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.

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.

Harmony Endpoint is able to focus on the ZTNA for applications and in penetration testing for any type of ransomware or man-in-the-middle attacks. 

It helps to protect and secure endpoints, helps to focus on incidents, and prioritizes vulnerabilities. The solution also helps with endpoint protection and recovery from an autonomous response and in conforming to the organization's policy. It helps to do SSL traffic encryption and packet sniffing and has a good way for mobile threat management and defense as well. 

Security across the workspace has been the primary use case. 

Our organization was able to use the analytics and report information to figure out any risk exposure in a remote workspace of mobile and VPN access and email and endpoint security. 

Endpoint analytics helps to showcase any of the gaps that are there with the downloads, attacks on malware, and how to triage incidents. 

It helped to improve upon sensitivity of the data with the data loss prevention technique as well. And stopping any vicious attacks is the priority by making sure any advanced ways of detection come about.

I found the fact of working across multiple attack vectors easy and more beneficial. 

It has helped with USB to human errors to website issues to all types of threats and bot attacks. 

I also found the features of provisioning a VM for some security requirements and the fact of access across SSH and remote terminals also beneficial. 

Client-based access and the suite of products from SaaS API and Browser Protection are also very beneficial. It follows the ZTNA which tells that the VPN model of security would come to be obsolete in a few years with the Harmony benefit of Check Point.

More development in Linux may help, however, the fact that the product could also have some more documentation as suggestions on what to do may also help.

The product may take some time to navigate at first but apart from that the log ingesting and working on getting a client installed may take some time. 

I would like to see more automation. 

Also, encryption management is not made available in all versions but if it could be extended that would be great. Sometimes it may take some slight delay, however, it's nothing too bad. 

I have been using this solution for three years.

We did not use a different solution previously.

I'd advise new users to work with a technical account manager and follow the steps in the documentation.

We evaluated ZScaler.

We primarily use the solution as antivirus, antimalware, et cetera. It's standard antivirus software. Every PC must have an antivirus on it in our organization.

It just has standard antivirus. It does what it needs to.

The solution offers good performance. 

Its stability has been good.

The initial setup is easy.

There is no real scalability.

We'd like to see a friendlier user interface.

I've been using the solution for one year.

The stability is decent and the performance is good. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

This solution does not scale. It's only installed on your PC and it has nothing to do with scale.

We have 2,000 users right now. We do plan to increase usage within a year.

We have never reached out to technical support. I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they are. 

I've also used Microsoft Defender.

I'm not sure if the company used a different solution previously. I just joined this company one year and they had already started using Check Point.

The installation process is very simple and straightforward. The deployment is quick. It only takes a few minutes. 

We have individuals in our department that can handle deployment and maintenance tasks. It only takes about 3% of our personnel.

I handled the initial setup myself. I did not need the assistance of any consultants or integrators. 

Users need to pay a yearly licensing fee.

We are using the latest version of the solution. 

I'm much more likely to suggest Microsoft Defender to other users. 

I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten.

The solution is primarily used for protecting endpoints.

Harmony Endpoint is a complete endpoint security solution built to protect the remote workforce from today’s complex threat landscape. 

It prevents the most imminent threats to the endpoint such as ransomware, phishing or drive-by malware, while quickly minimizing breach impact with autonomous detection and response. This way, your organization gets all the endpoint protection it needs, at the quality it deserves, in a single, efficient, and cost-effective solution and able to detect/block/monitor and response to any malicious activity happening on the endpoint. With the single agent deployed on the endpoint, it's able to provide complete EDPR functionality with help of multiple security features/modules.

Harmony Endpoint provides complete EDPR functionality using multiple modules/features which are available with the solution such as Compliance, Anti-Malware, Media Encryption and Port Protection, Firewall and Application Control, Full Disk Encryption, Remote access VPN, Capsule DOC, URL Filtering. Anti-Bot, Anti-Ransomware, Behaviour Guard, Forensic, Threat Emulation, and Anit-Exploit.

We are able to protect endpoints from any next generation of attack and modules can be enabled/disabled based on organization requirements. Harmony Endpoint is able to detect/block/monitor and mitigate attacks at an endpoint using logs which is been captured by an agent installed on the endpoint. 

Agents send telemetry/metadata to a centralized console for forensic purposes. Policies for the endpoints can be created based on the user name or endpoint. 

Integration with a threat intel platform for blocking any attack at an early stage is great. The complete solution can be hosted on-prem or via SaaS - a cloud remote access VPN is provided as default in base licence. 

Different policy servers can be configured and hosted at each location so the agent does not have to reach a central location to take policy updates. Policy servers are created using OVF file which can be installed on any virtual platform such as VMware. This offers a more secure way of communication between the policy server and the management console (using certificate/SIC communication). 

Agent footprints are low on endpoints and integration with other security solutions is great for sharing threat intel within an organizational network or over the cloud. Anti-ransomware modules are very strong and are able to detect any ransomware attacks at a very early stage. 

The host-based firewall policy configuration is simple. 

The solution allows us to reduce the attack surface via:

• Host Firewall
• Application Control
• Compliance
NGAV: Prevent Attacks Before They Run

• Anti-Malware
• ML based NGAV
  GAV: Runtime Detection and Protection
  
  • Anti-Ransomware
  • Behavioral Guard
  • Anti-Bot
  • Anti-Exploit
    Web Protection
    
    • Zero-day Phishing site protection
    • Corporate Password Reuse Protection
    • URL Filtering
    • Malicious site protection
      Attack Investigation and Response
      
      • Forensics collection and detection
      • Forensics report – incident visibility, MITRE mapping
      • Automated attack chain full sterilization
      • Ransomware encrypted files restoration
      • Threat Hunting
        Data Protection
        
        • Host Encryption
        • Media encryption and port protection
          Mobile Protection
          
          • iOS Protection
          • Android Protection
            Centralized Management
            
            • Cloud Management
            • On-Prem Management 

The solution has limitations if it's hosted on-premise or as a SaaS. You need to plan accordingly on the model that suits the organization. On-Premise, for example, does not support threat hunting. Hosting on the cloud will have an impact on the user who is connecting to a central location for internet access as it will add infra cost. 

We also need to look over the expertise of the support executives who require more training and focus as well in this service area and if we can think over the cost of the product.

Check Point Antivirus is being used with integrations in all our company software and also with connections to all the computers that we use in our work sectors. All areas of our company such as sales, marketing, or finance have Check Point Antivirus implemented. 

This antivirus is capable of monitoring the state of the network and knowing if there is any threat in our business network while being able to clean it up immediately. 

All departments within the company have been kept safe since day one of using Check Point. In order to connect all the computers and monitor them in real-time from the Check Point application, we use an app. From this app, you can see the status of all computers, restore them, and eliminate threats from a single panel.

Previously, we had trouble detecting data leaks and protecting the services we used in our business. Financial and marketing software services were the main affected areas. 

After the implementation of Check Point, our computers have remained connected to a secure network where threats are prevented from entering thanks to the EDR system, and systems have been restored to a stable state where there are no threats. 

We have kept our files safe and restored them to an original state before being affected by a threat thanks to the system recovery system. 

We are very grateful for the results obtained in recent years. Our computers (the main source of work) have remained secure. Our employees can manage online campaigns and control the flow of clients without fear of being affected by any threat; it has a system of anti-malware and anti-phishing to detect threats in time.

The main valuable feature of Check Point is the constant updating of the EDR database in order to detect new threats. 

This update system is responsible for inserting new viruses into a database so that it is easier to detect and eliminate them despite the fact that constant notifications are sent when the virus database is updated, I have no complaints about this feature as it has helped me to restrict the passage of new threats. 

New viruses emerge day after day, and this EDR system helps action be taken before viruses affect the internal system.

Another of the striking functions is that Check Point monitors the online activity of each user, ensuring that they do not access websites that have a suspicious encryption code or that have an unusual certificate; this has helped us to navigate calmly and detect pages that might put our work integrity at risk.

One of the features that should be improved in Check Point is when it comes to obtaining reports on computer behavior. Currently, you can only have general reports of the threats removed and the behavior of the database. You cannot get separate reports of the Check Point service-linked devices. I would like to obtain separate reports for each computer, to see the behavior of the threats and be able to take action in time. 

It does not need any other function, it is a fairly complete antivirus service that helps protect business networks on time.

We have been using this solution for about two years. We did not expect such precise and potential results and our security service has been maintained in the long term thanks to this general security on all types of devices.

It turned out to be an antivirus that exceeded my expectations in the long run. 

During the use that we have had in these last two years, our computers have remained protected 24 hours a day and seven days a week. On some occasions, threats have entered our computers, however, the system restore system has counteracted this without any problem. 

It has been a stable antivirus, without any real problems.

The process of scaling, implementation and use went quite well; it took approximately two software engineers and three cyber security experts to successfully implement the service. They were in charge of configuring the real-time monitoring system for computers and updating the status of viruses.

Customer service was satisfactory. 

During our implementation process, several questions arose about how the data leak detection system should be configured. All of these questions were answered immediately in a live chat with the Check Point team.

Positive

Previously, I used the Microsoft service, however, it was not able to protect all the threats trying to get into our business computers. 

One of the main reasons why I stopped using the Microsoft Antivirus service, is due to the fact that it was consuming a lot of resources on the computers while it was running and while the EDR database was being updated. This directly affects the experience of our employees on the computer and limited them at work. Since we implemented the Check Point service, the consumption of resources decreased on a large scale and we managed to obtain better analysis and virus detection.

Setting up the system was somewhat complicated, requiring several of our engineers and cyber experts to successfully implement the antivirus service. 

The initial implementation took approximately one week to set up all the company's computers and synchronize them on the same protected network.

The implementation was done with an internal team in our company; there was no involvement of a vendor team.

Our return on investment has been the protection of the entire work structure, our administrative processes have been protected by this great EDR system, and all the devices used in our company are monitored by a system that is responsible for eliminating threats before they react. 

We are happy with the money spent on this great security software; our computers have been more protected.

I would recommend that you have a good amount of capital to access a considerably good protection plan from Check Point. 

Currently, the prices for installation and configuration are a bit high, and small or medium-sized companies could not afford these prices. 

You need a trained team to implement the Antivirus system as quickly as possible since it is a bit difficult to configure.

In a solution that is undoubtedly worthwhile, it has a perfect methodology for finding viruses before they react to the computer's files. 

It has a very good interface, is easy to handle, and protects all kinds of services that are being used.

We use the Check Point Maestro for data center firewalls. It has the ability to spread the load across multiple devices and still only have one source of management, which is incredible. Plus, everything duplicates across the firewalls without manual intervention.

We are currently moving from a flat network into this setup, and, with the amount of traffic that we are going to be sending through the firewalls, this is the only way it could have been done. 

Also, the product offers the ability to have little to no downtime during patching. 

This setup is a beast!

We didn't have anything before. This really creates a secure and fast solution. In order to be able to track everything coming in and out of our data center. We have a flat network and now that we are moving to this design, we needed something that can secure servers and users from each other and make sure we are only allowing what needs to be allowed and not allowing anyone to traverse the network maliciously. 

Also, we have no ability for downtime - so having this solution helps make sure that we can patch and keep security going without having to talk to everyone for change management.

Scalability is a huge factor. 

The need for no downtime is key for us - and this solution offers that. When you have six gateways you have to patch and no one even notices, it's phenomenal. 

We need to be able to keep these connections running 100% of the time. The fact that we can patch and reboot firewalls and no one even notices is a huge plus. We need to be able to keep it secure but also keep it up and running. 

Having the six gateways and being able to clone them in when we need a new gateway is excellent. I love that we are able to just put a new gateway in and clone it.

I don't really have any real suggestions for this to be improved. The biggest thing would be the ability to update the SMO's and gateways through Gaia instead of always completing it through the command line. As we train new people and have fewer hands that touch these firewalls, having a good understanding of how CLI works and how to install patches and remove patches from gateways using this method is dying. So, being able to do it the same way we do all the other gateways would be excellent.

I've been using the solution for over one year.

I am very impressed. I didn't think anything like this would be possible.

It has the MOST scalability of any product out there. You can slam another gateway in and clone it and off you go.

We always have great support and service. I don't think any other vendor provides this level of support.

Positive

I have used Fortigate before, however, the management on Check Point is unrivaled.

The setup was slightly complex to begin with. That said,  once you've set up a new connection a few times it gets easier.  

We handled the setup with the vendor team. They are the best at Check Point!

I don't pay the bills, however, it's my understanding that there is an argument out there for ROI.

The cost is up there. However, when you are dealing with the best, you cannot really balk at pricing.

We did not evaluate other options.

Check Point Support is top-notch. You cannot beat their support.

Our SOC team uses this solution to observe any unusual behavior or processes running on the endpoint. For example, it is used for phishing detection.

The data is ingested to Splunk.

One of the problems with assessing this type of product is that you don't always know when it's working. You will see when something is wrong, where no threat has been detected. If nothing has happened then you don't know if there was no threat, or instead, the protection was quite good. Also, if no threat is found then it may be that the solution is not good enough to detect these types of malicious activities.

The set of features is quite comprehensive.

The Endpoint security solution integrates with the Check Point firewall services, so it's a combined approach to security.

A unique feature with this product is that it will detect if the user is entering their password on a website, and then block it.

Check Point users a pattern-based security module, which is something that can be improved. Pattern-based security is not the latest architecture and it is insufficient because every day, there are approximately 380,000 new vulnerabilities and threats. Using patterns is difficult because the threats can hide.

I have been using Check Point Harmony Endpoint since I joined the company, several months ago. The company has been using it for longer.

From a stability perspective, I can say that we have had absolutely no problems.

We have not experienced any issues with scalability. We have more than 10,000 users in the company. The users are across a variety of roles. It's used by everybody. As our company grows, the usage also increases.

At this point, there is nowhere we can extend its usage.

I do not have personal experience with technical support so I can't assess them. However, I have heard that it is quite reasonable, so I think that it's fine.

We also use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

I am building my own opinion of which is better, between the Check Point product and the Microsoft product. Depending on where you do your research, you get different opinions, although much of that is supplier-driven.

In my former organization, I was using CrowdStrike. It has much better performance when looking only at processes.

I was not part of the implementation because it was in place when I joined the company. 

I have done research on several similar products to try and determine the best-in-class.

From my point of view, I can't see that any features are missing. My primary complaint is that it relies on patterns for threat detection. It does the job, we get our logs, and we get the relevant warnings. Overall, it's a good product.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

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.