Head of IT Department at AS Attīstības finanšu institūcija Altum
Real User
Top 5
User-friendly, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is user-friendly and the interface is easy to configure."
  • "The price has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

Check Point IPS is an IT security solution that offers insight into potential attacks and helps to prevent them from occurring. This solution gathers various signatures and receives new updates when a new vulnerability is identified, thus safeguarding us from potential threats.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has helped improve our security by blocking threats.

What is most valuable?

The solution is user-friendly and the interface is easy to configure.

What needs improvement?

The price has room for improvement. The solution's firewalls are quite expensive.

Buyer's Guide
Check Point IPS
April 2024
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For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scaling of our system depends on the type of hardware we are using. If we are using a virtual environment, it is easier to scale as we can just add more virtual machines. However, if we are using a hardware appliance, we will need to purchase additional hardware to scale it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously we used an IBM solution but it was expensive and hard to configure compared to Check Point IPS which was a common sense model, and easy to implement with our firewall.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. I give the ease of setup an eight out of ten.

We first deployed the license and configured the rules in test mode. After making sure there were no false positives, we switched the rules to prevent mode to block any incoming attacks. The last part of the process was to configure a certificate for HTTPS inspection.

The deployment took one month to complete.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed with the help of consultants. Two people were required to complete the work.

What was our ROI?

Calculating a return on investment for cybersecurity products can be difficult. However, we have not experienced any concerning cyber incidents in the past five years; this is likely due to our strong firewall and comprehensive production system. All in all, this is a positive outcome.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay for a bundle subscription that includes additional solutions.

I give the price of the solution a five out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

For maintenance, we need to review the log, identify any new signatures, and configure them accordingly.

The solution is used to protect 250 users.

We could potentially cause disruptions to our infrastructure if we do not use a good consultant to guide us through the implementation process.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Voice and data infrastructure specialist at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
User
Easy to configure and setup with good scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "Check Point Intrusion Prevention System has great profiles, and we can continuously create, modify, activate, deactivate or configure any specific setting to allow the profile to focus on just one thing or for certain attacks."
  • "The cost is a bit high but it is worth it."

What is our primary use case?

The Check Point Intrusion Prevention System can block traffic from any source workstation inside our local network and facilitates the analysis of outbound traffic to check if there is any risk in the internal network in order to protect our clients and servers. With this product, we're creating a secure zone. We currently are using this blade in our hybrid environment and it's integrated with our secure gateway. Most of the time, our NOC team continuously monitors traffic in order to find any suspicious activity.

How has it helped my organization?

Now that the Check Point Intrusion Prevention System has improved our environment, we feel that we are more protected in our network. By implementing the recommendations that Check Point has given us, we have an optimal security environment now that provides almost real-time detection and prevention. We are protected by the Intrusion Prevention System and can go back and select any period or severity in order to display the latest statistics.

What is most valuable?

Check Point Intrusion Prevention System has great profiles, and we can continuously create, modify, activate, deactivate or configure any specific setting to allow the profile to focus on just one thing or for certain attacks. I also like that profiles can be applied to groups of workstations that need to be more protected from possible attacks. Each profile that we create has activated protections and some instructions of what the IPS should do with the traffic.

What needs improvement?

At the moment, I do not see what else can be added to this service. In my experience, I've seen that it has what we need without something additional being required. 

It is easy to use, easy to configure, and practically updates itself without the need to intervene as an administrator of the appliance. We are happy with this platform since it allows us to have security and control over the connections almost in real-time. There are many different services that Check Point Intrusion Prevention System has that are quite useful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I've found the stability to be good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is great.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been great,

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not previously use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not complex. 

What about the implementation team?

We handled the implementation process in-house.

What was our ROI?

I've witnessed a 40% ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is a bit high but it is worth it.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I did evaluate other options before choosing Check Point.

What other advice do I have?

So far, I have no regrets about choosing this solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Check Point IPS
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Check Point IPS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
768,886 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Oleg P. - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network and Security Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
New protections can be automatically activated in the "Staging mode", which only detect the possible threat and alerts them
Pros and Cons
  • "The number of the IPS protections is amazing - after the latest update I see more than 11000 in the SmartConsole."
  • "In my opinion, the Check Point software engineers should works on the performance of the blade - when it is activated with the big number of the protections in place, the monitoring shows us the significant increase in the CPU utilization for the gateway appliances - up to 30 percents, even so we are cherry-picking only the profiles that we really needed."

What is our primary use case?

Our company works in developing and delivering online gambling platforms. The Check Point NGFWs are the core security solution we use to protect our DataCenter environment located in Asia (Taiwan). The environment has about ~50 physical servers as virtualization hosts, and we have two HA Clusters consist of 2x5400 hardware appliances, managed by an OpenServer Security Management Server on a Virtual Machine (KVM), all running on R80.10 with the latest JumboHotfix. 

The Clusters serve as the firewalls for both inter-VLAN and external traffic. We have the Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) blade activated on both Check Point HA Clusters as the counter-measure against advanced threats and malware. The IPS blade mostly used for ingress traffic from the Internet to the DMZ VLAN.

How has it helped my organization?

I think that the security of our DataCenter has been increased to a large extent by activating of the Check Point Intrusion Prevention System software blade. Before that, we used the Cisco ACLs and Zone-Based firewall configured on switches and routers, which currently not an efficient solution for protecting from advanced threats. Now we have state-of-the-art, true, and efficient Next-Generation firewall, and the IPS blade is the heart of it. The security profiles activated in the IPS blade check the traffic not just by TCP/UDP port of the connection, but by traffic patterns and the application behaviour. 

What is most valuable?

The number of IPS protections is amazing - after the latest update, I see more than 11000 in the SmartConsole.

All the protections are tagged and categorized by the vendor/type/product, the severity of the threat, confidence level, and performance impact of the activation, which helps in finding and enabling only he profiles that we really need (e.g. we don't have any Microsoft Windows servers in our environment, so decided to disable such protections by default).

The protections are updated based on the schedule - we used the default once-a-day approach.

I also like that the new protections may be automatically activated in the "Staging mode", which only detect the possible threat and alerts them, but doesn't block the actual traffic, thus minimizing the impact of the false positives. 

What needs improvement?

In my opinion, the Check Point software engineers should works on the performance of the blade - when it is activated with the big number of the protections in place, the monitoring shows us the significant increase in the CPU utilization for the gateway appliances - up to 30 percents, even so, we are cherry-picking only the profiles that we really needed.

Due to that fact it is also not so easy to choose the correct hardware appliance when you are planning the infrastructure. It is even more important when you realize that the Check Point hardware is very expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for three years, starting since late 2017.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is reliable and stable, we didn't have any software or hardware issue while using it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The Check Point software blade is activated on the HA Clusters in Active-Standby mode. There's a space to grow with the current setup, but eventually, we may switch to the Active-Active mode and add additional appliances to the clusters.

How are customer service and technical support?

Even so we had a number of the support cases opened with the Check Point team, none of them was connected with the IPS blade. In general, there are professionals in the support team, but some cases took surprisingly long time to be resolved. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before the Check Point IPS, we relied on the simple stateful firewalls configured on Cisco switches and routers and moved to Check Point to get improved security against the modern threats.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy, as was the configuration. Now the solution almost doesn't require the time for managing it.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was done by the Certified Check Point Expert we have in the in-house team - the Check Point solutions are popular, so there are such engineer available on the job market.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The overall cost of the solution is really high. You should properly scale the setup you are planning to purchase. 

The licensing model is simple, but some of the software blades are not included into the default bundles and should be purchased separately - pay attention to that.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We didn't evaluate the other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

The correct performance sizing is essential for this kind of software - use the tools provided by the vendor, and consult the sales if you are still not sure.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sales Manager at USO
Real User
Has valuable integration, stability, and scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The integration is a valuable feature."
  • "The solution’s deployment could be easier."

What is most valuable?

The integration is a valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

The solution’s deployment could be easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Check Point IPS for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There was no issue with the solution’s stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We ask about issues with the technical support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?


How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not easy. You have to configure the same type of menu for each channel and send it to the portal. You can verify the name from your website.

What other advice do I have?

Check Point IPS is a brand and solution for protection.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: reseller
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PeerSpot user
Geraldo Freitas - PeerSpot reviewer
Analista de TI - suporte a redes e segurança at Tribunal de Contas da União
Real User
Top 20
Helps to detect attacks and prevent them
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's initial setup is easy."
  • "I would like the product to provide us with intelligence to understand what we really have in our environment."

What needs improvement?

I would like the product to provide us with intelligence to understand what we really have in our environment. 

For how long have I used the solution?

The solution helps us to detect attacks and prevent them. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution does not scale well. 

How are customer service and support?

We have had problems with the management. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup is easy. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate the product an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Diana Alvarado - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Admin at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
IPS Blade - excellent tool - CHP
Pros and Cons
  • "The reports are useful in helping to verify the threats where we can see the level of severity in order to be able to take action."
  • "Despite being a blade, this is expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We needed a security tool with features like:

  • Exploit detection
  • Vulnerable Protocol Validations
  • Malware communication blocking
  • Easy administration

We found these features in the Check Point Intrusion Prevention System. It's the exact protection required for our infrastructure.

We managed to increase the level of business security thanks to this blade provisioned within our Check Point gateways.

Thanks to the use of this tool, we could avoid malware that might be installed in our infrastructure. It offers prompt detection.

We also needed to be able to have protection against emerging threats during Microsoft updates on our Windows servers.

How has it helped my organization?

This tool gave us much more protection for areas that are not covered with the use of the gateways.

One of our great concerns is the patching of servers where Internet access is opened and where we may have vulnerabilities. Thanks to Check Point's Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), we could keep our environment safe.

It provides a centralized environment by being unified with the administration of our gateway environments with management through Check Point Security Management. It is easy to use and has large dashboards that help us make decisions that help us continue to improve security.

What is most valuable?

Check Point's Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) provides us with many important features such as:

1- A centralized environment, managed by the security management portal.

2- Real-time protection against threats, generating security so that we can act immediately when we have a threat.

3- Protection backed with thousands of signatures of prevention and malicious behavior.

4- The reports are useful in helping to verify the threats where we can see the level of severity in order to be able to take action.

It really is a complete tool.

What needs improvement?

Check Point's Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) may improve in the following fields:

- They should have a cost improvement. Despite being a blade, this is expensive.

- They do not have a separate console.

- The documentation accessible by the manufacturer is generally for versions R80 or less. Some features or configurations have changed, which makes a more efficient and faster implementation difficult.

- The costs are only visible through a partner who provides you with the details. We would like them to be public so that we do not only have to view the costs through them.

For how long have I used the solution?

We use this blade for a branch in our cloud environment. We have it in order to be able to support against intrusions for at least three years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have cluster environments and we have found its stability to be quite good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In cluster and VSS environments in Azure, the scalability is robust.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously we did not use an IPS tool. It wasn't until the business need was realized when that we started the validations of which tool to implement.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is always important to validate the costs and characteristics of the available tools. I recommend finding a partner that can provide that support to correctly deploy what is necessary.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

It is very important to always look for documentation, and characteristics and be able to compare them to make an informed decision based on security needs. In our case, we already have tools within our GWs environment, so it was easy to add this product.

What other advice do I have?

It is a good tool. However, you must have a GWs environment in use to be able to add it.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CTO at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Easy to configure, helpful notifications, and provides good value for the money
Pros and Cons
  • "I can easily monitor all of our connected devices and I get instant notification of reconnections and new connections, which removes some of the monitoring burden."
  • "It is generally good, but improving the performance would be the one thing I'd take a look at right now."

What is our primary use case?

We make use of Check Point IPS to protect our corporate network against incoming threats of all varieties. We have a very minimal intranet/network and this is installed and configured on our firewall that monitors all incoming/outgoing traffic.

We felt it was necessary to have this in place as part of our security hardening in preparation for a third-party penetration test of our corporate network. Their goal was to access our network undetected and exfiltrate information. They were unsuccessful.

How has it helped my organization?

Once we installed our Check Point firewall and activated and configured the various software blades and services, we successfully locked down our network with a near 100% success rate in preventing security threats.

I can easily monitor all of our connected devices and I get instant notification of reconnections and new connections, which removes some of the monitoring burden.

The biggest improvement is that it protects us against many different potential attacks like ransomware and malware coming from malicious IPs.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Check Point IPS are the protection it provides against the various attack vectors out there with ransomware and other malware. Once we had Check Point IPS up and running, which was really quite easy and straightforward to do, we noticed a surprising number of times that it was getting triggered.

It was a little scary thinking back to how vulnerable we were prior to having Check Point IPS in place and simply relying on our users, albeit not that many, to be safe and responsible.

What needs improvement?

Really, the only thing we noticed once it was running in prevention mode (we started out in detection mode just to get a feel for how it worked and how often protections were getting triggered) was that there was a little bit of a slowdown in performance. It is generally good, but improving the performance would be the one thing I'd take a look at right now.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Check Point IPS for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution has been extremely stable with no issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We're small and haven't had to deal with scaling, but I would think it should scale fine.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use another similar solution prior to Check Point.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup and configuration was easy and straightforward.

What was our ROI?

Our return, in terms of peace of mind that our network is protected, is well worth the cost of implementation.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing for Check Point IPS is competitive and brings good value for the money.

What other advice do I have?

In summary, since we have installed Check Point IPS, we really have not had any major complaints or requests for improvement. It was pretty easy to get up and running and configured to protect our environment.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Netwroking and Security Operations at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Real User
A security solution that protects against the latest attacks with easy setup

What is most valuable?

The solution protects against the latest attacks. It is essential because collaborative tools and networks are necessary. The attacks are increasing, and we need protection in real time.

What needs improvement?

The support could be improved. We need quality information on the new products and solutions. We are implementing new solutions for Check Point, but these solutions are not thoroughly tested, which might lead to problems. If we had a lot of information and knowledge about the solution, it would be easier for us to implement it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution’s scalability is fine. When I escalate an issue, I appreciate their efforts and their support.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. The engineers responsible for this area are expert people. The documentation in the knowledge base allows us to resolve issues. The blocks or columns help me understand what kind of issues they have.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have worked only with Check Point. We were a partner of Check Point in my last company. We provided solutions to customers and encountered different challenges because of other solutions. Fortinet was much cheaper than Check Point. The competition is based on price, whereas Check Point is superior in quality and security.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy and intuitive.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution has a high cost, but the relation between price and quality is okay.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Check Point IPS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Check Point IPS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.