Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes comparison

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Qualys TotalCloud

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Container Security category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 1.8%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is 3.0%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes is 1.4%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)	3.0%
Qualys TotalCloud	1.8%
Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes	1.4%
Other	93.8%

Container Security

Featured Reviews

reviewer2859021

Sr Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

Risk-based triage has transformed container security and now prioritizes high-impact threats

The best features Qualys TotalCloud offers currently include managing cloud infrastructure and container security while facing major challenges such as alert fatigue. Traditional vulnerability scanners flag hundreds of CVEs on short-lived Kubernetes containers, some of which have no internet exposure or are gone before we can even triage them. I leverage Qualys TotalCloud to move beyond static CVSS. I use it to implement runtime exposure, correlation risk reprioritization, and shift-left integration. This notifies developers to fix a base image upstream rather than patching live ephemeral instances. In my work with cloud and container security, the biggest operational hurdle was alert fatigue. I use Qualys to shift left from static CVSS severity to context-aware risk prioritization. I correlated raw vulnerability data with real-time risk factors such as public network exposure, active runtime execution, or overly permissive IAM roles. This allows us to immediately drop the priority of isolated containers and escalate lower-severity CVEs that sit on an exposed, high-risk path. We can map these findings directly back to our CI/CD pipelines so developers can patch the root base images upstream. We have drastically cut down the signal-to-noise ratio, saved a lot of manual hours doing triage work, and ensured engineering effort goes directly towards high-impact risk reduction.

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Oscar Nunez

Ingeniero en redes y Telecomunicaciones at K-IT

Centralized management has reduced policy time and provides reliable multitenant protection

What I would like, what I think they should improve a little is the management of objects at large scale. When you work with multiple domains, there are thousands of network objects. Detecting duplicates and consistency across domains is a very manual process that should be more automated. Another thing: the SmartConsole interface is very powerful and very good, but the learning curve, compared to other solutions in the market from other manufacturers, could be modernized. I think it does not necessarily have to be done from a client application; it could be done via web, because via web I know that not all the options you have in SmartConsole are available. So it would be good if it could also be done from the web and all the options were available. Another thing that I would really like is more automation with Ansible or Terraform. I know it has improved in recent versions, but I think it is still not mature enough. Compared to other manufacturers that do have a bit more in terms of automation capabilities in integration flows with Ansible or Terraform, Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) could improve. Another thing that could be improved a little would be the TAC response time, because when there are very complex cases, I think there should be more speed initially, more ownership of those urgent cases, and not leave the customer waiting. This has happened to me: when I have cases open with Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) TAC, sometimes they do not respond and I have to keep insisting, and I think that part should improve. I do not know if it depends on who takes the ticket or on the severity of the ticket, but sometimes I have had to insist a lot, and that would be the only problem. Once they attend to me and become involved in the case, the responses they give are very professional and really help directly resolve the problems when there is a bug or troubleshooting to do. As I said, I would like to see a specific improvement in SmartConsole. I think if they improved it—how to say it—gave it a facelift so you could access all the options directly from a browser, that would be great, because sometimes, for one reason or another, you cannot download SmartConsole or, for some reason, the SmartConsole client does not start correctly, and you could do it directly from the browser. I think that would be a good option to improve. Another thing would be that in multidomain environments, I would like a global search function for objects and rules. That is, you could enter and search across all domains at once, because right now you have to go domain by domain, and in environments with many customers, you spend quite a bit of time; you have to exit one domain and enter another. So those would be the improvements I would like to see.

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Daniel Stevens

Software Engineer at Galley

Offers easy management and container connection with HTTPS, but the support needs to improve

I have experience with the solution's setup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and our company has assisted in the development of a cluster in a research department, but we didn't start from scratch because we have IT professionals who have installed Kubernetes across 12 nodes of a cluster and a new environment can be created for a new platform. I also had another setup experience of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes in Portugal where I had to implement the solution in a cluster of 22 computer servers, which was completed with assistance from the IT department of the company. The initial setup process of the solution can be considered as difficult. The setup process involves using the permissions, subnets and range of IPs, which makes it complex. Deploying Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes takes around eight to ten hours for new clusters. The solution's deployment can be divided into three parts. The first part involves OpenStack, where the cluster's resources need to be identified. The second part involves virtualizing assets and identifying other physical assets, for which OpenStack, Kubernetes, or OpenShift are used. The third part of the deployment involves dividing the networks into subnetworks and implementing automation to deploy the microservices using Helm. The number of professionals required for the solution's deployment depends upon the presence of automated scripts. Ideally, two or three professionals are required to set up Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"By integrating TotalCloud, we have significantly reduced vulnerabilities in our deployment pipeline."

"It is a cloud-native app that integrates with both IaaS and SaaS. It seamlessly integrates with other platforms."

"The best feature would be the ability to create policies. It is easy to control and update policies as required."

"Its dashboards are brilliant. It provides in-depth insights."

"The best part I like is the on-demand scans."

"One of Qualys' best features is its categorization, which allows us to see the types of assets, their security postures, and the AI-powered version of the tool."

"Qualys TotalCloud has significantly reduced our workload in terms of managing risks, helping us to be more efficient and save substantial resources."

"I found the initial setup user-friendly."

More Qualys TotalCloud pros

"We can easily design, install, and configure everything from the cloud in a coherent way."

"The 24/7 online customer support services enhance effective operations and provide quick services in case of a system failure."

"Scale Set is highly beneficial. It is easy to upgrade and maintain."

"Network Security provides us with unified security management across hybrid and cloud as well as on-prem."

"This solution has saved the company from unnecessary data loss that occurs due to cyber attacks."

"Dome9 has improved our organization in the way that we have a centralized view of all of our assets, our visible assets, our ECs, our inventories, and then all the policies are centralized and it is easier to manage because everything is one component console."

"CloudGuard makes the management of our security controls in AWS more transparent."

"The easy management of the policies is great for us because we are a small team and having easy management is great and useful for us."

More Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) pros

"The most valuable feature is the ability to share resources."

"The technical support is good."

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

"I like virtualization and all those tools that come with OpenShift. I also like Advanced Cluster Management and the built-in security."

"Segmentation is the most powerful feature."

"It is easy to install and manage."

"The benefit of working with the solution is the fact that it's very straightforward...It is a perfectly stable product since the details are very accurate."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its monitoring feature."

More Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes pros

Cons

"The support process is inefficient due to the excessive number of replies required when submitting tickets."

"In terms of improvement, remediation still belongs to the cloud team, which is one of the issues we faced with Qualys TotalCloud."

"The vulnerability part is good, but the policy compliance module needs improvement because it involves a lot of manual work. Specifically, the remediation part of the controls requires enhancements."

"There is room for improvement in vulnerability scanning, particularly for PaaS environments. Currently, Qualys does not have full access to these instances, which limits its effectiveness."

"Some major banks and insurance companies require an on-premises solution for comprehensive vulnerability management, which TotalCloud does not offer."

"There should be improvement from a dashboard perspective when collecting and showcasing data to lead management."

"One thing that could be improved is the user experience and navigation."

"In a future release, I suggest that zero-day vulnerabilities should be predicted in advance using AI technologies. The system is not 100% secure yet, so proactive threat hunting could be enhanced to be more proactive than the current system."

More Qualys TotalCloud cons

"The initial setup is difficult. It took me three tries to get it right. The setup took two or three hours."

"The initial setup was a bit complex."

"The setup cost is okay. The cost overall is somewhat high compared to other vendors, whether firewalls or cloud-native solutions."

"We have Microsoft CASB cloud app security and it's one of the least compatible firewalls. They really need to look at this, as both Check Point and Microsoft are major players. Why aren't they compatible? If we had Palo Alto then we wouldn't have this problem."

"Check Point CloudGuard Network Security could improve by making it easier to configure."

"There is room for improvement in how it handles deployment itself, but I am not sure. It could be due to Azure's limitations, not Check Point's. Deploying a new firewall is quite bulky and not straightforward, especially in managing the resource group and networks. These issues seem to come more from the Azure part."

"The solution needs to support more hypervisors."

"Support is one area where efforts should be required from Check Point."

More Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) cons

"The deprecation of APIs is a concern since the deprecation of APIs will cause issues for us every time we upgrade."

"The documentation about Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security available online is very limited... So it's very limited to the documentation."

"The solution's price could be better."

"They're trying to convert it to the platform as a source. They are moving in the direction of Cloud Foundry so it can be easier for a developer to deploy it."

"The solution's visibility and vulnerability prevention should be improved."

"The support and specifications need to be up to date for the cluster technologies"

"The tool's command line and configuration are hard for us to understand and make deployment complex. It should also include zero trust, access control features and database connectivity."

"The solution lacks features when compared to some of the competitors such as Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks and has room for improvement."

More Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"As a middle management member, I do not have direct pricing knowledge, but based on the knowledge from our meetings, its pricing is competitive."

"Qualys TotalCloud is cost-efficient and was selected for its value compared to other products."

"While Qualys TotalCloud's pricing is currently acceptable, it is becoming increasingly expensive and may soon be considered overpriced."

"The cost is high, but it meets our organizational needs."

"It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. It helps us to manage things with very few resources."

"Qualys TotalCloud offers cost-effective licensing flexibility."

"Although Qualys TotalCloud is relatively expensive due to its unique automation features, its cost-effectiveness is rated an eight out of ten, with ten being the most costly."

"The pricing is comparable. It is built into our other product, so I cannot piecemeal it. It is a part of our subscription."

More Qualys TotalCloud pricing and cost advice

"You get charged only for what resources you choose and how much traffic actually passes through the firewall, which in turn saves a lot of money."

"The pricing and licensing have been good. We just had to do a license increase for our portion of it. We had that done within a couple of days. Given the fact that it's purely a software-based license, it ends up being even quicker than doing it for an on-prem firewall."

"The product's licensing costs are yearly."

"CloudGuard is fairly priced."

"The tool's pricing is reasonable."

"Check Point CloudGuard Posture Management is expensive."

"It is difficult to contextualize the pricing because we are used to Indian pricing and licensing."

"It is more expensive than other solutions and would be more competetive in the market if it came down in price."

More Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) pricing and cost advice

"The pricing model is moderate, meaning it is not very expensive."

"The price of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes is better than Palo Alto Prisma."

"We purchase a yearly basis license for the solution."

"It's a costly solution"

"Red Hat offers two pricing options for their solution: a separate price, and a bundled price under the OpenShift Platform Plus."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

16%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

16%

Construction Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

27%

Outsourcing Company

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	35

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	132
Midsize Enterprise	55
Large Enterprise	145

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys TotalCloud?

The price is very expensive, actually.

What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?

In terms of improvement, remediation still belongs to the cloud team, which is one of the issues we faced with Qualys...

What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?

My main use case for Qualys TotalCloud is regarding the cloud visibility that we were not having previously. Previous...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?

Since we use a unified standard for using policies and modules in Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Net...

What needs improvement with Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?

The main limitations of Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) are not in Check Point itse...

What is your primary use case for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is the main manager that provides network security ...

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Qualys TotalCloud

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Comparisons

Wiz vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 11% of the time

Compared 7% of the time

JupiterOne vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 6% of the time

Orca Security vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 6% of the time

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 5% of the time

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Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)

Compared 7% of the time

Azure Firewall vs Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)

Compared 3% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)

Compared 3% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)

Compared 2% of the time

Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)

Compared 2% of the time

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Tenable.io Container Security vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 12% of the time

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 10% of the time

Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 9% of the time

Tigera vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 5% of the time

Qualys Exposure Management vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 5% of the time

More Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes Competitors

Product Reports

Qualys TotalCloud

Download Qualys TotalCloud product report

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)

October 2026

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) report

Download Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) product report

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Download Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes product report

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes report

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan

CloudGuard IaaS, Check Point vSEC, CloudGuard IaaS, Check Point Virtual Systems, Check Point CloudGuard Network Security, Check Point CloudGuard CNAPP

StackRox

Overview

Qualys TotalCloud enhances security posture across cloud environments with continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and risk visualization, ensuring efficient threat assessment and automated remediation for improved cyber risk reduction.

Qualys TotalCloud offers a robust suite of security tools essential for organizations managing multi-cloud infrastructures. By integrating cloud accounts and automating workflows, it supports AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering comprehensive vulnerability management and zero-day detection. The platform's user-friendly design, combined with its extensive risk management and unified threat assessment capabilities, enables organizations to prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities effectively. TruRisk Insights provides clear insights on cyber risks, while the automation options streamline patch management and scanning processes. API integration across IaaS and SaaS environments further enhances resource allocation efficiency and saves time, addressing misconfigurations across cloud environments.

What are the most important features of Qualys TotalCloud?

Accurate Vulnerability Reports: Delivers precise and actionable insights for risk mitigation.
Zero-Day Detection: Identifies and addresses zero-day vulnerabilities proactively.
Unified Threat Assessment: Offers comprehensive evaluation of threats across the environment.
Extensive Risk Management: Manages risks effectively with advanced insights and prioritization.
Continuous Monitoring: Provides non-stop surveillance for vulnerabilities and threats.
Cloud-Native Automation: Streamlines processes and reduces manual efforts using automation.
FlexScan for Internet-Facing VMs: Scans external VMs efficiently to detect vulnerabilities.
Dashboard Risk Visualization: Clear visualization helps prioritize vulnerabilities.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Improved Security Posture: Enhances threat detection and response across clouds.
Time Savings: Automation reduces time spent on manual vulnerability management.
Resource Efficiency: Better allocation of resources through streamlined workflows.
Enhanced Risk Prioritization: Focus on critical vulnerabilities for effective mitigation.
Integrated Cloud Accounts: Facilitates seamless cloud management and security.

Qualys TotalCloud is deployed in sectors needing rigorous vulnerability management, such as finance and healthcare. Companies utilize it to secure multi-cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP, focus on compliance, and integrate security into CI/CD pipelines to detect and remedy threats pre-deployment.

Qualys

Check Point Cloud Firewall, previously known as CloudGuard Network Security, provides advanced threat prevention, centralized management, and VPN capabilities, enabling robust cloud security across various platforms including Azure and AWS.

Check Point Cloud Firewall delivers seamless cloud integration with advanced automated threat prevention and centralized management to enhance security posture. It offers auto-scaling for dynamic environments and a comprehensive policy enforcement framework in hybrid settings. The unified interface streamlines administration across cloud infrastructures, ensuring consistent protection and reducing risk.

What important features does it offer?

Advanced Threat Prevention: Safeguards against sophisticated threats.
Centralized Management: Simplifies control for cloud infrastructures.
Auto-scaling: Adapts to changing workloads seamlessly.
VPN Capabilities: Enables secure connections across environments.
Integration with Azure and AWS: Ensures compatibility with leading cloud services.
Visibility Tools: Enhanced monitoring and management for security enforcement.

What benefits can users expect?

Enhanced Security: Comprehensive threat management reduces risk.
Operational Efficiency: Automation capabilities streamline processes.
Cost Management: Efficient resource usage with auto-scaling reduces expenses.
Integration Flexibility: Adapts easily into existing cloud platforms.
Simplified Administration: Unified management reduces complexity.

In manufacturing and conglomerate sectors, Check Point Cloud Firewall is utilized for protecting cloud environments and implementing network segmentation. It supports secure cloud migration on AWS, Azure, and GCP, ensuring compliance, perimeter defense, and traffic inspection, facilitating sophisticated threat prevention strategies.

Check Point Software Technologies

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes empowers organizations with robust capabilities in container security, vulnerability management, and workload transition, seamlessly integrated with OpenShift for optimal orchestration.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes stands out with its comprehensive features like authentication, authorization, and API integration. Users appreciate resource sharing, segmentation, and virtualization capabilities, all facilitated by a user-friendly Cockpit web interface and command administration. The system's strengths are visible through effective security protocols, such as secure UPI images, container networking, and built-in security features. Its advanced cluster management and monitoring ensure efficiency, while focus on vulnerability and configuration management addresses key concerns. However, improvements in documentation, web UI, and API flexibility are needed, with challenges in command line configuration and deployment also noted. Stability issues due to API deprecation and the need for enhanced zero trust, access control, and database connectivity present room for growth.

What are the key features of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes?

API Integration: Seamless integration capabilities with APIs for enhanced automation.
Resource Sharing: Effective resource distribution within clustered environments.
Secure UPI Images: Encrypted images for heightened security and safety.
Container Networking: Modern networking protocols for efficient container communication.
Communication Mapping: Detailed network traffic visualization and analysis.

What benefits and ROI can users expect from Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes?

Vulnerability Management: In-depth identification and mitigation of security threats.
Compliance Management: Ensures adherence to regulatory standards and practices.
Integration with OpenShift: Streamlined orchestration for enhanced deployment flexibility.
Threat Detection: Advanced capabilities for monitoring and responding to potential security breaches.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes is implemented across various industries to facilitate the transition from traditional monolithic applications to dynamic containerized environments. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and technology benefit from its robust segmentation, monitoring abilities, and behavior analysis. With the integration of Istio and GRPC, industries achieve secure microservices communication and improved visibility for comprehensive threat monitoring.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Physicians Choice Laboratory Services, Helvetica Insurance

City National Bank, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes