Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) Reviews

We use Check Point NGFW for security purposes. Our clients use it for security reasons, as mentioned during the call.

The most valuable feature is the availability of two consoles. In the normal GA login, I can create interfaces and configure interface IPs, while in the SmartConsole, I manage the NAT quality and firewall access. This allows me to effectively configure the Check Point firewall.

Check Point would benefit from having a single console for both basic and policy configurations. Currently, two different consoles are required, which could be more streamlined.

I have experience working with Check Point NGFW as part of the implementation team, working in both production environments and configuring firewalls.

I rate the stability of the solution as nine out of ten. While the solution is generally stable, there are complications, such as requiring SmartConsole for deployment and upgrades, which can be time-consuming.

Scalability must be carefully planned for, considering future growth and user base increases. The solution is suggested with a five-year plan in mind to accommodate growth. In cloud environments, scalability is adjusted based on customer requirements.

I rate technical support from Check Point at ten out of ten. The support is excellent.

Positive

The initial setup can be complex. Proper planning and scope of work are crucial to ensure a smooth setup.

I work as a network engineer in the implementation team. We handle deployments and configurations of Check Point firewalls.

In comparison to Fortinet and other products, the pricing may be considered high. Customers often look for budget-friendly options and may choose based on cost considerations.

As a technical expert, I would recommend Check Point NGFW. However, from a customer's budgetary perspective, they must evaluate their options.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

We are working with Check Point NGFW as an internet firewall, a data center firewall, and a core firewall. We also deal with customers using the Maestro firewall for data centers.

One of the main advantages I have seen with Check Point NGFW is centralized management. The number of vulnerabilities is very few compared to commodity products, so customers don't have to worry even if it is exposed to the internet. Specific features include threat prevention, threat cloud, Infinity Portal for centralized cloud management, URL filtering, content awareness blade, identity awareness blade, and VPN blades. Customers only need to subscribe to what they require, so resources are free for other uses.

Check Point NGFW should concentrate more on the SMB market, as solutions in this space are not as strong in security. In terms of SD-WAN technology, Check Point's offerings are not as mature as competitors. There are some issues during initial setup, particularly with establishing connectivity with the Infinity Portal.

I have been working with Check Point NGFW for one year.

During initial setup, deployment teams usually face issues establishing the initial connectivity with the Infinity Portal.

As far as I have seen, Check Point NGFW is very stable. I have worked with Check Point products for 15 years and haven't found any stability or performance issues.

Check Point NGFW is very scalable. They offer multiple solutions from SMBs to enterprise data centers, making it an easily scalable solution with no issues in scalability.

We have escalated issues to Check Point technical support multiple times and have received timely and very good responses, especially from the local support team available in our country.

Positive

I have worked with almost all the major products: Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco ASA, and FTD.

There can be issues during the initial setup, particularly with establishing connectivity with the Infinity Portal.

I am currently in presales and not directly involved in deployment, but I have been part of a deployment team before.

Compared to other solutions, the pricing of Check Point NGFW is high. However, for customers particularly concerned with security, such as in enterprises, data centers, financial sectors, or government sectors, the pricing is justified. If a customer is not highly focused on security, a less expensive firewall may suffice.

I have experience with major vendors such as Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco ASA, and FTD.

I would recommend Check Point NGFW due to their long history of providing secure solutions and their pioneering stateful inspection technology. Their threat cloud is one of the richest AI clouds available. They also offer strong R&D, which results in fewer vulnerabilities in their products. Overall, I rate Check Point NGFW an eight out of ten.

On-premises

We use Check Point NGFW for network security purposes, where we have configured VPN, site-to-site VPNs, and advanced threat prevention for protecting our network infrastructure.

We utilize Check Point NGFW for network security, implementing the firewall for different aspects, such as threat prevention for securing our network and using tunnels to connect our different branches to one another.

In my experience, Check Point NGFW offers some of the best features.

VPN is one of those standout features.

The best features of Check Point NGFW are the site-to-site VPN capability, the advanced feature of VPN configuration, threat prevention, and advanced URL filtering, having all the security features present in the next generation firewall.

Check Point NGFW improves our security positively. The security improvement has improved significantly by using Check Point NGFW.

The pricing is a little bit high, so it should be considered from a customer aspect.

I have been using Check Point NGFW for almost one and a half years.

In my experience, Check Point NGFW is stable with no issues regarding reliability.

Check Point NGFW has been easy to scale as our needs have grown.

The customer support was good, and we just need to raise a ticket from the customer support portal where the device has been registered, and we received instant support from the technical engineer.

I would rate the customer support between nine to ten; the support was excellent.

Positive

I did not use a different solution before Check Point NGFW.

The initial setup with Check Point NGFW is a little bit complex for those who are new to it.

Check Point NGFW has definitely shown improvement in terms of time and money cost-wise.

The pricing, setup cost, and licensing were straightforward, but the pricing is a little bit high compared to other vendors such as FortiGate and Sophos.

We considered FortiGate as one of the options before choosing Check Point NGFW.

I advise others looking into using Check Point NGFW to understand their infrastructure, scenario, and needs, and then decide on scalability before choosing Check Point NGFW.

We are partners with Check Point, but we are not a customer in other business relationships. As a partner, we work with different vendors such as Sophos, FortiGate, Check Point NGFW, and ASA.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Check Point NGFW a ten; it is excellent.

On-premises

[Answer to 'If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?' from the text]

We use Check Point NGFW for enterprise firewalling, VPN, data loss prevention (DLP), user authentication, and zero-trust connectivity. All the functions of Check Point NGFW are utilized.

The most valuable features in my experience include perimeter firewalling, cloud and mobile security, application control, URL filtering, DLP, threat prevention, intrusion protection, and safeguarding against malware, botnets, and zero-day attacks. Check Point NGFW's multi-layered security architecture enhances data protection strategies by unifying security management, which is crucial in environments with too many separate products. The application and identity-based inspection are critical for understanding the data packets within the network.

The primary area for improvement would be the configuration process. While Check Point NGFW is not inherently difficult to configure, it might be intimidating for newcomers. Other products, like FortiGate, are perceived as more intuitive because they are easier to configure from the start. This has led to a perception that may affect market share.

I have been working with Check Point NGFW for many years, probably around ten years.

I have encountered stability issues primarily with VPN, which required a code upgrade. However, overall stability is high, and I rate it a nine out of ten.

Check Point NGFW is quite scalable. I have used units that never exceeded their capacity. If specified correctly, even the smaller boxes offer high session and bandwidth rates, making the solution highly scalable, even up to telco-level requirements.

My experience with Check Point's technical support has been positive, especially during setup processes. Even challenging issues like those with VPNs have been resolved efficiently with their help.

Positive

The initial setup of Check Point NGFW can be daunting for new users, but once you understand it, the setup is straightforward. For me, it's an eight out of ten in terms of ease of the initial setup.

The perception is that Check Point NGFW is expensive, especially when all software modules are included. For larger enterprises with comprehensive service requirements, it is reasonably priced. However, in the medium-sized business market, it can be seen as expensive, leading to switches to alternatives like Fortinet.

I rate Check Point NGFW an eight out of ten. It's a solid solution, particularly for large enterprise businesses, especially in banking and government, where there is always a need to diversify between different products. The overall product rating I would give is an eight.

On-premises

My main use case for Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is segmentation of VLANs, and the logging feature is great for my day-to-day operations.

A specific example of how I use segmentation and logging in my environment involves segmenting equipment into different VLANs, terminating all the VLANs on the Check Point firewall, and using the logging features to debug what's happening if there are any issues.

The best features Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) offers include the logging feature, and the IPS and IDS is also great.

What makes those features stand out for me is that the logging is very easy to get an overview on what's happening inside the network, and the IPS and IDS is very much hand-off; you just set it up the first time and it's up and running.

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) has positively impacted my organization by providing more oversight over what's happening in the network, so the cybersecurity aspect of risk management has improved drastically.

The way risk management has improved is that getting an overview and seeing what's happening inside the network and then being able to take decisions on what to allow and not allow is much easier than on other firewalls.

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) could be improved by streamlining the licensing process a bit.

The challenges with the licensing process come from its complexity.

I have been using Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) for seven years.

In my experience, Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is very much stable; we have had some bugs since we deployed it, but the support has been good at helping us resolve them.

The scalability of Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is not very good; what you buy the first time is what you get, and it's hard to scale from there, but we over-scoped the deployment.

I rated the service 9 out of 10 because the support could be a little better; that's the only thing that it could improve to get a 10. Other than that, the firewalls themselves are very sturdy and they just work.

Positive

We previously used a Cisco ASA 55000 series, which was pretty much out of date, so we needed to upgrade to something better, and we landed on the Check Point firewalls.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) was good; it was pretty much straightforward with no hidden costs.

Before choosing Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW), we evaluated other options, including a POC on Palo Alto, but Check Point won the POC.

My advice to others looking into using Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is to definitely pay for Check Point Professional Services to assist with the deployment and the design of what you're trying to do, as it saves you a headache later. I rate Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) 9 out of 10.

Hybrid Cloud

Microsoft Azure

I have been using Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) for around one year. My main use case for Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is perimeter security in the data center. I do not have anything else to add about my use case as there is no specific scenario or type of threat I'm protecting against.

I find the features of Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) very valuable because it offers strong security that uses AI to stop almost all cyber security threats, including new and unknown ones, while delivering super fast performance, being easy to manage, and highly reliable.

The AI aspect of Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) helps in my daily work by recognizing patterns of attack, even new and unknown ones, and blocking them in real time. It studies global attack data and gets better at detecting future threats.

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) has positively impacted my organization by providing an easy-to-use Smart Console interface that is clean, fast, and easy. The system allows management of all policies, logs, and alerts, and for troubleshooting, the logs show exactly what was blocked and why.

The network security team spends less time solving issues because the system provides clear and detailed visibility into what happened, what was blocked, why, and by which security layer. This helps the team troubleshoot quickly and get back to more important tasks.

Improvements could be made in areas such as user interface and dashboard, reporting and customization, complexity, support and stability issues, as well as license and pricing. A unified dashboard console where all features, from firewall rules to threat logs, can be managed seamlessly would be beneficial.

The stability issues involve the need for improvement in firmware or software to reduce bugs and enhance support SLA.

Support needs to show greater consistency and speed, especially in the area of non-enterprise clients or smaller customers. Improving the escalation procedure with timely follow-ups is also necessary.

I have been using Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) for around one year.

In my experience, Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) has been stable with no issues related to crashes or downtime.

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) handles increased workloads or more users easily, demonstrating good scalability.

Customer support has been available through phone, email, or online portal ticket, and I have had to contact them. I would rate the customer support as a ten.

Positive

I did not previously use a different solution.

I have seen a return on investment by saving time on manual log checks and unclear threats. After using Smart Console, which provides clear visibility, my team is estimated to save five to ten hours per week in reporting.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is straightforward without any challenges.

Before choosing Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW), I evaluated Fortinet among other options.

I rated Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) a nine out of ten because it represents top security, high performance, and unity, but it loses one point due to support being hit or miss, confusing licensing, a challenging user interface or learning curve, and possibly high pricing.

Our company has a business relationship with the vendor as we are a partner. I was not offered a gift card or incentive for this review. I found this interview to be very good and have no suggestions for changes in the future.

On-premises

My main use case for Check Point NGFW is perimeter security, and we use it on-prem.

I use Check Point NGFW for perimeter security specifically in our data centers.

The best features Check Point NGFW offers are centralized manage control and centralized load manage control.

The AI power enhances the features of Check Point NGFW.

The AI powered features provide real time threat detection.

Check Point NGFW has positively impacted my organization by improving security and reducing incidents.

We have seen a 2% reduction in incidents.

Check Point NGFW could be improved if support was better.

My experience with support has shown that there are delays.

I have been using Check Point NGFW for three years.

In my experience, Check Point NGFW is not stable.

The scalability of Check Point NGFW is satisfactory.

I find the customer support to be very challenging.

I would rate the customer support a seven on a scale of one to ten.

Neutral

Before using Check Point NGFW, I was using Dell SonicWALL, and we switched to Check Point NGFW because it is a better solution than Dell SonicWALL.

The initial setup with Check Point NGFW has been straightforward.

I have seen a return on investment with Check Point NGFW in terms of time saved and fewer people needed for operations.

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing has been straightforward.

Before choosing Check Point NGFW, I also evaluated options such as Palo Alto.

I don't have anything else to add about my use case.

I don't have anything else to add about the needed improvements, as of now.

My advice to others looking into using Check Point NGFW is to go for it.

I think Check Point NGFW is a great product, and other customers should experience it.

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

On-premises

The tool helps with VPN and connecting mobile devices. We also use it for identity security. It filters internet access and controls applications. The firewall has an intrusion prevention system and stops data loss. 

Internet access and filtering are important, and data loss prevention is definitely key. The threat access builder is useful. Application control is also big for us. We use it to check and block application downloads, looking for malicious or rogue software. This feature is very helpful.

Sometimes, the firewall doesn't pick up on certain things. If an attacker is clever and uses a low-profile indicator, the firewall might flag an anomaly but not give enough information to decide if it's worth investigating. The threat intelligence component also has challenges. It doesn't always tie alerts to active campaigns or threat actor groups. We often have to do extra work and use other products to figure these out.

I rate the solution's stability a seven out of ten. 

I rate the tool's scalability an eight out of ten. My company has 2500 users. 

The tool's support was responsive in critical situations, but for non-critical issues, they sometimes dropped the ball or didn't get back quickly enough. We had to do a lot of follow-ups and escalations to our technical account manager.

Neutral

Before choosing Check Point NGFW, we used Palo Alto Networks. We switched because of issues with Palo Alto. Their customer support wasn't very responsive. Some policies weren't working right, letting things through that should've been blocked. We compared different pricing options and features before deciding on Check Point NGFW. The main differences between Palo Alto and Check Point NGFW were mostly in how they worked for us. They both offer good next-gen firewalls, but we had some problems with Palo Alto. Sometimes it wouldn't notify us quickly when something got through. Its prevention wasn't always as strong as we wanted.

We felt Palo Alto's traffic inspection was only partial, not checking everything thoroughly. Check Point NGFW seemed to offer better inspection. Check Point NGFW also had better threat intel and application control. With Palo Alto, we couldn't see all our applications, only some of them. This caused shadow IT problems. Cost was also a factor in our decision.

The initial setup of Check Point NGFW is relatively straightforward. It's similar to other firewalls I've used and not too complex. If you have all the prerequisites in place, it's fairly easy to set up. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the easiest, I'd rate the setup process around seven or eight.

The deployment takes about a week. We had a deployment process that involved going through change management, getting approvals, notifying stakeholders like the infrastructure team, and deploying the solution.

We used a consultant for the deployment because we were dealing with other initiatives and it was a tight situation timing-wise, even though we could have done it in-house.

Aside from the consultant, we had two or three staff members involved in the deployment. Their job roles were mainly on the security side - security architects, engineers, and analysts. Their roles were fluid, so they could take on various tasks if they had the knowledge or interest. For maintaining the solution, the number of staff required depends on the scale of the deployment. In our setup, about two people were in charge as the main points of contact.

I saw definite operational impacts from using Check Point NGFW. It helped prevent breaches, data security issues, and security incidents. We constantly saw attempts being blocked and picked up by the firewall. This was an improvement over Palo Alto, where some things got through without being detected. With Check Point NGFW, we got a significant return on investment because it prevented a major incident from happening and escalating.

I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten. It costs around 100,000-200,000 dollars per month. Besides standard licensing fees, we paid extra for enterprise-level premium support. There were also onboarding costs factored in. These additional costs made it more expensive overall. The total cost was around 100,000 dollars, which was challenging for our budget. Check Point was also pricey, not much different from Palo Alto Networks. However, we decided switching to Check Point was better because it offered more capabilities for a similar price.

I rate the overall solution a seven out of ten. 

Hybrid Cloud

Amazon Web Services (AWS)