We use this antivirus as part of our overall security solution. It handles the centralized investigation of internet content.
RSSI at SDIS49
Provides good security and integrates well with other products
Pros and Cons
- "Check Point integrates well with other security products."
- "The initial setup and configuration should be simplified."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is security.
Check Point integrates well with other security products.
What needs improvement?
The pricing can be improved.
The interface could be more user-friendly.
The initial setup and configuration should be simplified.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Check Point Antivirus for four years.
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Check Point Antivirus
January 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not had the need to scale. We have about 3,000 people who are protected by Check Point, and three of them are administrators.
How are customer service and support?
I would say that the technical support is okay. There are two levels; there is our installer, who we have known for several years, and there is the engineer, who we do not have much contact with.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use Windows Defender for our endpoint antivirus solution. For email protection, we use the FireEye Email Security solution. Our Check Point handles our central filtering and we also use some Infinity products. All of these work in combination with each other for our security.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex. For the complete installation, our deployment took a few days.
What about the implementation team?
We had the help of a Check Point specialist for our deployment.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good product and one that I recommend.
I would rate this solution a nine 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.
Check Point Antivirus its a great solution, easy installation.
Pros and Cons
- "It generates enough visibility in terms of what happens on our equipment."
- "We would like to see better guides in the future with more concrete examples of the best practices."
What is our primary use case?
The implementation was really easy. We were able to activate the antivirus blade and install it on the computers we required. In this way, we were able to provide security for malware protection - all represented by Check Point Security Management.
It was required to expand or have the license to use the antivirus security utility. A point that cost us at the beginning was implementing the licenses in the management server however, once up and running, it was easy.
It is an old brand that has all the anti-malware protection, signatures, and revisions to avoid vulnerabilities.
How has it helped my organization?
Our organization teams used a Microsoft-based antivirus. However, we already had Check Point gateways in use. We wanted to unify the protection more, and we tried the use of Check Point Antivirus. We really have no complaints. It offers good anti-malware protection and ransomware, among other modern threat protection features. The installation of the equipment was easy, and we achieved the main objective of unifying the protected environment.
We currently use Check Point Management R81, which is one of the most complete versions.
What is most valuable?
The logs and monitoring are valuable features. It generates enough visibility in terms of what happens on our equipment.
The sandboxing validates some files that have threat qualities.
We like this security tool.
What needs improvement?
Check Point is one of the best security brands according to the Gartner quadrant. However, it needs improvement in some areas.
We would like to see better guides in the future with more concrete examples of the best practices.
The support is somewhat complicated. Sometimes they take a long time to solve problems. The language barrier is an issue for Spanish-speaking people.
Support hours are generally contrary to the hours in Latin America. They could expand the support more and have more trained and effective technical personnel to help customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
For at least eight months, we have used this solution, which greatly facilitates our security. It is an antivirus implemented through Check Point Gateway R81.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used a Microsoft Antivirus. It's not bad. However, we wanted a tool integrated with our Check Point technologies, and therefore, we validated the options to make the required changes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is important to assess and verify the costs of Check Point technologies with an expert vendor to help determine the technology and tool that can meet the specific business needs of each company.
The documentation is outdated. However, if it is validated well, it is possible to obtain what is required for the implementations.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
At the level of antivirus, we looked at Sophos and McAfee. However, the implementation most adopted in our environment was Check Point. We are convinced that it was the best option.
What other advice do I have?
The product is an easy-to-implement and centralized antivirus solution. I recommend it.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Check Point Antivirus
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Check Point Antivirus. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,020 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Consultant at SOCIEDAD AXIOBASE S.A.
It has a threat prevention policy that can stop different types of threats from entering the environment, but it lacks an EDL feature and is a little costly
Pros and Cons
- "What I like best about Check Point Antivirus is that it's a strong tool for preventing malicious traffic and threats from entering the environment."
- "What's missing in Check Point Antivirus is the EDL feature."
What is our primary use case?
I'm using Check Point Antivirus for my customer, mainly to check threat activity and generate a report on threats in the customer environment. I then compare different reports and check for possible IP threats by reviewing the IP address database on Check Point Antivirus. I also use the tool to check malicious activity on applications and use it as an EPS solution.
What is most valuable?
What I like best about Check Point Antivirus is that it's a strong tool for preventing malicious traffic and threats from entering the environment. It has a threat prevention policy so that I can stop different types of threats from entering a workspace or environment.
What needs improvement?
What's missing in Check Point Antivirus is the EDL feature, which I want Check Point to add in the future.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Check Point Antivirus is very stable, and I'd rate its stability as nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Check Point Antivirus has excellent scalability, but you need a license because there's a limit depending on your license. The tool works fine if you have the correct number of licenses.
The scalability of the tool is a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Check Point Antivirus provides excellent technical support, but if the customer doesn't pay for the correct number of licenses, there will be issues, and support may not be as good.
I'd rate Check Point Antivirus support as eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Check Point Antivirus wasn't difficult for me. If you know your network, then it's not complicated. Configuring and setting the tool up could be difficult if you don't have networking knowledge.
Installing the architecture with different appliances takes two to three days, and learning the tool and the rules would take one week for the customer.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Check Point Antivirus is a good solution, but it's a little costly and is similar to Fortinet, pricing-wise.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a consultant working with Check Point technologies, including Check Point Antivirus.
Deploying and maintaining Check Point Antivirus requires two to three engineers.
My advice to anyone planning to use Check Point Antivirus is that it's a good tool, especially if you're using an endpoint solution from Check Point.
My rating for Check Point Antivirus is seven out of ten because you need to be certified to manage the tool and for it to work well for your company. It could be a very complex tool, depending on the customer.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner/Consultant
Network Security Engineer/Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to configure and detects many threats and files containing malware
Pros and Cons
- "Check Point detects files containing malware, which some users are trying to download or access. Additionally, it can consolidate multiple emails into one."
- "The antivirus could be improved in terms of the resources it consumes, particularly regarding CPU and memory usage. We've encountered issues with some of our firewalls, leading us to turn off the antivirus feature due to its heavy resource consumption."
What is our primary use case?
We use Check Point Antivirus to protect our company's perimeter. Specifically, we implement antivirus measures solely on the perimeter firewall. This strategy safeguards the company, especially considering the files accessed by employees. Check Point Antivirus shields us from malware and viruses.
How has it helped my organization?
Check Point detects files containing malware, which some users are trying to download or access. Additionally, it can consolidate multiple emails into one.
What is most valuable?
Check Point is easy to configure, and it detects many threats.
What needs improvement?
The antivirus could be improved in terms of the resources it consumes, particularly regarding CPU and memory usage. We've encountered issues with some of our firewalls, leading us to turn off the antivirus feature due to its heavy resource consumption. Enhancing its performance would allow us to run it on smaller models without overburdening the CPU.
While it is a valuable security feature, Check Point should ensure that the hardware is properly dimensioned to support the antivirus feature, providing some margin for potential resource demands. The values provided in the specifications should be realistic and adequate to support the feature effectively on the Check Point firewall.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Check Point Antivirus for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sometimes, Check Point Antivirus raises connection issues even when the license is valid. Consequently, we encounter difficulties installing the antivirus on various devices. Moreover, the solution isn't always stable. Occasionally, update failures occur without apparent reason, necessitating the need to open a support case.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
One thousand users, including the financial, IT, and HR teams, are utilizing this solution, essentially encompassing all departments in their company, as everyone uses the internet. From our experience, it's very resource-intensive and not one of our most scalable features. As I mentioned, sometimes we encounter CPU logs on some firewalls, often related to the antivirus. Therefore, sometimes, we need to turn it off or adjust its settings.
I rate the solution's scalability as seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The solution should have better support from more knowledgeable engineers when opening a case rather than starting with junior engineers and escalating after one or two weeks.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
Once the security gateway is up and running, you simply navigate to the features section, ensure you have the appropriate license, and enable the antivirus feature. Then, you can select one of the recommended profiles. Once you've chosen the profile, you're all set.
It takes one day to deploy if you have already added the firewall.
I rate the initial setup a nine out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have the license for all the other FortiGate, which comes with the IPS and antivirus. However, you need to pay for the antivirus separately. In terms of cost, it is slightly more expensive than Fortinet.
What other advice do I have?
Check Point Antivirus has helped us protect our company's security exposure. It has already detected some files that, if successfully downloaded, could pose a significant problem.
However, it consumes a lot of resources. Enabling antivirus on the Check Point firewall is one of the most resource-intensive processes you can allow, even more so than the IPS.
We requested that antivirus be enabled on three of our firewalls because the CPU usage was consistently 90%. Testing this feature has shown that some improvements in performance should reduce resource consumption.
We enable Check Point's default recommended profile. Preset profiles are already available; we choose one to help without configuring our own.
I would recommend improving the performance to reduce resource consumption and enhance stability.
In terms of security, Check Point Antivirus is practical and improves our company's security posture.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
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.
Last updated: May 28, 2024
Flag as inappropriateEnterprise architect at Kapsch
Very robust, providing good ransomware protection
Pros and Cons
- "A very good and robust antivirus solution."
- "Reporting and management could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use Check Point for ransomware protection. It provides standard endpoint protection.
What is most valuable?
We need ransomware protection and that's what we get. It's a very good and robust antivirus solution.
What needs improvement?
As with most antivirus products, the reporting and management could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for one year.
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 solution is scalable, we have a few thousand users.
How are customer service and support?
We haven't had any issues with the technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Symantec and McAfee depending on the requirements at the time. There's not much difference between all the solutions in this area. It comes down to how manageable they are and how frequently false positives exist in that environment and whether they slow down the transactions or the processing of the machine.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is fairly straightforward, deployment takes a few minutes. It's just a matter of setting up the server, your policies, and pushing out the agents.
What was our ROI?
Our ROI has been from an operational perspective. If you're not fighting with a product every day, it saves you time and money.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing costs are usually paid annually or every three years. This is not a particularly expensive solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution eight out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
All-in-one solution that offers the ability for users to have a different interface port per user group
Pros and Cons
- "They have pretty much everything you can ask for as far as features are concerned. That is because they know their market. They are focused on what they do and they do only that."
- "The pricing is really extremely high in comparison to the rest of the market."
What is our primary use case?
The main feature we use this product for is the firewall. The second thing we use it for is the secure VPN for connections to the corporate office. The third one is intrusion prevention and antivirus. It is an all-in-one solution for peace of mind.
There is really a fourth feature. The appliance has at least four interfaces. This allows users to have a different interface port per user group. It is a way of making network segmentation. There are four ports on that appliance, but there can be six or seven.
What is most valuable?
One of my favorite features is the logging. The log journal is very descriptive in what it records about the traffic. It is a good way of tracking who comes in and who goes out of your network.
What needs improvement?
I think this product is made by the market leaders. They have pretty much everything you can ask for as far as features are concerned. The pricing is high and I think it could be more competitive if it was lower. They might resolve that difference by offering even more features.
Another feature I'd like to see is a different way to handle load balancing on the firewall. Sometimes when you are using a firewall, you need another layer to properly balance your traffic. Right now that means adding more equipment, which is expensive. If Check Point could offer another option for a different way of doing load balancing, that would be a cost-savings for the client.
Another option might be offering data fusion. Sometimes you can combine the data stream. If you can and you do, you will have one stream instead of having multiple streams. That is also very cost-saving when you can fuse the data.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable. I'm quite satisfied with the stability.
How are customer service and technical support?
I think the technical support is very good. They know what they are talking about and I get answers when I need them.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was straightforward. The deployment took me only a couple of hours.
What about the implementation team?
I am both a consultant and at the same time a systems integrator. I do the installations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is really extremely high in comparison to the rest of the market. The cost for the licensing of the Check Point 3100 series is a little bit over 10,000 euros. But they also make the software subscription mandatory. That means that not only do you have to buy the appliance, but you have to also buy a subscription.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The other firewall solutions that my clients usually want to consider when they are looking for an anti-malware tool aside from Check Point are Fortinet (which is also a good product) and SonicWall (which is also a good product).
As far as how these products compare, I would say Fortinet has more accessibility in terms of just getting the product. Check Point is very hard to procure. You have to go through different channels, you have to follow different requirements and give a lot of private information in order to acquire it. Sometimes there are governmental laws and restrictions that affect the procurement of a product with such sophisticated encryption. It is almost like they have to clamp down on the encryption when the product is outside the US. It is like wifi. When you order wifi access points for the UK or for the US, there are different encryption algorithms. As soon as that product goes out of Europe or the US, it is illegal to keep the same encryption type. You have to lower the level of encryption for some reason. It seems very strange.
When leading countries start dictating what you should have and what you should not have, it seems like there is no justice. It should not be that you consider yourself a privileged country and you want to have a high level of encryption and not allow people in other countries to have it. If you believe in fairness, equality, and sharing — all of these values are things we hear them talking about, but that they don't allow us to experience. In just buying the goods, you have different standards for our country. The same product should be the same thing everywhere. We are on the same grounds and the same sky above you. It is not fair and even trades for everybody, but it costs the same.
What other advice do I have?
Advice that I would give to others who are looking to implement Check Point Antivirus in their organization is the same advice I would give to someone considering any solution. Before you invest any money in any product — it could be Check Point, it could be Fortinet — you have to know what you are trying to achieve. If you don't know what you are trying to achieve, there is no purpose in buying anything. It will not serve a purpose.
First, define your parameters, understand the risk that you are up against without the solution and what the benefits are if you buy. Then after you think about it, it is time to decide if it is worth it according to your actual needs. You do not always need to go to get fancy products and an enterprise solution if the purpose and scope for your plans do not fit the model of those products. Sometimes I hear people just say they want a product because they hear it is the best name. Sometimes a choice like that is more overwhelming. It does not serve the purpose, it is more difficult to deploy and people end up not even using it. The purchase becomes an operating capital that gets burned and spent for no reason when it was money they could have invested somewhere else. They just put the money in the wrong place because they want to do like everyone else. If you are talking about a large insurance corporation, their needs are much different than if you are talking about a small or medium-sized company that does not fall under so many government restrictions.
I would recommend Check Point Antivirus for medium and enterprise-sized organizations. Not for small organizations because it would almost always be too much.
On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Check Point Antivirus as an eight to nine. That is because they know their market. They are focused on what they do and they do only that. Their focus is not spread out so they produce the best product.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
Security IT at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Modern Antivirus - Excellent security CheckPoint
Pros and Cons
- "There is a lot of documentation to be able to use this security feature in the best way using the best practices indicated by the manufacturer."
- "The solution is expensive."
What is our primary use case?
Due to many attacks in our country, we decided to look for a robust solution to avoid current threats, including ransomware among others.
Our company was looking to protect our infrastructure or perimeter, but due to constant attacks in our country with modern threats to computer systems, we decided to use a tool that can provide us with the correct security. In addition to validating that we could include it in our Check Point environment in a simple way.
The simple administration gave us the ability to provide greater security with the company's permission, avoiding threats such as malware, among others.
We currently have this resource and we can manage and verify it from our management server.
How has it helped my organization?
We have been able to internally provide security to our teams, with robust antivirus security policies to take actions and regulations to prevent the spread of viruses and malware that is modernizing more and more.
This antivirus blade is not like the previous security versions, it really is a powerful tool which provides this additional layer of protection against malicious files that could affect both data and systems, we feel safer and calmer with this solution despite all the attacks that have occurred in recent times in our country, but not in our company..
What is most valuable?
We really like this antivirus security tool, included in the security management server used for our Check Point gateways. The ability to include blades is very good, it allows the centralization of security in our gateways natively.
There is also a lot of documentation to be able to use this security feature in the best way using the best practices indicated by the manufacturer, with this we guarantee the use of the tool correctly.
Finally, in our company, we like the ease of implementation.
What needs improvement?
Check Point Antivirus could use improvement in some areas, as almost all blades within the security management server are not the same as in gateway management.
On the other hand, the solution is expensive, they could improve costs in order to win more customers.
There are new tools that generate this protection, so this tool can become old, I would like for it not to be discontinued.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Once this tool has been implemented in Microsoft Azure, it can be used with a VSS or with a cluster to provide scalability.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used ESET, but it did not meet expectations against ransomware at an enterprise group company we support. We prefer to opt for a tool with prestige.
What was our ROI?
Check Point's tools, specifically this one, are quite stable to manage from the security management server.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The costs are high, however, the tool fulfills its security objective very well,
I recommend looking for a good partner that will help you both with your needs and find the right tool to provide the company's internal security.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
It is always a good practice to review the options in the security market to avoid threats and acquire the solution that best suits the company's conditions.
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.
Administrative Assistant at Tecapro
Good prevention and detection with helpful analytics
Pros and Cons
- "Its most valuable feature is the integration of analytics with the cloud."
- "I would like to be able to see this integration of device analysis and verification - not just in native-integrated solutions - for Linux and iOS mobile devices, which are today a part of the larger group of devices and solutions that we have available."
What is our primary use case?
Today, with our current organizational needs, we find great complexities when it comes to protecting each of our users inside and outside of the network. As a result, we came to use solutions that had not been deployed yet, and one of them is the integration that Check Point has in its range of solutions, such as the Blade and what we know today as the Check Point Antivirus. Thanks to this solution, we are protected.
How has it helped my organization?
The Antivirus is part of the added value we are getting from Check Point. It's offering greater prevention and detection of attacks. The solution adds value to our organization since it is protecting us and integrates analytics with the Check Point cloud. We're getting great computing power and analysis behind the security.
What is most valuable?
Its most valuable feature is the integration of analytics with the cloud. We like that we can detect zero-day incidents, problems, or virus attacks inside or outside the organization. It's one of the most complex and integrated antivirus solutions. The value of analysis in real-time every time we are having an attack, vulnerability, or security breach is very helpful. Today, we want to have integrated solutions and quick solutions that will protect us mainly with new attacks and solutions that protect us from the hijacking of our data (ransomware).
What needs improvement?
I would like to be able to see this integration of device analysis and verification - not just in native-integrated solutions - for Linux and iOS mobile devices, which are today a part of the larger group of devices and solutions that we have available. We want the solution to help us achieve 360-degree security across all work teams.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is really simple. It is not difficult to configure, and it is very stable for me, from my experience.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Due to its deployment, it is integrated within our network, and it is a quick and easy solution to scale or modify.
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.
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Updated: January 2025
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