Check Point IPS vs Cisco Secure Network Analytics comparison

Check Point IPS is an intrusion prevention system that aims to detect and prevent attempts to exploit weaknesses in vulnerable systems or applications. The solution provides complete, integrated, next-generation firewall intrusion prevention capabilities at multi-gigabit speeds with a low false positive rate and high security. It helps organizations secure their enterprise network, and protect servers and critical data against known and unknown automated malware, blended threats, and other threats.

Check Point IPS Features

Check Point IPS has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

• Real-time protections: IPS is constantly updated with new defenses against emerging threats. Because the solution’s IPS protections are pre-emptive, it provides organizations with defenses before exploits are created or vulnerabilities are even discovered.

• Virtual patching: The solution combines robust IPS functionality with a concerted patching strategy, allowing network administrators to secure networks between upgrades and patches.

• Flexible deployment: Check Point IPS was designed to be deployed easily and efficiently.

• 360 visibility and reporting: To help users achieve an unmatched level of visibility that detects and prevents threats, Check Point IPS integrates with SmartEvent, enabling security operations center (SOC) staff to respond to high-priority events first.

Check Point IPS Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Check Point IPS. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

• Efficient: Check Point IPS includes acceleration technologies that let you safely enable IPS. Additionally, its low false positive rate can save a lot of time.

• Secure: The solution delivers thousands of signature and behavioral preemptive protections, making it a very secure tool.

• Unified: With Check Point IPS, users can Enable IPS on any Check Point security gateway, thereby reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Reviews from Real Users

Check Point IPS is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it has granularity capabilities for rule creation, quick updates of signatures, and a helpful mechanism that allows users to turn IPS signatures to a different mode automatically.

A System and Network Administrator at Auriga mentions, “The Check Point IPS module allows me granularity in creating rules. I can specify which definition to apply and to which scope or network.” The reviewer also adds, “I can create multiple profiles, which is helpful.”

“The quick updates of the signatures when a new threat is identified are great. For instance, when Microsoft releases patches, we usually see new signatures for those issues that have to be patched in a day. This gives us time to test/deploy the patches while already being protected from the threats. Also, it's very good with reporting. I can generate reports for management automatically based on the threats of the last day/week/whatever is needed,” says a Systems en networks engineer at CB.

Another PeerSpot user, a Network Engineer at VSP Vision Care, writes, “The mechanism where you can let the system automatically turn the IPS signature to a different mode (prevent / monitor / inactive) is a nice feature that allows us to easily adjust the balance between security protection and the risk of business impact.”

Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a highly effective network traffic analysis (NTA) solution that enables users to find threats in their network traffic even if those threats are encrypted. It turns an organization’s network telemetry into a tool that creates a complete field of vision for the organization’s administrators. Users can find threats that may have infiltrated their systems and stop them before they can do irreparable harm.

Cisco Secure Network Analytics Benefits

A few ways that organizations can benefit by choosing to deploy Cisco Secure Network Analytics include:

• Security scaling. Secure Network Analytics makes it easy for organizations to scale up their level of network protection to match the growth that their business is experiencing. It can be deployed on whatever type of system is necessary. Users will have their growth needs met at every stage of their business journey because the solution offers users the ability to use it on-premises or in the cloud and it can be consumed as a SaaS-based or license-based solution. Whenever any kind of device is added, Secure Network Analytics can automatically classify that device so that it is seamlessly integrated into its network protection system.

• Detects threats as they appear. Users gain the ability to scan their network traffic for even the most advanced threats at all times. Secure Network Analytics easily identifies the early warning signs that are typically initiated before attacks are conducted by bad actors. Once these signs are found, users are warned so that they can take steps to prevent those threats from escalating. This also enables users to determine the source of the threat and whether it might have spread further than initially thought.

• Eliminate blind spots. Organizations that use Secure Network Analytics can view their network traffic across both private networks and public cloud environments. The scanning power of the solution allows users to gain complete visibility with a fewer number of sensors than their competitors require to achieve a similar level of protection.

Cisco Secure Network Analytics Features

Some of the many features that Cisco Secure Network Analytics offers include:

• Centralized security management. Secure Network Analytics’ Identity Services Engine feature enables users to control their network from a single graphical user interface. Administrators can simplify their jobs by controlling profiler, posture, guest, authentication, and authorization services from a single pane of glass.

• Machine learning tools. Secure Network Analytics uses machine learning to generate alerts when malicious or suspicious activity is detected. It also analyzes the threat so that users gain insight into the nature of the dangers that confront them. Additionally, it examines the threats to determine whether they are actual threats or false alarms. This significantly reduces the number of false alarms that administrators have to spend time attempting to resolve.

• Automation. Users can automate routine tasks that users would otherwise have to handle manually. This automation feature frees administrators and employees to handle other more critical tasks.

Reviews from Real Users

Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a solution that stands out even when compared to many other comparable products. Two major advantages that it offers are the way that it enables users to define the threshold at which the solution will issue a warning to administrators and the predefined alerts that it offers straight out of the box.

Gerald J., the information technology operations supervisor at Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc., writes, “StealthWatch lets me see the ports running in and out and the country. It has excellent reporting, telemetry, and artificial intelligence features. With the telemetry, I can set thresholds to detect sudden changes and the alarms go through the PLC parts. I can see all the ports running on that trunk.”

A senior security engineer at a tech services company, says, “Cisco Stealthwatch has predefined alerts for different types of security issues that might happen in the network. Whether it's PCs or servers that are used for botnets or Bitcoin mining we receive the alerts automatically. This functionality is what we receive from the solution out of the box.”