What is our primary use case?
We use Check Point's firewall to provide network security to our organization as well as to other, third-party vendors.
How has it helped my organization?
The Check Point firewall is providing advanced-level security. Compared to before, our company is more secure now. It is not only securing the users working within the LAN environment, but also to the end-users or remote users in the company.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are its
- antivirus
- threat detection
- central management system.
The central management makes it easier, and is a time-saver, when implementing changes. We can do all the changes within Check Point and not use any third-party device.
What needs improvement?
The antivirus Check Point offers could be better when compared to competitors' firewalls. Updates should be more frequent. With other firewalls, updates are very frequent, but with Check Point updates are not so frequent. That needs to be improved.
Also, the certification as well as learning about this Check Point is much costlier when compared to the other firewalls. I have recently done certifications in various firewalls and Check Point's certification was more costly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Check Point's NGFW for the last six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The Check Point firewall is very stable. It is one of the oldest firewalls in the market. It has all the advanced features, according to the security features we have. It's quite a stable firewall.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very good and scalable. We have recently expanded the usage of Check Point and it was not a very tough process to scale this firewall.
Right now it's protecting around 3,000-plus employees.
How are customer service and technical support?
It has been a very good experience every time we call Check Point. We usually get them on a phone call and they are very informative people. They always provide us the solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had another solution. We switched because Check Point gave us more advanced features and there was market demand for network security.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was a little complex. The training from Check Point should be increased. It was a little complex, but with the help of their TAC and the help of other engineers, we installed it.
The deployment has taken about eight months. We have deployed it in a three-way architecture. We have installed a security gateway, an SMS (security management system) and we have installed the console.
We have a team of four people, all network engineers, for deployment and maintenance of the solution. We take care of all the firewalls for the organization, including Check Point's.
What about the implementation team?
We had help from a Check Point integrator. It was a good experience. They were very helpful.
What was our ROI?
We are happy with our investment in Check Point's firewall. Per our standards, and for our environment, it is a very good firewall. It is protecting us well.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is a little high compared to competitive firewalls, but it is easy to go through the licensing steps.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated other options, including Cisco ASA. The difference was that Check Point provides advanced features, such as threat prevention and antivirus. Apart from those, it also provides us with IPS. Also, for Cisco ASA, we had to take extra services to install it, so we went for Check Point.
What other advice do I have?
Make sure you get good training on Check Point's firewall, and it would be good if you have working experience on the device.
Using Check Point, I have learned that we need to serve our remote users as well, and Check Point is a firewall which is capable of doing that.
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.