Check Point Bundles Up

"Customers and resellers have wanted integrated solutions from Check Point, which has traditionally had mostly very large customers," said Paul Kaspian, product marketing manager at Check Point, Redwood City, Calif. "But now we are giving midsized customers the high-end security and taking some steps out of the process for resellers who now won't have to procure hardware and make sure it's supported."

Dubbed the Check Point Express Security Gateway, the 1U appliance will house a VAR's choice of either Check Point's Express or Express CI (content inspection) software bundle, Kaspian said. The Check Point Express bundle includes integrated VPN, firewall and intrusion-protection software. Express CI includes additional antivirus protection licensed from Computer Associates International, Islandia, N.Y.

Six versions of the gateway will be available. Three versions will house Check Point Express for either 50, 100 or 250 users. The other three versions of the appliance will offer Express CI software for the same user counts.

All versions of the appliance will be built atop an IBM x306 server platform, Kaspian said. Clearwater, Fla.-based Tech Data will distribute the new appliance, he said.

Ending the need for VARs to integrate Check Point Express software onto third-party hardware platforms and eliminating the dual hardware/software licensing headache will help level the playing field for Check Point to compete with the likes of Juniper Networks, Cisco Systems, Fortinet and WatchGuard Technologies, Kaspian said.

Chris Boykin, CEO of Got Net Solutions, a Check Point VAR in Houston, said the new gateways will shorten the Check Point sales cycle.

"A lot of customers will be excited about having an appliance from Check Point," Boykin said. "Check Point has been on the software side of things, and we have had a lot of customers asking for an appliance. Most of the competition, like Juniper and WatchGuard, has had their own appliances, and Check Point has had [its partners] integrating them into someone else's box, typically for us a Dell or HP box."