Check Point Overhauls OPSEC Alliance

OPSEC, which stands for Open Platform for Security, has more than 350 participants. Paul Weinstein, vice president of business development at Redwood City, Calif.-based Check Point, said technology from these companies will now be characterized in six areas: internal security, Web security, content security, total access protection, VoIP and regulatory compliance. Previously, technology fell into about 20 point product categories.

"What our solution partners wanted was an easier way of putting together solution packages for our customers," Weinstein said.

The new approach represents a more logical way to organize OPSEC technologies, said Nathan Browne, systems analyst at Access IT, a Check Point partner based in King of Prussia, Pa. "Most companies that we're looking for technologies for are looking to solve a problem," he said. "OPSEC is very helpful for us because a lot of customers want to make sure that products work with each other."

That's the reason RSA Security, an OPSEC charter member, has been working with Check Point since the early days of the program, said Stu Cohen, director of partner development at the Bedford, Mass.-based security vendor. RSA's OPSEC membership benefits both Check Point's and RSA's channel, he said.

"Both channel partners and RSA partners are looking for certified interoperability and tight technical collaboration," Cohen said. "Any products that they recommend or sell will work."

OPSEC program benefits include simple security solution identification, integration testing and a dynamic knowledge base that provides an educational Web portal.