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Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs SMX comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 15, 2026

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

Check Point Cloud Firewall ...
Ranking in Managed Security Services Providers (MSSP)
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
167
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (8th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (4th), Cloud and Data Center Security (6th), WAN Edge (3rd), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (4th)
SMX
Ranking in Managed Security Services Providers (MSSP)
13th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Managed Security Services Providers (MSSP) category, the mindshare of Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is 1.3%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SMX is 0.9%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Security Services Providers (MSSP) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)1.3%
SMX0.9%
Other97.8%
Managed Security Services Providers (MSSP)
 

Featured Reviews

Viral Shaa - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Security Analyst at Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc.
Cloud security has unified hybrid policies and now protects critical energy workloads continuously
I would say Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is valuable due to its hybrid cloud security features. It offers granular policy management across the on-premises and cloud environments, giving administrators consistent control for configuration drift. We need to change the policy and the inbound and outbound traffic settings, indicating what traffic must be blocked or allowed, and this capability with Check Point provides significant input into our security strategy. Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) provides unified security management across both hybrid clouds and on-premises environments. Unified security management affects my security operations positively, as we maintain critical systems on the cloud that require strong security and air gap networks. This cloud-native routing and policy installation helps close gaps in protecting critical applications and environments from exposure to the public cloud. From an administrator's perspective, Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) enhances our organization with clearer and more intuitive logging, making decisions easier to understand without deep investigation. In the CloudGuard UI, I can see which threats have triggered alerts, and this information is available on the unified dashboard that provides details of the threat analysis upon alert. As a small team, we log into the console to check specific alerts for high or low network usage or machine shutdowns. If needed, I tune the configuration policy, and the visualizing tools with reporting functionality simplify tracking changes made on the firewall, including the relevant source IP or device names. We ingest logs into our SIEM for detailed oversight, which allows us to monitor any administrative changes. Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) has significantly reduced our organizational risk. We clearly understand our threat landscape and the associated risks. Onboarding the CloudGuard solution directly into our cloud environment has significantly lowered the risks throughout the network and it is easy to launch. When we assess our security posture with third-party assessments, we gain granular visibility into our network pre- and post-CloudGuard installation, showing how we have addressed significant risks and secured vulnerabilities.
RA
Network Support Technician at Astound Broadband
Centralized view has simplified modem checks and has improved troubleshooting speed
I don't appreciate the way that the alarms show. When there is an alarm, the search functionality for it is a bit awkward. I want to be able to check alarms and have it show me only the alarms for that particular device instead of everything on the network and then having to refilter it. It gets a little finicky sometimes, especially in the moment when I'm trying to troubleshoot.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It provides a huge benefit in many ways, offering a boost in confidence for secure cloud deployment and migration."
"Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) has significantly reduced our organizational risk."
"The router's anti-bot feature and network security for detecting malware and preventing its spread are critical components. Additionally, there are other features like antivirus, anti-malware, and a firewall. T"
"We find all the features valuable, particularly the firewall, application control, URL filtering, and HTTPS detection."
"Check Point, in general, provides ease of day-to-day use, management, and log review, which is a significant advantage."
"It's valuable to have everything in one place instead of spreading across different products."
"Right now, we have a hybrid infrastructure; we needed security on the cloud, and this solution has provided the security that we were lacking."
"The endpoint VPN is super stable. The routing is also very good. We tried a competing product first, but we could not make it work. We came across CloudGuard. The network routing across different virtual networks in Azure and AWS was way ahead of any of the other technologies. That helped us be able to cover the whole network using one single cluster."
"I appreciate that it displays all the important information on one screen, such as if it's online, light levels of the fiber coming in, and whether they have anything connected to the equipment."
"Its automation capabilities are beneficial for checking compliance with suppliers and vendors internationally during logistical transitions."
 

Cons

"I find troubleshooting a bit challenging with Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security); one area needing improvement is log clarity, as sometimes policy installation takes longer than expected, and resolving cloud-native routing conflicts requires advanced knowledge due to the differences in how AWS and GCP operate."
"The biggest lesson I have learned is that the Check Point CloudGuard features, although good, are only as good as the accompanying virtual platform and its level of integration."
"Today, we are trying to look more into encrypted traffic."
"There is room for improvement in addressing bugs and support issues."
"We miss full blade support for all blades that are compatible with the cluster. Especially notable is the lack of support for Identity Awareness in active standby environments for customers. In our setup, transitioning to Connective clusters would be preferable for maintaining connections during failover situations."
"The memory and hard disk capability could be strengthened."
"We have the product deployed on Azure China. One crucial concern is the version limitation; unfortunately, in Azure China, we are restricted to running version R80. Our architecture has a Load Balancer, VMSS CloudGuard, etc. The duplication in this setup prevents the application from seeing the original client IP. This poses a problem for certain applications that require the original IP for login purposes. Although we managed a workaround with a different architecture involving a WAF, it is not as straightforward as the standard Azure setup."
"What I would like for future updates would be faster updates to apply, and perhaps a greater presence in the local language for the regions of Latin America."
"There is room for improvement in enhancing AI capabilities for threat detection, especially in tracking different locations."
"I don't appreciate the way that the alarms show. When there is an alarm, the search functionality for it is a bit awkward."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Handling costs is not my department. Licensing has been quite acceptable. It is a bit easier now, but when I began working with CloudGuard, it was a bit too technical."
"My experience has been extremely positive. It was not a concern because I had an account team that fought for pricing for our company. They were not pushing me to professional services for certain help. I was instantly getting a CloudGuard architect to help us out."
"Generally, it has been fine for me. I can find my way around the price list, and it is pretty simple."
"There is flexibility in the different licensing models that are offered."
"Although I don't have specifics for pricing, based on my overall experience, I can conclude that Check Point provides the best pricing when comparing to other vendors."
"The price could be better."
"CloudGuard Network Security's pricing is fine."
"It is fair. Its license covers all the features. There is a cost-benefit. The licensing for the cloud is better than on-premises because, with on-premises, you have to pay separately for different things."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business72
Midsize Enterprise40
Large Enterprise79
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?
Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is comparatively conservative in terms of pricing; it is not a very expensive product. If you are a Check Point shop with multiple ...
What needs improvement with Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?
Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is definitely lagging behind its peers. I am not sure what the reason is. Compared to Palo Alto, they are not there in terms of cap...
What is your primary use case for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?
Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is a cloud-native application protection platform and a suite of multiple products. We primarily use it for our hybrid multi-cloud ...
What needs improvement with SMX?
There is room for improvement in enhancing AI capabilities for threat detection, especially in tracking different locations. It would be ideal to develop more in terms of databases for cross-checki...
What is your primary use case for SMX?
I use the solution for projecting deals regarding the decarbonization of high-value clients. Additionally, we are involved in managing and processing data in various contexts.
What advice do you have for others considering SMX?
I would recommend SMX because the information is available in real-time for different functions, significantly reducing the need to search for data. On a scale of one to ten, I rate SMX an eight ou...
 

Also Known As

CloudGuard IaaS, Check Point vSEC, CloudGuard IaaS, Check Point Virtual Systems, Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Physicians Choice Laboratory Services, Helvetica Insurance
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs. SMX and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,277 professionals have used our research since 2012.