D-Link Fortifies Security With Check Point Partnership

D-Link jumped aboard the unified threat management (UTM) bandwagon this week with a partnership with security vendor Check Point Software Technologies to develop a new line of small business-focused security appliances.

Under the agreement, D-Link will weave Check Point's firewall and VPN technology into two new additions to its NetDefend line of SMB security appliances. Slated to be available sometime this quarter, the appliances are aimed at businesses of up to 100 seats and 25 VPN users. The products also will include features such as gateway-based virus protection, intrusion prevention and content filtering, according to Robert Robinson, director of business channel sales at D-Link, Fountain Valley, Calif.

Terry Sharkey, president at National Tech Services, a Mundelein, Ill.-based solution provider, said that adding an extra layer of security to its NetDefend products provides a way for D-Link to reach a larger market. "This will take it from being a SOHO product to one that will address the SMB market," said Sharkey. "Small businesses generally don’t have a clue about how vulnerable they really are."

Check Point's infrastructure is scalable and includes support for outsourced third-party management, which means partners will have the opportunity to provide managed security services, Robinson said. "That's a big piece that comes with the Check Point collaboration, because VARs will be able to sell appliances to the customers along with the ability to manage those boxes from a central location," Robinson said.

Gregg Flatt, president at Flat Earth, a Nashville, Tenn.-based Check Point partner, says that Check Point's proprietary Embedded NGX and application intelligence technology will make the NetDefend products more attractive to the SMB market. "Check Point's technology more than just inspect packets. It goes deep into applications and provide security there as well," said Flatt.

Having security software running on networking hardware makes it possible to protect different segments of the network from the inside, which is important because the majority of security breaches originate from inside the corporate network, Flatt added.

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