Check Point Security Management Reviews

When having multiple branches, there is the need to be able to manage several branches centrally to meet internal and external regulatory standards that become part of important criteria to manage security. 

Due to the number of branches that we must protect and safeguard, we were looking for a solution that would allow us to centralize simple and fast management that is as scalable as possible.

The Check Point R80 service has allowed us to unify and centralize the security policy. This makes us faster and more flexible when making a change in any of our branches. It's one of the friendliest services that can be managed and remains important in nature to our bottom line. It allows all administrators to understand and manage the communication between different sites, for example. Additionally, we have integrated these features with others that could also be used as security measures or MFA services.

One of the most important features, and one that I see as having organizational value, is the ability to enable services or communications that can be integrated with third parties. We can add additional layers of security to logins or configuration startups that we did not have before. 

It provides for capabilities and has allowed us to be more scalable. We now have greater management flexibility and the possibility to configure and connect to different branches. It has given us better centralization with greater features and security benefits.

In the future, I would like the platform to be able to integrate or manage appliances or third-party equipment. That would give us a management solution that is able to adapt to the technological changes that we have today. 

Maybe we could see if the brand or the services become commercial allies of other brands. I know that it is something that is requested a lot, however, better integration could be beneficial for the market and for users when purchasing a service in the market.

I've used the solution for three years.

We wanted a centralized administration console to allow us to manage more than one team inside or outside our organization. As a result of this need, we were looking for solutions that could complement us and provide effective and functional management of more than one team inside or outside the organization. 

It was then that we came across and used Check Point, a solution that allows us to integrate and manage all these teams from one place. Check Point offered us not only a centralized administration, but it also offered us and gave us added value in different services and features that can be integrated into the centralized administration platform.

Check Point came to give additional value to us as administrators and our organization. It allowed us to integrate more than one characteristic service under the same administration platform, such as antivirus services, real-time emulation services, and real-time detection, characteristics that really give additional value in a centralized management console being a console and also a strategic ally in our organization. These characteristics tell us that it is not only a service to centralize the administration - it is also a service designed to implement and add value to the security of any company.

One of the most outstanding characteristics of its centralized administration is its great computing power. The ease of being able to integrate more than one computer and manage and orchestrate them simultaneously and individually creates security layers for each one of them or different approaches based on the needs of the branches. We have an installation that is fast with an execution that is simple. It is easy to manage what each organization needs. 

I would like it to be the administrator of equipment or Next Generation firewalls (which have to be managed on this platform) and to be able to manage other services (like Harmony) that also belong to Check Point. We'd like to be able to manage them from the same platform. Although they are within the same portal right now, they are not managed in the same way nor are they from the same teams. It could be a very innovative future integration and will help to centralize this section while having the characteristics under the same management.

I've used the solution for about a year.

It is very stable lately. We've seen that the updates have made the solution apply changes faster and find it is more complete.

The platform has somewhat complex scalability. That said, it is still efficient - mainly when we have management or administration in what is known as HA or cluster.

We are managing Check Point firewalls worldwide, and establishing VPNs between the main data centers in geographic regions and the other agencies worldwide.

We also establish VPNs between agencies and customers depending on the need. Several different VPN communities are used. We also establish VPNs with customers and partners with different firewall brands (Cisco, Fortinet, Juniper, etc.).

We manage security policies for more than 300 hundred Check Point firewalls by using security policy templates and models.

Check Point Security Management has improved the way to manage several VPN communities depending on the needs.

We now have the ability to centralize the management and administration of about 300 Check Point firewalls all over the world. We are now able to interconnect easily those firewalls by establishing VPN communities.

We are now also able to monitor the different VPN communities in real-time.

We can use a security policies template to apply to our 300 firewalls and this is really time-saving.

The ability to easily mount VPN between firewalls, depending on the needs (star, meshed, or combined architecture) and depending on the type of firewall has been helpful.

We appreciate the fact that we can monitor the version of the managed firewalls in order to plan the firewall upgrades over time.

I like that I have the ability to apply a security policy model and template to many firewalls, depending on the firewall usage and architecture (DMZ firewall, LAN firewall, etc.).

We also like the way we can monitor the firewall traffic and we use this feature very often to troubleshoot user traffic.

We would like to improve the upgrade process in order to do mass upgrades to firewalls and to be able to upgrade target firewalls at the same time.

I would like to be able to use Check Point Security Management in a way where it is hosted on the cloud. I'd like secured Security Management directly reachable from wherever you are with no need to install the Check Point client software on the laptop.

I would also like to have the ability to easily export the Check Point security policies in order to exploit the data in other applications and have more compatibility with other applications.

I've used the solution for 12 years.

The solution is highly stable.

The solution is quite scalable.

They have good support that is reactive.

Positive

I also use Fortinet due to Check Point legal restrictions. Check Point is banned in some countries.

The initial setup was straightforward.

We implemented it through a vendor team with a very good level of expertise.

We have a good ROI.

We also looked into Palo Alto, Fortinet, and Cisco.

We use the solution for a distributed lean IT environment where there's a need to monitor logs, threats, and events, or requires configuring security policies within a single dashboard.

It's great for customers who are searching for an upgraded top to bottom yet simple and improved log management solution. In such cases, Check Point Management works perfectly.

Wherever we have provided such a solution, it has become very easy for IT administrators to manage not only a single location but also geographically distributed workplaces.

It works similarly to other management software in the industry, but Check Point is far beyond all others due to its management log monitoring functionality.

After integration with the R80 series, Check Point has made most organizations become relatively secure as configuration with security policies, IPS, and log management extend to the maximum ability.

Previously, we needed to monitor all logs related to network traffic and threats and had to audit logs in different dashboards which sometimes felt time and memory consuming.

With the R80 management consoles, all tasks become very easy - starting from gateway management, log monitoring, IPS configuration, global properties configuration, etc.

Some of the great aspects of the solution include:

1. Smart Event is a great feature of the Check Point management console. It gives a complete graphical view of more than a year of traffic flow including botnet traffic, malicious host present in-network, compromised hosts, and many more.

2. Object (based on IP, hostname, domain name) configuration.

3. Application and URL filtering configuration.

4. Log monitoring and alert configuration.

5. IPS configuration with improved performance.

6. Applying filters based on source, destination, port, application, etc. which is easy compared to all other vendors in the market.

7. Managing clustering for gateways - including their live health check performance - can be done on the dashboard itself.

8. The SSL VPN monitoring based on users and tunnel monitoring are great value-added features present in the management console.

The solution could be improved in these ways:

1. In order to work the management console properly we're required to have more memory and CPU on the system where we need to install a setup.

2. Due to the large size of logs generated for daily traffic, even when old logs purging is enabled, we need to delete old logs manually or else it causes errors while publishing policies which slow down the process.

3. SD-WAN functionality could be added.

4. The required license addition for every blade is a bit of a complicated task for normal IT admins to understand.

I've used the solution for more than four years.

Stability is always improving day by day with Hotfixes they are releasing.

We can scale up to a maximum limit.

The technical support is very knowledgeable.

We have good relations with Check Point. This is the main reason we have always preferred it. The technical support offered by Check Point is always a top priority.

Customer from Sophos to Check Point and ASA to Check Point has migrated to our centralized management from Check Point.

The initial setup is straightforward, however, it can get a little complex for migration from another vendor to Check Point.

We had the assistance of vendor support during the implementation.

Check Point licenses work very differently compared to other vendors. We need to purchase each blade in order to make it work, but we can easily obtain a trial (evaluation) license from Check Point to get visibility for the blade.

Check Point tries to maintain relationships with customers and they try to match their price with customer expectations.

Palo Alto is most preferred NGFW compared to Check Point, due to having a large market share.

We utilize the security management solution to oversee all our Check Point products, including firewall, IPS, and antivirus policies. It serves as our primary tool for managing all Check Point devices.

Check Point Security Management excels over Forti Management in daily operations, policy management, and graphical interface. It is easy to open and edit policies, search within them, and view logs.

The only issue is that, you need to install an application instead of managing it through a browser. Thus, it requires installation. Additionally, it can be slow when multiple users access the manager simultaneously. Even with increased CPU and memory resources, some performance issues may still occur when multiple users check simultaneously.

I have been using Check Point Security Management for ten years.

Sometimes, we encounter crashes while working on Check Point Security Management, necessitating application restarts. We also face connectivity issues with certain firewalls, making it less stable than other products.

The solution’s scalability is good ; adding more CPUs and memory can give you more gateways.

20 managers are using this solution.

I rate the solution’s scalability a nine out of ten.

We currently have at least two or three cases open, and some are regarding demand. We struggle to find a good engineer who can truly help us instead of just sending some comments for us to run and provide feedback. They need to improve, especially in their initial client support.

Positive

The initial setup is complex.

Compared to Forti Management, Check Point Security Management involves much more work and is more difficult. You need to establish connections to all the firewalls manually, one by one. However, with the function manager, you point the firewall to the manager and accept it on the Management, and it's done. Additionally, you need to manage certificates on Check Point, making the process less straightforward than FortiManager. 

You depend entirely on the manager to edit the security gateway policies. If the manager encounters an issue with Fortinet, you can still access the FortiGate and delete policies. In Check Point, you cannot delete firewall policies directly on the firewall itself if you encounter a Management issue.

Deployment, including firewall synchronization, takes about four days to complete.

You usually need to create and use the VM Manager VM. So, you need to deploy the VM, configure the IPs, and install the Check Point console software. Then, you need to perform an SIP IT connection to all the firewalls to manage them. After that, you need to configure the firewall networks and public IPs. 

I rate the initial setup as seven out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy.

The product is more expensive than Fortinet. We need to pay the license for the Management. I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

It enhances our daily operational efficiency. Therefore, all management personnel prioritizing working on Check Point policies over Fortinet would benefit. However, maintenance upgrades, backups, snapshots, and synchronization between primary and secondary management can become cumbersome. These tasks tend to be more challenging and time-consuming.

The learning curve for Check Point is quite steep. Sometimes, when we recruit new members to our company, they take a lot of time to understand how our Check Point system works, including the connection between the Management and the firewall, among other components. With Fortinet, it takes only two or three weeks for them to get acquainted with everything. With Check Point, they need at least three months to become accustomed to upgrades, managing policies, and maintenance of the Management system. So, it takes at least three or four times longer than with Fortinet.

AI is essential for correlating logs and presenting the ones that matter. They could strengthen how they present logs by giving more attention to the ones that matter most.

Check Point is easy to use, allowing users to drag and drop objects effortlessly. However, it's essential to note that deploying and maintaining the solution may require a bit more expertise than some competitors.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Check Point Security Management Server is a comprehensive solution designed to streamline and centralize the management of security policies across an organization's network infrastructure. 

One of the standout features of the Check Point Security Management Server is its ability to manage security policies across multiple Check Point security gateways centrally. This centralized approach simplifies policy deployment, monitoring, and updates, making it easier for administrators to maintain a consistent security posture.

The Check Point Security Management Server has the ability to centrally manage security policies across multiple Check Point security gateways. This centralized approach simplifies policy deployment, monitoring, and updates, making it easier for administrators to maintain a consistent security posture. 

It offers high-performance capabilities to handle large volumes of traffic while maintaining low latency, ensuring minimal impact on network performance. This product greatly improved our company customers and allowed us to implement the solution easily.

The most valuable aspects of the solution are:

1. Centralized Management: It can centrally manage security policies across multiple Check Point security gateways. This centralized approach simplifies policy deployment, monitoring, and updates, making it easier for administrators to maintain a consistent security posture. 

2. Intuitive User Interface: The management console provides an intuitive user interface that allows administrators to configure and monitor security policies with ease. The interface is well-designed, with clear navigation and comprehensive options for managing security rules, network objects, and logs. 

3. Comprehensive Security Features: Check Point Security Management Server offers a wide range of security features, including firewall, intrusion prevention, VPN, application control, and threat prevention capabilities. These features work together to provide multi-layered protection against various cyber threats.

Check Point Security Management Server integrates seamlessly with other Check Point security products, providing a cohesive security ecosystem for organizations. It also offers compatibility with third-party security solutions, however, it is not a lot. This needs to be improved.

Check Point offers comprehensive product support and documentation, including online resources, knowledge bases, and technical support services. This ensures that administrators have access to the assistance they need to deploy and maintain the Security Management Server effectively, but when customers raise issues, the support is not satisfactory and timely.

I've used the solution for more than one and a half years.

I use it for managing ten clusters in our on-premise environment. With this kind of management, it's possible to question its policy and change many configurations in the files. With its management, we got all the logs from the environment. With Check Point Security Management, we get the benefits of deploying the configuration.

Owing to the availability of many kinds of incidents, I can say that the solution has served to improve my organization.

Regarding the tool's valuable features, I would say that Check Point is a very accessible and fast tool, especially when dealing with logs for the first time. It is a perfect solution for me.

From the Check Point Security Management solution, it's possible to get the situation of my clusters. I guess it lacks in providing visibility of the many incidents. Hence, the visibility of incidents is an area where I want the solution to improve.

I have been using Check Point Security Management since 2005, so I have used it for maybe twenty years. Also, I am using Check Point Security Management E84.20.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

The solution's technical support is very good. Hence, I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

Positive

The solution's initial setup was easy.

It took a year to see a return on investment. I did experience a return on investment using the solution.

Price-wise, it is an expensive solution.

I recommend the solution to those planning to use it.

I rate the overall product between nine to ten out of ten.

Thanks to the new Check Point management, we were able to manage our environments decentrally with a server or from the Check Point Infinity Portal. This management is handled separately and provides greater ease of implementation and backups. You can have your gateways separated from the control server. You can even lose the management server, and easily, with a previous backup, you can restore all the policies that had been generated so that you never lose the operation of the GW.

Our Check Point implementations are quite important in our environment. With them, we were able to shield our infrastructure from modern vulnerabilities.

The separate management provides greater security and peace of mind. In the face of events in which we can lose communication with the management server, the operation of the Check Point gateways continues unaffected.

We also like the ease and intuitiveness of the management server since it allows you to generate policies in a straightforward way. Its logs and monitoring provide the necessary information so that those responsible for security can make decisions and improve security even more.

The control is intuitive, it's an excellent tool.

The monitoring is excellent. It helps a lot in making decisions.

Finally, the additional tools or blades implemented in this console are great. You can go from basic security implementation to a fairly advanced one with all the blades you have available.

The separate environment of the Check Point gateways is one of the most important features. The separate management allows for the continued use of the gateways.

As for the support, it is not the best. 

The hours are different from those in America. They generally respond to us at dawn. They are not as fast or efficient, and they could improve in this area.

Every manufacturer must have enough documentation for client implementations and proof of concept. However, Check Point has many outdated manuals. These should be simpler for users and help them to manage their environments with the best practices.

They should improve the ease of licensing.

We've used the solution for more than three years. We started using Check Point Security Management and have had very good results in a manufacturer's architecture with excellent performance.

Previously, we had WatchGuard to provide security. However, it does not meet the parameters required for our organization.

It is important to value the support of a Check Point partner to validate the tools, in addition to seeing the product more closely.

We researched to find the security tool that best suits our requirements.

For us, there are more benefits than failures; it really is an exceptional tool, and I recommend it.

I am using Check Point to secure my home office because I'm doing all my work from home. 

The company uses software called Harmony. Check Point integrates nicely, whether on an endpoint or mobile device. It integrates well with the firewall and can give me reports that I can check without going to an online portal.

You need some technical expertise to use the solution. I don't think it's accessible to the typical end-user. You need to access the box and use some command lines or the web interface. It would be nice to have a user-friendly dashboard and comprehensive reporting. 

I started using Check Point last year.

I contacted Check Point because the device wasn't logging into the portal to download the license I purchased. It took them about three days to answer.

I was using Untangled and switched to Sophos. I decided after a year that Sophos wasn't for me, so I tried Check Point. 

It took me about two hours to do the initial installation, but the total deployment took a day. I did it myself and found it somewhat complicated. You need to know what you're doing. Check Point doesn't provide enough guidance and assumes you know everything. 

I pay for a yearly license, but you have the option of a three-year or a five-year license. 

I rate Check Point Security Management seven out of 10. I recommend it if you're a technical person experienced in WFM security devices. 

We needed a solution that had the things required to keep the company secure, like confidentiality, centralization, and a range of technological services. 

There weren't many other leading solutions that allowed us to achieve our goal of centralizing most security resources in one place to achieve rapid, unified management and control of our assets, achieve our annual goals, and provide the best service. 

Security Management gives us complete visibility into our security operations, allowing administrators to identify and address problem areas, reduce unnecessary costs, and improve efficiency. 

It offers detailed reports on network usage and security, which helps my company to monitor and control its security expenses. 

Many excellent solutions can be plugged into Security Management to help us prevent threats and manage network security, such as the firewall. The firewall is one of the most powerful because it enables us to guard against attacks and threats on our perimeter in real-time and centrally manage everything to maintain a robust security posture. 

Check Point's hybrid cloud integration needs significant improvements. These resources need to evolve as data transfers to the cloud increase, so hybrid cloud models are easier to implement. Better hybrid cloud integration would improve how we manage our security logs and provide our administrators with a low-cost solution that enables them to meet all our essential requirements. 

I have used Securit Management for a year.

Check Point Security Management is highly scalable. It can adapt to the changing needs of your business, allowing your business to maintain a set spend without going over it annually.

I rate Check Point Security Management eight out of 10.