Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) Reviews

We are a company of around 30-50 people who have been working from home since the pandemic began. Our environment is completely cloud-based and all our computers are managed by our organization. 

We needed a solution that would help us protect users and the information that is handled in our company. This solution had to comply with characteristics such as the protection of network connections, prevention of threats such as malware and phishing, data protection, and, above all, it had to be easy to implement and manage. This is why we implemented Check Point Harmony Connect.

Check Point Harmony Connect helped us create a more secure environment in our organization, since our users can be safer when browsing and not being attacked by malicious actors who try to affect them with phishing or malware. On the other hand, administrators have more visibility of the sites to which users navigate and be able to control them, they can also access audit reports that allow them to make better decisions on security rules that must be applied. The protection of data in our company is the most important.

The characteristics that I have liked the most are the ease of implementation and administration. It is a cloud-based service it can be configured easily and very quickly and the administration center is very friendly for administrator users who do not know or have used the product. 

In addition, it is a cloud-based service that helps prevent cyber attacks by ensuring internet access for our users who work remotely, facilitating access control. 

Another valuable feature is that company information is kept protected by internet access control, applications to be managed, and URL filtering protection.

Sometimes downloading PDF files can be slow. It may take a while to scan the downloaded files. On some computers, the Check Point Harmony Connect agent can be a bit heavy to run in terms of CPU and Memory resources. 

Transparency to end-users could be improved. 

More compatible applications can be included. 

The support provided could be improved for when problems arise that require support from the Check Point team. Check Point is an expensive product so support should be more adequate. 

Some EDR features may still be under development and may need more time to be ready for use on a larger scale.

I've used the solution for one year.

Stability is 90% good. File scanning and web console stability could be improved.

The scalability is good.

Support is good, however, in some cases, they could improve the response time.

I have not used any other option before.

The initial configuration was very easy to perform; the installation on the endpoints was very simple for the users.

The initial setup was handled by an internal team with supervision or support from the provider.

There have been savings related to the number of hours of implementation and administration.

I recommend that you evaluate using Check Point Harmony Connect, since, although its price may be a little more expensive, it is a solution that adds advanced security to the organization.

I only evaluated Microsoft and evaluated if Fortinet had any product that met the requirements.

We use the EDR solution for servers and endpoints for a lot of customers. The use case is for offering protection at the OS level. 

We wanted a better solution than legacy antivirus to secure each OS in the organization. Harmony Endpoint gives us a complete security package with a lot of security features that regularly require a lot of separate security products and a lot of overhead management. 

The environments include on-premise servers - mostly Windows - as well as laptops and desktops with Windows and Mac OS. We also have some cloud services in Azure and AWS.

It's improved the security of every single OS in the organization as well as the visibility and security capabilities. With Harmony Endpoint, we give each computer advanced anti-malware protection and internet browsing protection (like proxy protection), and advanced phishing protection inside websites. 

It takes care of the concern about ransomware. Today, it's more important to secure each endpoint in the organization at the OS level rather than the organization network level as users are connecting from everywhere. This is why Harmony is so important to us.

The solution offers very good features including anti-malware, URL filtering, and anti-ransomware. The product offers a complete solution in one package and it's on every single OS. 

The most valuable part of this product is the complete security package in one single endpoint that includes the legacy anti-virus protection, advanced anti-malware protection, browsing protection, and even firewall capabilities at the OS level. 

In a lot of cases, when we want to give all these security features to every endpoint, we need to implement a lot of separate security products.

More report and alert options would be useful. The reports are not good enough and alerts are not usable. 

We need more user-friendly alerts and more options for the alerts. The reports are not capable of giving important information from some parts of the system - like inventory details, etc. 

Also, the logs in the product are not very usable. If you have any blocking of a legitimate app or some problem you will have a hard time finding a log about it and most of the time you will not find any information. 

The product doesn't have an automatic shutdown switch. You must uninstall it in order to shut it down.

I've used the solution for about one year.

It's very stable. However, they need to resolve some bugs and feature requests.

It's a cloud solution. We are using the cloud-managed solution which makes it very scalable.

The solution offers the best customer service and support in the market.

Positive

I used Symantec and we wanted to move forward to an EDR solution that gives a more complete security solution for today's needs.

The initial setup is very straightforward.

We implemented it in-house. We learned how to do it by ourselves.

There are only two types of licenses. If you don't need sandbox features, you can take the basic license and it includes everything.

We tried Sentinal ONE, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Trend Micro, and McAfee.

It's the perfect solution for endpoint protection and has a lot of features included.

We are using Check Point Endpoint Security as an application for all corporate users. 

The main features are antivirus (antimalware, antiphishing), disk preboot encryption, and VPN connection. We also use SSL VPN (a VPN connection using a browser) for our external partners. 

We have about 250 active machines (both desktops and laptops), running Windows 10 Pro 64bit, an i5 or i7 processor with 8GB RAM or more, and SSD drives (all Dell hardware). The Check Point client we use is version E86.10.0036. 

We also have Check Point firewalls.

The disk encryption made our computers more secure for data leaks in the case of a stolen machine. 

The Check Point VPN connection is way more stable than our previous software. Previously, when connecting/disconnecting from a VPN while we were on a call, the network would temporarily drop and then reconnect again. Using Check Point's VPN, this does not happen anymore. 

Also, using the preboot VPN option, we can reset a user who is working remotely that has forgotten their Windows login credentials. 

Anti-malware scans are also very helpful.

The preboot VPN connection, in the case where users are locked remotely. is very useful 

The disk encryption feature is important. The Check Point VPN connection process is quite simple when using the Microsoft MFA method. 

Previously, when connecting/disconnecting from a VPN while we were on a call, the network would temporarily drop and then reconnect again. Using Check Point VPN, this does not happen anymore. 

Also, using the preboot VPN option, we can reset a user who is working remotely that has forgotten their Windows login credentials. 

The anti-malware scan is very helpful. 

The SSL VPN is great where we can use a browser for external partners.

There is an issue when installing the Check Point client. If the machine has RAID on mode for storage rather than AHCI, the disk encryption never begins and stays in the "setup protection" warning message. Changing mode from RAID to AHCI means a Windows format is required, which takes more time. On top of that, in the preboot screen, sometimes caps lock is on, and yet when someone types it's not in capitals. When that happens, many users get locked. 

In addition to this, number lock should be automatically on as users think it is, and when they type they get locked again.

The solution is quite stable. There are minor bugs.

The solution is pretty flexible.

We did use a different solution. It was not our decision to switch (as it's managed by a group IT).

I was not included in initial setup. The client setup on machines is easy.

We do not have any ROI details. 

Data is not available in terms of pricing. 

Evaluations were not included in the process.

We use the solution as an endpoint protection platform, which supports the next-generation antivirus. It offers endpoint detection and response and will help on addressing a single agent that will support multiple features. 

This helps IT Security operations front to minimize the security threats. Also, we can map the MITRE ATT&CK framework in a single dashboard which provides complete endpoint device visibility.

The solution offers runtime protection against ransomware, malware, and file-less attacks, with instant and full remediation features that give good insights into the organization's threat landscape.

The unified agent helps in addressing the system usage. Instead of installing different agents and real-time protection, the platform provides greater visibility to the operation team to see incidents in real-time, instead of creating a lot of false positives. The vaulted space features give more controls on signed processes. In case the malware attempts to perform a shadow copy deletion, the machine will not lose any data. We can also take a backup of the file.

Phishing protection gives good insights about credential theft and zero phishing.

Overall, the unified agent covers endpoints as well as prevents web browser attacks.

Phishing sites are blocked in real-time and protect against previously unknown phishing sites and corporate credential re-use. This will prevent the business end-user from being compromised by attacks.

Zero-day sandboxing is an additional feature that can provide greater visibility on the sandboxing end and gives more control on the threat front. We can sanitize the files if we want, using a threat extraction process with infected files that can be cleaned in the process and provides a safe environment.

The remote browser isolation is not part of the unified agent, as of now. It could protect more on threat intel sources and could give a broader view of threat hunting. 

Soon, the unified agent should take more CPU processing in the systems-deployed Check Point agent. 

Providing USB control in a Linux environment will give more control over data security. Few other OEMs provide Linux USB control. If Check Point could adopt the technology in near future, it would give more of a value add to existing customers. 

I've used the solution for more than six months. We are using the Check Point Harmony end point solution.

We switched in order to avoid multiple agents.

Pricing is purely based on their industry and company decisions.

We did look at the Sentinel product.

We are using the product to secure roaming users who work outside the office as well for protecting a variety of company locations. 

It is great that Check Point continues to be a visionary in the network security market and delivers such anticipated products which allow users to cope with ongoing security challenges and trends.

It is used to protect offices and retail stores and it is a step forward from the traditional connectivity architecture which lacks flexibility and prevents business to advance at the desired pace.

It is great from an operational point of view. There is no need to procure and install HW; a new location could be secured almost instantly.

There is no need to talk about security. It comes from a team of talented developers and has a historic record. The Check Point portfolio showcases very strong products. 

The support from Check Point's side is great as it always and allows you to understand the product, produce and secure design as well as deploy and test it. Furthermore, the product owners are actively looking for feedback. This allows you to express your opinion and shape the product to improve it according to your needs.

The product is great as it allows users to deliver the most security value at the fastest speed. It reduces an operational load in terms of provision, installation, management, patching, and hardware replacement by increasing uptime and reducing the time to deliver to market. It also provides cloud-native availability and allows you not to bother with the sizing and location capacity as long as you stick with Harmony Connect. The price is reasonable.

Last but not least, there is an option to manage Harmony Connect from the centralized management station which allows users to apply existing policies while having a single pane of glass for network security.

An improvement could be made in terms of achieving better coverage in such complicated regions as the Asia Pacific, China, and Russia. Some PoP locations might create complicated traffic flows and impact the latency and load on network infrastructure even further.

Advanced details of log information are missing. However, the Check Point team is definitely open to constructive advice and is happy to make any requested changes.

There are still some limitations that exist while using centralized management with Harmony Connect.

I've used the solution for six months.

My production environment today is hybrid and I use several cloud solutions and more than one on-premise data center. The Harmony Connect solution helped by unifying in a single portal all the necessary accesses for the company's internal employees, such as RDP, SSH, bank access databases, and even internal portals, bringing security and organization to the entire environment and facilitating employee access with a single, centralized login to the entire environment. It does all this with an additional gain of the possibility of auditing some accesses to the environment.

As it is a new market solution, I still face some instabilities in access at certain times of the day when I have more than 150 users using it simultaneously. It would be interesting for the solution to have something that monitors and scales more resources by itself so that these instabilities do not occur. 

Another problem faced is that, regarding the audit, native RDP sessions, as well as the database, are not recorded and it is not possible to audit the use by the collaborators. 

These two points would be important for the evolution of the tool.

I've used the solution for just over two years.

As mentioned, some improvements are needed in regard to stability.

It is a solution that is meeting expectations well - even though there are some points to improve.

Technical support is a little slow most of the time.

Neutral

Previously I used a VPN solution. I changed it for ease of management and centralization of access.

The initial setup was simple.

The implementation was executed using a hybrid form.

ROI hasn't been calculated yet.

Values ​​are within market expectations.

I haven't considered other options.

Primarily I use the product for work purposes. My work environment is currently remote, therefore, I tend to move between private and public networks pretty often. Having this solution for public networks is key in ensuring that you are staying secure while browsing or using work-related software or services. While working from home, people tend to travel and never realize that public networks are very insecure and they allow hackers to access information from your computer very easily, especially if you don't have a VPN service.

Perimeter 81 has increased my security and privacy while maintaining solid internet performance. 

Without this software, I tend to always be concerned with security and privacy while browsing the web, however, when I'm using this software, I tend to feel more comfortable browsing knowing that I'm covered. It has made working from home feel more secure while not impacting computer performance. 

Many other services that I've used heavily affect the overall performance of my computer, however Perimeter 81 doesn't affect it at all.

The Perimeter 81 VPN is fast and secure. It also is very easy to use, with a simple yet elegant UI. I like how this software will automatically turn on my VPN and connect whenever I hop on my machine. The Always On VPN really can't be beaten. 

While I'm using this service, I never even notice that I'm using it (due to the overall performance of the program), which is really what you want when you're using a VPN. This has to be the most valuable part of this software, along with the user-friendly interface. 

I don't think that this service can be improved. Speed and privacy could always be improved, however, the current product doesn't lack these criteria. I also think that the overall UI could be improved and updated to bring a simpler feel to the application, but again, the software doesn't truly lack in this category. 

Aside from this, the service is really pleasant to use and I've never once had the thought of uninstalling the application. While it would be great to have the ability to move the location of the VPN, I don't think that this is required to increase the overall performance.

I've used this solution for about two months.

I've gotten a great first impression in terms of stability.

The scalability has given me a great first impression.

I haven't had to reach out to support.

I've used other services. That said, I didn't have a great experience with their UI and performance lacking abilities.

The setup was a breeze.

I'm not too sure if we had assistance or not.

This service is very affordable and worth it for what you actually get out of the software.

I didn't look into other options before choosing this service, however, I don't think there is a need to at the moment.

In order to connect to our applications like our own GitLab solution or our logs tracking system, we need to connect using the Perimeter 81 application. Before that, we needed to have installed the Amazon Workspaces solution and joined it to that one, so every developer or person who needed access to Gitlab. With Perimeter81, each user that needs Gitlab or logs access has a user created. 

The maintenance of this solution is easier and we also decrease the problems related to workspace scenarios

In the past, we needed to use Amazon workspaces in order to connect to the 'VPN', and, after that, we were able to have access to our private Gitlab solution and logs. 

This was a mess as each developer or person who needed access to Gitlab needed a Workspace created for that use - even if only you needed to access it just for one day and did not use it anymore. Even in these cases, we needed someone from the infrastructure team to create that particular workspace. With Perimeter 81, we only need to create a user and install the Perimeter81 application on the computer.

The solution provides us with:

- An easy way to configure and join the VPN with Perimeter 81. Previously, we were using Amazon workspaces and it took too much time in order to configure the workspace properly in order to just access our Gitlab repository or our logs for just one or two times of use.

- An easy way to find connection problems. You can easily contact Perimeter 81 or check https://status.perimeter81.com to see if some incidents are related to the issue that you have.

In order to have to bypass the login using the website, a good feature for Perimeter 81 to have is a login instance in the Perimeter 81 application. I'm using a Mac and we don't have that functionality. I'm using a Mac and we don't have that functionality. On the other hand, in order to connect with an application, we could have the opportunity to use a Google Chrome application/extension. That will make it easy to use and we can skip situations related to admin permissions in order to install the application on some laptops and computers. 

I've used the solution for six to seven months.