The Check Point SandBlast solution, also known as Harmony Endpoint, is able to detect, block, monitor, and respond to any malicious activity that happens on the endpoint. With a single agent deployed on the endpoint, it's able to provide complete EDPR functionality, with help of multiple security features and modules.

This agent can be pushed either from the Check Point management console or by using other patch management solutions such as SCCM.

It is able to provide a consolidated security posture for all Windows endpoints on a single dashboard and also provide threat hunter visibility for any security threat on the endpoint, and able to mitigate the same. 

Provide capability of reproducing any security threat and also provide RCA/attack tree. 

File/hash can be swiped across the network using the security console, which provides visibility on the endpoint according to its priority.  

Harmony Endpoint provides complete EDPR functionality using multiple modules and features that are available with the solution. These include Compliance, Anti-Malware, Media Encryption, Port Protection, Firewall, Application Control, Full Disk Encryption, Remote access VPN, Capsule DOC, URL Filtering, Anti-Bot, Anti-Ransomware, Behaviour Guard, Forensics, Threat Emulation, and Anit-Exploit. This group of features is able to protect the endpoint from any next-generation attack. Any of the modules can be enabled or disabled based on the organization's requirements.

Harmony Endpoint is able to detect, monitor, block, and mitigate attacks on the endpoint and it builds and maintains relevant logs for later inspection. The agent sends telemetry/metadata to the centralized console for forensic purposes.

Policies for endpoints can be created based on the username or endpoint.

Integration with the Threat intel platform is helpful for blocking any attack at an early stage.

The complete solution can be hosted on-premises or SaaS on the cloud.

Remote access VPN is provided as default in the base license.

A different Policy Server can be configured and hosted at each location so that the agent does not have to reach a central location to receive policy updates. Policy servers are created using an OVF file, which can be installed on any Virtual Platform such as VMware.

It has secure communication between the Policy Server and the Management Console using Certificate/SIC communication.

The agent footprint is small on the endpoint.

It supports integration with other security solutions for sharing threat intel within an organization or over the cloud.

The anti-ransomware module is very strong; it's able to detect any ransomware attack at a very early stage.

Host-based firewall policy configuration is simple, which helps to access an endpoint if the machine is not in the organization's network.

The Threat Hunting module is not available for on-premises deployment.

The user has to connect using the VPN to take Policy Server updates when the solution is hosted on-premises. This adds overhead, as the user has to connect to the corporate network to get the policy.

In the case of a hybrid setup where the Policy and Management Server is on the cloud, the Sandbox appliance has to be on-premises.

Policy configuration and deployment are complex.

The application control and URL filtering features are not very strong.

Application Control databases are generated locally and it does not provide any visibility to the admin on which applications are installed on the endpoint.

The solution is supported only on Windows and MAC and not any other platform.

So far, the solution is stable.

The solution is scalable we can add multiple policy servers based on requirement and it will be integrated with the central management server (Primary/Secondary). 

In the case of the SaaS offering, it is managed by Check Point. 

Technical support is excellent.

We used McAfee AV but it was not able to provide the next-generation capability that we were looking for.

The solution required the Management Console and Policy server for initial setup and it can be increased based on the requirements.

We had assistance from the vendor during deployment and the service is excellent.

There are three different licensing models including basic, advanced, and complete, and it needs to be selected according to the endpoint. For example, it matters whether it is only required for a Windows endpoint as opposed to providing support for BYOD/Mobile devices.

We evaluated Windows ATP and CrowdStrike.

In case you want to set up the solution on-premises and you want to deploy multiple policy servers, it is complicated. You will need an OVF to be deployed at each location and sometimes, organizations don't have the compute or supporting platform for deployment.

Also, for connecting remote users there is a dependency on the VPN, hence it's again a challenge for users to connect to the policy server for updates.

We primarily use the solution to prevent and detect the abnormalities and viruses on endpoints. 

It's also to monitor endpoints and the use of endpoints when it comes to identifying items like USB sticks, etc. because it's not really in our company policy to allow the use of a USB at work stations.

The most valuable feature is the integration with Check Point's firewalls. You can have one port, and follow the logs from both Endpoint and firewall security.

The solution could improve VPN functionality and the VPN user-interface.

The solution is very stable. We are quite happy with the solution, and we have had very few issues with it.

Scalability is very good. 

Technical support is fairly good. I'd rate it three out five. It's fairly good, but not optimal. 

Check Point could offer better personal support. They have a ticket system, but once you create a ticket, it can take up to seven to days before you get any feedback at all. Depending on the situation or the problem that we have, that's far too long.

We previously had a Cisco solution.

The initial setup was complex. From an IT department perspective, we don't have that many IT technicians, so, for us, it was complex. If we had put an IT engineer on Check Point, it might have been easier. 

Implementation took about two days. The strategy was to do the implementation outside of office hours, so it was actually done over a weekend.

We are outsourcing the maintenance, which is about 4 hours of work a month.

We had a consultant assist us in the implementation.

We pay roughly 80,000 Swedish krona per year. When it comes to the firewall, it's roughly 150,000 Swedish krona yearly. There's also maintenance, of course, which is roughly 10,000 krona per month.

We evaluated a few solutions, including Cylance. We evaluated the existing solutions and compared them to Check Point.

My advice to others considering implementing the solution is, depending of course on if the company is looking for a new kind of firewall solution, is "Don't do it yourself."

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

Endpoints have always been a network's weak point, as they are the main interface users use daily. A good endpoint security product must be able to be flexible in both deployments and across multiple OS versions. 

Check Point Harmony Endpoint does that for us. With multiple blades that add security to these weak points, I can be assured that threats are being mitigated in real-time. Also, Harmony Endpoint works seamlessly with Check Point's new MDR product, so logging, detecting, and responding couldn't be easier. 

With the new Harmony interface, I don't have to worry about a local endpoint management server anymore, making my deployments and updating of endpoints so much easier across the board. 

I haven't had issues with anti-malware updates anymore, and I can manage my endpoints from one Infinity Cloud portal. 

Being short-staffed in my department, this solution has absorbed some of the daily tasks of monitoring endpoint products to ensure they are up and running. Also, reporting services/blades that aren't running lets me use my time more freely. 

Deploying new versions of the endpoint are easy. It was a hassle before with a local management server, and now it's as easy as selecting the version you want from a drop-down menu. 

The options for removing/adding blades with the click of a button from the portal are great. The built-in VPN blade makes it so easy to deploy on my endpoints if I need employee remote access to my LAN. 

The installation is so easy with the simple MSI deployment packages, and I can watch the deployment process in real-time from the Cloud Portal. 

The Infinity Portal login is "iffy" at times. I would like to restrict it to only US traffic, however, due to the hosting in the cloud, it sometimes retrieves data from the EU and across seas. 

Also, if there was a way to simplify the SmartConsole login more, there could be an opportunity to take away some clicks to log in. Navigating back to the browser to log in through that portal site just makes for a more extended login transition. Just have the MFA capability right there on the local application and be done with it. 

I've been using Check Point's endpoint solution for five years, however, just recently moved to the Harmony interface this summer. 

The stability makes it easy to move up or down. 

The scalability makes it easy to move up or down. 

Support could be improved. I'd give them a 7/10 before COVID, and maybe a 5/10 post-COVID. If you know who to ask for, it's more an 8/10. 

Neutral

We did not use a different solution previously.

The setup is straightforward. Check Point assists the whole way, so it was very easy. 

I handled the deployment in-house, myself. 

I'm not sure if we have seen an ROI. 

Our rep has been great to work with concerning quotes/licensing. The setup is relatively easy, being in the cloud. A new customer could be up and running on a new Harmony install within days. 

CrowdStrike was the main one we evaluated against this product. 

It is a great product. Check Point could work on their Technical Assistance Center (TAC) to assist customers, however, they usually get the job done in the end. 

We primarily use it for end-to-end security for endpoints and the co-relation of events from one single console. We have been able to protect our endpoints with Harmony. The user experience is also good and there is not too much to be done with respect to the endpoint changes (the best part). Features like Threat Emulation/Threat Extraction, Antibot, Anti- Exploit, Anti Ransomware protection, UBA, Zero-day Phishing protection, Behavioral Guard, Encryption, VPN, and compliance makes it more powerful and helpful to our security team in order to protect the environment.

Our organization's overall security posture has improved with Harmony Endpoint protection. This has helped to secure against all modern age threats and risks that came in during the pandemic. 

During the pandemic, the users, for example, have been forced to work from home and that's been forcing the IT to do overtime to protect the endpoints. After introducing Harmany Endpoint we have seen the incident levels going down to close to zero. 

The single dashboard provides complete visibility over endpoint security and the administration can view the actionable tasks to follow up easily without searching across multiple reports/consoles. 

All of the available features are good (for example Threat Emulation/Threat Extraction, Antibot, Anti-Exploit, Anti-Ransomware protection, UBA, Zero-day Phishing protection, Behavioral Guard, Encryption, VPN, and compliance), however, the one I have thought to be very valuable is the Ransomware Protection Feature which has been used widely during the pandemic. It protects as well as saves original file copies to prevent data loss.

Forensic Analysis provides a complete analysis of threats via detailed reports. The threat prevention, which includes a detailed threat landscape is very good.

The VPN connectivity and compliance check are also very good features.

Support's service and the response times can be improved. The triaging of the tickets takes a long time and the tickets are only resolved with escalations. 

With respect to the product, we feel Endpoint vulnerability management is one of the modules that is missing and it is something that is required. Adding this will strengthen the product and help in taking proactive steps towards protecting the environment.

DLP Module & Patching are required from an endpoint perspective. It would be good to add those in an upcoming release/version.

I've used the solution for more than 6 months.

We have deployed it on the cloud which helps it to be scalable and cost-effective.

We were using multiple solutions to protect the environment in the past. These include solutions such as McAfee, Websence DLP, encryption, etc. however, now it is all happening with this one tool and console 

Easy to set up and start using.

A single administrator can manage the complete solution. It's easy to deploy and does not require any additional effort. We're able to have multiple solutions within a single solution.

We implemented the product with the help of our OEM and our in-house team. There were no major challenges during implementation or even in day-to-day operations.

Harmony Endpoint, in terms of the deployment, integration, and setup, costs less than other solutions.

Yes, we evaluated other products as well, however, with respect to feature price and integration availability, we selected this product.

Harmony Endpoint is a good product and scalable with business growth. 

We are using Check Point Endpoint security to protect our remote users, as well as our roaming users that are accessing our on-premises resources externally.

We have come to know that our remote and roaming users are completely secure with Check Point Endpoint Security. With this confidence, we are now planning to roll out this solution for our on-premises resources, including machines and devices, as well. This will give us complete endpoint security.

Check Point Endpoint Security has improved our organization with features that include Security, Management, and Reporting. We have not yet rolled it out for all users, but that is our intention.

With this product, the data accessible by our endpoints is secure.

We have zero-day protection, which is not available with our other endpoint protection solution. That is the reason we preferred to implement Check Point Endpoint Security.

Finally, from a management perspective, the single point of control makes it more manageable.

The most valuable feature is the Zero-day protection, which covers our on-premises users, and well as those users who are outside of our network. 

With Zero-day protection, we have complied with our customer-specific policies as well.

Most of our users are working on customer-related projects and today, everybody is looking to have zero-day protection at the endpoint level, as well as to protect against unknown threats or viruses.

As of now, product-wise, we haven't found any major concern that needs to improve, although it does not support full MDM and this is something that should be there.

We have been using Check Point Endpoint Security for the last six months.

Scalability is very good and there is no such concern for this solution.

The cost is huge compared to other products that are available on market.

We haven't evaluated other products but we know there are many that are cheaper than Check Point.

In my opinion, it is a very good solution for organizations with a complex environment. We can secure it. From a security perspective, we trust only Check Point endpoint security. This product is a market leader.

The platform is our anti-ransomware agent, where it helps us prevent any cyber-attack. We find it intuitive, as it unpacks files and decrypts any hidden malware, thus enabling us to work in a safe environment and keep our own data, as well as that of our customers, safe and secure.

Our work environment is the banking industry and on a daily basis, we handle lots of customer data. This makes us a potential target for malware attacks but with the platform in place, we are able to shun all of that.                       

The platform works on its own and it does not need to have an assigned employee to monitor how it's working, thus bringing efficiency into our company.

It fit well into our environment, allowing us to fight any attempt to corrupt computer resources.

The best thing is that it fits into all environments, which gives any organization a chance to use it intuitively without worrying about the nature of their industry.

Some of the less tech-savvy users sometimes find it difficult in adjusting and learning how to use the platform.

In some areas, the user-communities that ought to help are not readily available. Perhaps in the future, the vendor ought to send a sales representative or a knowledgeable person to each buyer to assess how they are using the platform. In case of any challenges, they should help them in using the platform efficiently.

I have been using Check Point SandBlast Agent for more than five years. 

This platform has been reliable, through and through, since we started using it.

The vendor offers reliable customer support services to users who may be stuck somewhere in using the platform. This ensures that one continues to receive stable services from the platform.

We primarily use it to provide security solutions for small to medium-sized companies with ten to fifty employees.

The standout features are primarily EDR and MDR. These functionalities are crucial because they specifically target the most common attack vectors, such as email phishing and downloading unknown software. EDR provides a solution for monitoring and responding to these threats effectively. Additionally, MDR ensures round-the-clock monitoring by skilled personnel from Check Point's team. They promptly alert us to any significant events, allowing us to take necessary actions swiftly.

Improvements are required in two key areas: notifications and setup simplification. Notification integration primarily relies on software, which is not commonly used by most small companies. Additionally, the setup process within the dashboard is overly complex, with numerous checkboxes and options that necessitate at least a week of training to comprehend fully. Simplifying this process through a wizard or a more intuitive interface would greatly benefit smaller companies.

I have been working with it for several months.

It provides outstanding reliability. I would rate it ten out of ten.

Scalability is a challenge due to the need for different appliances to accommodate varying user counts and traffic levels. When businesses experience growth or sudden increases in users, acquiring and deploying new appliance packages can be cumbersome. Availability of stock and deployment timelines vary, sometimes resulting in delays of days or even weeks to implement new hardware appliances. I would rate it six out of ten. We serve approximately five or six customers, with the largest having around fifty endpoints, which is considered small to medium-sized in scale.

The technical support provided is excellent, earning a rating of ten out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup was complex, with a rating of three out of ten in terms of difficulty. Implementing the entire solution, covering everything from networking to setting up Office 365, proved to be intricate and challenging.

The deployment time varies depending on the complexity of the case. For simple installations, we estimate approximately one week for completion. However, for more intricate setups involving thorough configuration and fine-tuning, the timeframe extends to three to four weeks. Our deployment process begins with in-depth analysis and discussions with the customer to understand their specific needs and infrastructure, including any special features they utilize, such as on-premise email with Exchange. We initially deploy a standard version with a standardized setup, followed by a review period to assess its effectiveness. Subsequently, we fine-tune the configuration based on feedback and requirements, which typically takes about a week. Finally, we roll out the refined setup to endpoints, servers, and other relevant components.

In comparison to other software solutions available on the market, it comes at a higher price point. However, the price is justified considering the robust features it offers. I would rate it nine out of ten. They provide fixed packages based on the number of users.

Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.