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DmitryPavlukhin - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Analyst at HOST
Real User
Enables us to catch much more malware and spam with incoming traffic, and we now are more protected with our environment
Pros and Cons
  • "AV, IPS, AntiSpam, Sandbox. That's gentlemen set for any basic security, and it was implemented very well. In our reports, the most exciting results belong to AV and IPS. It can be explained by using ThreatCloud - a global knowledge base, which accumulates signatures for all existing and new coming malware, and all the Check Point solutions are always up to date with potential threats."
  • "I hope for product simplification. It would be better to use one security console, instead of many of them (for licensing and monitoring). The solution is hard for newcomers and takes much time to deep in. Also, I want a historical graph for throughput and system resources usage. Maybe it will be great to make easy step-by-step installation and configuration cookbooks as Fortinet did, and integrate the documentation within the solution."

What is our primary use case?

We use Check Point NGFW as a perimeter NAT Gateway with the security features, it helps us to prevent hackers. We implement Check Point-based infrastructures for our customers. In most cases, this is the same perimeter gateway and internal segmentation firewalls. Many of our customers also using the VPN feature to organize remote access to the company's assets for employees, especially in the COVID period, and to connect their branch offices to the base infrastructure. Environments are differing from one out customer to another, but these are primary use cases. 

How has it helped my organization?

We catch much more malware and spam with incoming traffic, and now we are more protected with our environment. For our customers, this is always a surprise, when we are running a pilot project - how mush malware and attacks we catch during the two weeks period. Check Point has a great report called "Security Check Up", that show these results on informative charts. In our region, our customers use primarily local solutions, that has no good security features inside. Check Point has a certification there, which allows them to work in our region and make the world safer. 

What is most valuable?

AV, IPS, AntiSpam, Sandbox. That's gentlemen set for any basic security, and it was implemented very well. In our reports, the most exciting results belong to AV and IPS. It can be explained by using ThreatCloud - a global knowledge base, which accumulates signatures for all existing and new coming malware, and all the Check Point solutions are always up to date with potential threats. When we using sandbox with Sandblast agent, often there are not real-world exciting results, but when we show a solution in work with existing samples, it also shows good results. 

What needs improvement?

I hope for product simplification. It would be better to use one security console, instead of many of them (for licensing and monitoring). The solution is hard for newcomers and takes much time to deep in. Also, I want a historical graph for throughput and system resources usage. Maybe it will be great to make easy step-by-step installation and configuration cookbooks as Fortinet did, and integrate the documentation within the solution. In most cases, the solution works great and I recommend it for our customers.

Buyer's Guide
Check Point NGFW
September 2024
Learn what your peers think about Check Point NGFW. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2024.
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For how long have I used the solution?

3 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Everyone falls sometimes. I recommend using high availability or at least two power blocks. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Nice, easy to connect and implement high availability.

How are customer service and support?

Support is great, we solved cases with solution integrations easily.

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

We are using many solutions at the same time. Just to be closer to our customers. 

How was the initial setup?

Initial is very easy. Further - harder.

What about the implementation team?

In-house

What was our ROI?

12 months.

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

NGTP is easy and strong. If you need the best security - use SanbBlast in addition.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We always check security options before implementing them to customers.

What other advice do I have?

Good solution - I recommend it. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

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

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Our company is a Security Integrator. We are Check Point Partner and Deploy their solutions for our customers.
PeerSpot user
Network Security Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Scalable platform with an easy configuration process
Pros and Cons
  • "The platform helps our organization to save working hours."
  • "The product's technical support services need improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product as a firewall solution for application control, defined rules and policies, and insights features.

How has it helped my organization?

The platform helps our organization to save working hours.

What is most valuable?

Check Point NGFW is easy to configure.

What needs improvement?

The product's technical support services need improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Check Point NGFW for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable platform.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support team could include skilled engineers to understand the issues and respond.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We have used Fortigate before. In comparison, Check Point NGFW provides a more detailed configuration.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy and takes 20 minutes to complete.

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

The product provides value for pricing in terms of performance and technical features compared to other firewalls.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Check Point NGFW and rate it 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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Buyer's Guide
Check Point NGFW
September 2024
Learn what your peers think about Check Point NGFW. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2024.
800,688 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Operation Manager at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Good management functionality using a single pane of glass
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability is very good."
  • "The user interface for management could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use this solution for routing and the protection of our internal corporate network.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the management using the Single Pane of Glass.

What needs improvement?

The user interface for management could be improved.

In the future, I would like to see support for SD-WAN capabilities.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with the Check Point Next-Generation firewall for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would like to see better stability in newly-released versions.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very good.

How are customer service and technical support?

Dealing with the support team in Israel can be a struggle because of the difference in working hours, holidays, and priorities.

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

I would with firewall solutions from several vendors including Palo Alto, Fortinet, and Meraki.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is implementing this solution is to ensure that they have good support from local experts. The biggest lesson that I have learned from using this product has to do with the capabilities of the smallest models. Care should be taken to select the appropriate one for your environment.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1281831 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security and Network Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
User-friendly configuration, good support, and trouble-free upgrades have made our jobs easier
Pros and Cons
  • "The rules are very easy to deploy and can be optimized pretty quickly."
  • "One of the main features that need improvement is the rule filter export."

What is our primary use case?

The Check Point NGFW is the best product that I have ever used. It has pluses and minuses, as do others, but the usability, simplicity, and the configuration abilities are very user-friendly. After a while, other vendors just don’t come close to it.

The second thing is that is just works and it does it with ease. The upgrades and bug fixes are frequent and well documented. Also, the patches just work ;-)

There are some negatives but as I already said, they aren’t many and from my point of view, we can see past them.

How has it helped my organization?

It has made our lives and working in the company a lot easier. We have a better overview of the logs and what happens with the traffic in our company. Which means that the search for the certain logs is easy, quick and smooth. The overview of the logs is also very good as it is very detailed. The installation is allot quicker as it was before what also helps us with the implementation of the firewall rules. The rule consolidation is also very important as we have more than 60 fw rule change requests per day.

What is most valuable?

The rules are very easy to deploy and can be optimized pretty quickly. The R80 has a great feature on how the rules are processed, which costs less in terms of CPU and threads than it did before.

The features that are integrated into the firewall are very useful for our everyday use. Examples of these are the log manager, the firewall monitor commands, and the Linux commands. These are all very useful and helpful.

The VPN tunnels are easy to set up once you understand how they have to be configured.

What needs improvement?

One of the main features that need improvement is the rule filter export. All of the other vendors can export the filtered IPS as a PDF or CSV file, but with the smart dashboard, it’s just not possible. One can only export the whole rule base and then search for the IPS, which is super time-consuming as you can’t send the whole rule base to a customer. You would get weird questions about certain rules, why they are deployed or configured as they are, and maybe even get unwanted tips on how to change them.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Check Point NGFW for eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of stability, this solution is very good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is high.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is very good.

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

We did not use another solution prior to this one.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy.

What about the implementation team?

I implemented and deployed Check Point NGFW alone.

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

Maybe the pricing is a bit high but you get the durability and the duration.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Palo Alto and Cisco ASA.

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
General Manager at Qhawariy
Real User
Stable and scalable with an easy setup and configuration
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is easy."
  • "The interface could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the new version of Check Point NGFW. 

We use the solution for web page protection to provide the security service which is lacking in Bolivia, a poverty ridden country. 

What is most valuable?

I like the facility of the product configuration. The ease with which the solution can be put into production makes it easy for my employers and for me to provide client support. 

What needs improvement?

The interface could be better. There is much equipment that is involved in the monitoring of many clients in a single interface. 

With other platforms, such as WatchGuard, it is very simple to manage four, five or six of these. We are talking about a lot of clients. The platforms for doing monitoring should be addressed. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution boasts good stability. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution boasts good scalability. 

How are customer service and support?

I have not had need to make use of technical support. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. 

What about the implementation team?

When it comes to the deployment and maintenance, there are two people involved, one for the deployment and the other for monitoring, consisting of an engineer and a technician. 

What other advice do I have?

I feel that the clients are very satisfied with the product.

I don't have any particular advice when it comes to the deployment process. This will depend on the client's needs. 

I rate Check Point NGFW as an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Anupama Perera - PeerSpot reviewer
Marketing at Bluechip Technical Services Pvt Ltd
Reseller
Top 10
Strong security and management features
Pros and Cons
  • "Check Point has strong security features as well as some decent monitoring and management capabilities."
  • "My customers complain that the interface isn't user-friendly."

What is most valuable?

Check Point has strong security features as well as some decent monitoring and management capabilities.

What needs improvement?

My customers complain that the interface isn't user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Check Point for eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Check Point stable. I've had no problems.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Check Point is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Check Point support is good.

How was the initial setup?

Check Point's setup process isn't very user-friendly.

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

Check Point is a little more expensive than FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Check Point nine out of 10. I work with both Check Point and FortiGate. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Check Point is more secure than FortiGate. However, Fortigate is more affordable and user-friendly. FortiGate offers seamless solutions to customers, so If they want a solution that's easy to use, they go with FortiGate.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: reseller
PeerSpot user
Founder Director at digisec
Real User
Top 20
Well-established product with great flexibility and user-interface
Pros and Cons
  • "The features that I have found most valuable are its flexibility and user interface. This is already a well-established product in the market for quite a long time, more than 20 years. They've got a huge customer base."
  • "In terms of what could be improved, I would say the application control and the visibility. I'd like granularity where you can have all the levels of policies that are defined, including the intel threat. It depends on what kind of intel threat the company has."

What is our primary use case?

Our customers primarily buy the solution to protect the network from malware at the perimeter of the Network. The next-gen firewalls help the customer to have an application-level control of the traffic.

What is most valuable?

The features that I have found most valuable are its flexibility and user interface. This is already a well-established product in the market for quite a long time, more than 20 years. They've got a huge customer base.

What needs improvement?

In terms of what could be improved, I'd like granularity where you can have all the levels of policies that are defined. 

In additional feature that could be added to this solution in the future is micro-segmentation, like Palo Alto has on the firewall itself.

For how long have I used the solution?

I began using Check Point Next Generation Firewall very recently, about four or five months ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have an internal team for maintenance.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, what we have seen is that it has a big deployment right now. So it all depends on what kind of environment the customer has. If he's already a Check Point user, it is easy for them, but if it is migrating from one platform to another, it is a little complex. One more thing is that the skillset availability required for Check Point is, in terms of implementation, a little less compared to others. The resources and the technical stuff are there for implementation. You find fewer people on Check Point compared to Sophos or Fortinet or any other platform.

How was the initial setup?

The installation process, if it is a greenfield opportunity, is easy. If it is a migration from one platform to another, you need to have expertise on both the technologies. Let's say for example you're migrating from Fortinet to Check Point, or from Sophos to Check Point or Check Point to any other, you need to have expertise on the platform, even though you should have good experience in terms of migrating and technologies.

What other advice do I have?

In my experience, Check Point provides both in-depth experience and cost-effectiveness compared to Palo Alto. So, Check Point is good for customers already using Check Point and Palo Alto is for anybody who wants to have the latest and most advanced features and has a good budget.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Check Point NGFW an 8.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Network Security Engineer at a consumer goods company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Descriptive logging, good dynamic port features, and the technical support is helpful
Pros and Cons
  • "The information stored in the logs is very descriptive and includes a lot of details."
  • "Until you have some experience, the installation and configuration are difficult."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use this product for cloud computing security. It is an integration platform for IPS and I also use it for performance monitoring.

I also coach classes on the use of this firewall, which is installed on my personal laptop.

What is most valuable?

This product is more secure than other firewalls, such as FortiGate.

The information stored in the logs is very descriptive and includes a lot of details.

The dynamic port features are better when compared to other firewalls.

What needs improvement?

This firewall is difficult to manage and use when you first begin using it. However, once you are used to it, the interface is comfortable and easy to use.

The Smart Control feature is hard to install.

In the future, I would like to see more features in the unified security management platform.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a reliable firewall.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is not an issue with Check Point.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support from Check Point is good.

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

I have experience with other firewalls including FortiGate. Check Point is more secure, although it is more difficult to deploy and configure.

How was the initial setup?

Until you have some experience, the installation and configuration are difficult.

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

The licensing fees are paid on a monthly basis and I am happy with the pricing.

What other advice do I have?

Check Point is responsible for inventing several firewall security features.

In summary, this is a good product and I recommend it because it the most secure firewall on the market.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

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