From The Firewall To The Frontline: Dave Meister On How Check Point Builds The Future With Vision And Culture

Cass Cooper, host of The Channel Angle , sits down with Dave Meister, head of global MSP and MSSP at Check Point Software Technologies. Meister shares how Check Point is evolving under new leadership, unifying recent acquisitions into one powerful platform for MSPs and delivering enterprise-grade security to the SMB market.

When Dave Meister left his role as an engineer in the managed services space, he thought he was stepping away from MSP life altogether. Instead, he found himself at the helm of global MSP and MSSP strategy at Check Point Software Technologies—bringing a lifetime of on-the-ground insight to the enterprise cybersecurity world. At The Channel Angle, we sat down with Meister to talk about transformation, leadership and the future of cybersecurity partnerships.

Check Point is in a season of change. With a new CEO at the helm for the first time in the company’s history, innovation and evolution are top of mind. “We’re heavily focused in on AI,” Meister explained, “and continuing to double down on the channel.” One of the biggest moves? The rollout of the Infinity Portal—a unified platform combining Check Point’s strategic acquisitions—including Avanan and Perimeter 81—into one offering purpose-built for MSPs.

That focus matters, especially for SMB clients. “SMBs have a smaller margin of error,” said Meister. “We want to make sure MSPs aren’t juggling 10 different tools that each require a unique configuration. If a process takes 10 extra minutes and gets repeated repeatedly by every technician, that hits your bottom line hard.” Ease of use and minimized risk are critical differentiators as MSPs look to scale without compromising security.

But the technical side is only half the story.

Meister’s approach to leadership centers on vision and culture—two elements that become even more crucial during times of change, like mergers or acquisitions. “Culture feeds from vision,” he shared. “If leaders don’t clearly communicate the bigger picture, people get lost in the day-to-day.” He recalled an early CEO who brought the company together quarterly to align everyone around the organization’s “big, hairy, audacious goals”—a practice that deeply influenced his own leadership style.

That philosophy now shows how Meister leads cross-functional, multi-team initiatives at Check Point. “It’s about making the vision personal and real,” he said. “Whether it’s putting the mission on the wall or touring a client’s facility, you’ve got to build culture through experience.”

For Meister, reconnecting with the MSP world from a different vantage point has been energizing. “I’m not the one answering the phones anymore, but I know how hard that work is,” he said. “We’re trying to do right by the people doing the work.”