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Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs Symantec Data Center Security comparison

Check Point Software Technologies and Broadcom are both solutions in the Cloud and Data Center Security category. Check Point Software Technologies is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.6, while Broadcom is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.0. Check Point Software Technologies holds a 1.4% mindshare in CDCS, compared to Broadcom’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Check Point Software Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.
Check Point CloudGuard Netw...
Read 152 Check Point CloudGuard Network Security reviews
  • 909 Views
  • 111 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
Symantec Data Center Security
Read 11 Symantec Data Center Security reviews
  • 477 Views
  • 40 Comparison Views
81% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 14, 2024

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security and Symantec Data Center Security compete in the realm of cloud and data center protection. In terms of features and scalability, Check Point seems to have the upper hand with its extensive offerings and integration capabilities, while Symantec is more robust in hardening and permission control.

Features: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security offers auto-scaling, centralized management, and comprehensive integration with major public cloud providers such as AWS, GCP, and Azure. It is highly scalable and focused on threat prevention. Symantec Data Center Security provides robust hardening capabilities and effective permission control, though it lacks the flexibility and feature range suitable for cloud environments.

Room for Improvement: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security users identify complexities in deployment and reporting, as well as challenges with integrations and the need for enhanced technical documentation and support. Symantec Data Center Security is noted for its complex policy structures and limited management flexibility, with calls for better integration with other solutions and more intuitive user interfaces.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security offers flexibility across on-premises, private, and public cloud environments, making it suitable for hybrid setups. Its customer service is generally positive, albeit with some inconsistencies in support quality. Symantec Data Center Security excels in private and on-premises deployments, but is less adaptable to public and hybrid cloud settings. Customer service is praised for prompt support and vendor engagement.

Pricing and ROI: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is positioned at a higher price point with customizable licensing options like pay-as-you-go and bring-your-own-license models, offering competitive yet premium pricing. Users report significant ROI through operational efficiencies. Symantec Data Center Security, although frequently seen as more expensive compared to competitors like CrowdStrike, has mixed perceptions regarding ROI, with some deeming its costs reasonable and others finding it less cost-effective.

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To learn more, read our detailed Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs. Symantec Data Center Security Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs. Symantec Data Center Security
June 2025
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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

Check Point CloudGuard Netw...
Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
152
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (8th), Managed Security Services Providers (MSSP) (1st), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (3rd), WAN Edge (3rd), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (4th)
Symantec Data Center Security
Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security
11th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.0
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Cloud and Data Center Security category, the mindshare of Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is 1.4%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Data Center Security is 1.5%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud and Data Center Security
 

Featured Reviews

Martin Raška - PeerSpot reviewer
Unification of security features strengthens network protection
The overall network security is good. It's big-picture, all in one bundle. It's valuable to have everything in one place instead of spreading across different products. Unified security management positively affects a company's security operations. They have one unified view of the security. I can connect multiple gateways to the management and have it in one place. I can have reporting and views in a single pane of glass on the consolidated platform. It's easy to use. The management is the best on the market. It's very easy to work with, read, understand, and navigate. It helps increase our customer's security posture. We can see in some cases CloudGuard improves our customers' posture overall.
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Shahram Dehghani - PeerSpot reviewer
A robust solution that provides comprehensive protection for data centers, offering agentless security, powerful intrusion prevention, and a wide range of security features
The primary focus of data center security often revolves around serving customers who offer services to other clients within the data center. For example, if I operate a data center and provide security services, third-party customers might purchase virtual machine products within my data center. These products are automatically deployed, and we safeguard these virtual machines using intrusion prevention system features. This aspect is considered the most valuable part because when we set up these security policies, it's as if we're fortifying the entire infrastructure. It's not just about having good technical support; it's about having a robust IPS and comprehensive DOS prevention system on those operating systems. The advantage of Data Center Security is its ease of use and that it serves as a single unified platform, where I can apply all my security policies to protect that server.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Check Point CloudGuard is quick to deploy and easy for the customer to use."
"CloudGuard Network Security has helped reduce our organizational risk by about 15%."
"The tool's most valuable features are inspecting internet traffic and IPS. We can manage the firewall using shared policies from a single management server."
"Check Point is one of the best in the market."
"We managed to reduce the effort and workload as well as the attack surface across our infrastructure. We now have a more continuous policy."
"Network Security provides us with unified security management across hybrid and cloud as well as on-prem."
"The tool's most valuable features are threat prevention and protection mechanisms."
"Check Point helped me a lot to know that I have a solution that is stable and answers my needs."
More Check Point CloudGuard Network Security pros
"The tool will then detect any anomalies, such as an intruder who has breached the network, which can trigger the system lockdown feature if it's enabled and meets the defined threshold."
"The advantage of Data Center Security is its ease of use and that it serves as a single unified platform, where I can apply all my security policies to protect that server."
"The monitoring in the management console allows us to find out what is going wrong, and it gets reports even before the user reports it."
"The most valuable feature is the centralized console, which can handle different products that we have."
"The granularity of applying the policies is valuable."
"The console and tools are very user-friendly."
"Good file integrity monitoring features."
"We use the product to prevent unauthorized access to data, systems, and servers. It provides essential features for data center security."
More Symantec Data Center Security pros
 

Cons

"Sometimes, the support is good, and other times, we are a bit desperate."
"The initial setup was a bit complex."
"The solution could improve to have a DLP feature."
"The stability of the solution could be improved, but this is the problem of all the solutions in the market. This isn't just a problem specific to Check Point."
"Clustering in Azure is a bit different, not using the Check Point cluster but relying on load balancing. It's not as instant as I'm used to; in Azure, it might take around half a minute to a minute, and during this time, services could be down. The delay is attributed to Azure using its load balancing mechanisms instead of the Check Point cluster."
"I want the upgrades of their CloudGuard solution to major versions to be easier. We have had a few small hiccups. They have different types of cloud clusters called Geo Clusters, and those just cannot be upgraded past a certain point, which is a hurdle that we are currently experiencing."
"Zero touch removes any independence for configuring."
"Documentation might become too complex or too spread out, especially for newcomers."
More Check Point CloudGuard Network Security cons
"This solution clashes with Microsoft defender, which results in performance degradation on the machine."
"Could have better reporting capabilities and better support."
"It would be advantageous if Symantec or Broadcom, given the rebranding, could simplify the process, enabling users to leverage the antivirus functionality more easily."
"The support is very bad. They're not fast at all. Trend Micro's support is much better."
"A user or administrator making the policy in the DCS should have a very thorough knowledge of the operating system or policy making. You have to be very specific about the data structure."
"Agent management is a challenging task."
"The product blocks certain processes, even after allowlisting them."
"They need to develop a more flexible product that can be scaled such that it fits well into a small business or a bigger, enterprise-level solution."
More Symantec Data Center Security cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not expensive, but it is a little bit above the middle range. There are other solutions that are a little more expensive than this, but they also have some interesting features."
"The tool's pricing is not cheap."
"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."
"On average, it is normally on the lower end, being less expensive than Palo Alto or Cisco."
"The licesning has some good features. For example, the scaling feature is free of charge, allowing multiple scale-ups and scale-downs over a two-week period, which is pretty good."
"Pricing of CloudGuard is pretty fair when you have a single account. It's comparable with other cloud providers. But for our use case, it got really pricey when we had to deploy multiple CloudGuards on multiple accounts in different regions, because you can't have CloudGuard protecting multiple regions. That's the big thing."
"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."
"Generally, it has been fine for me. I can find my way around the price list, and it is pretty simple."
More Check Point CloudGuard Network Security pricing and cost advice
"Compared to some other solutions, such as CrowdStrike, Symantec is more expensive."
"It is notably more expensive when compared to other solutions."
"The product is a bit costly."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
22%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
6%
Manufacturing Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?
The tool's most valuable feature is its management console.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?
Pricing in Jamaica is a major issue, with users often citing it as a reason for not using Check Point.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?
They could improve the documentation. The interface is fine for me since I have been using it for some time.
See all answers
What do you like most about Symantec Data Center Security?
The granularity of applying the policies is valuable.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Symantec Data Center Security?
Agent management is a challenging task. We cannot do it from the console. We will have to use other tools.
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Symantec Data Center Security?
One key use case for data center security is protecting files within the data center. This is especially important for Linux systems, where locking down specific files is essential to prevent unaut...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Fortinet FortiGate vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
Compared 18% of the time
Cisco Secure Firewall vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security Logo
Cisco Secure Firewall vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
Compared 16% of the time
Azure Firewall vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security Logo
Azure Firewall vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
Compared 13% of the time
VMware NSX vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security Logo
VMware NSX vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
Compared 6% of the time
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security Logo
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
Compared 5% of the time
More Check Point CloudGuard Network Security Competitors
Trend Micro Deep Security vs Symantec Data Center Security Logo
Trend Micro Deep Security vs Symantec Data Center Security
Compared 58% of the time
Symantec Endpoint Security vs Symantec Data Center Security Logo
Symantec Endpoint Security vs Symantec Data Center Security
Compared 30% of the time
VMware NSX vs Symantec Data Center Security Logo
VMware NSX vs Symantec Data Center Security
Compared 12% of the time
More Symantec Data Center Security Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
June 2025
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security reportDownload Check Point CloudGuard Network Security product report
Buyer's Guide
Symantec Data Center Security
May 2025
Symantec Data Center Security reportDownload Symantec Data Center Security product report
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is designed to secure cloud assets, offering robust firewall capabilities and protection for both internal and external traffic across AWS, Azure, and on-premises environments.

Enterprises rely on Check Point CloudGuard Network Security for comprehensive network protection, threat prevention, and compliance enforcement. Supporting virtual machines and hybrid environments, it delivers advanced security measures including intrusion prevention and application control. Key functions include firewall security, network segmentation, and cloud environment protection, ensuring businesses maintain a secure and compliant IT infrastructure.

What are the most valuable features of Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?
  • Flexible Architecture: Adaptable to diverse cloud and on-premises environments.
  • UTM Capabilities: Unified Threat Management delivering multi-layered security.
  • Advanced Threat Prevention: Includes IPS, application control, and anti-malware.
  • Auto-scaling: Automatically adjusts capacity based on traffic and demand.
  • Comprehensive Threat Prevention: Protects against known and unknown threats.
  • Ease of Use: Streamlined deployment and management processes.
  • Integration with Cloud Platforms: Seamlessly works with AWS, Azure, and other clouds.
  • Centralized Management: Single-pane-of-glass visibility and control.
  • User Identity Awareness: Enhances security policies based on user identities.
  • Zero-touch Deployment: Simplifies initial setup and deployment.
What benefits and ROI can users expect from Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?
  • Email Protection: Shields email communications from threats.
  • Anti-malware: Guards against malicious software.
  • Single-pane-of-glass Visibility: Provides a unified view for better security management.
  • Scalability: Grows with the business needs.
  • Seamless Cloud Transition: Eases the move from on-premises to cloud environments.

In industries such as financial services, healthcare, retail, and education, Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is implemented to safeguard sensitive data, ensure compliance, and protect critical infrastructure. Companies in these sectors benefit from its advanced threat prevention and flexible deployment options, meeting their stringent security requirements while enabling secure digital transformation.

Check Point Software Technologies

Docker containers make it easy to develop, deploy, and deliver applications where containers can be deployed and brought down in a matter of seconds. This flexibility makes it very useful for DevOps to automate deployment of containers. Symantec Data Center Security: Server Advanced provides agentless Docker container protection that allows you to achieve the performance benefits of Docker without sacrificing security. Full application control enables administrator privilege de-escalation, patch mitigation, and protection against zero day threats in today's heterogeneous data centers.

Broadcom
 

Sample Customers

Physicians Choice Laboratory Services, Helvetica Insurance
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs. Symantec Data Center Security
June 2025
Free Report: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs. Symantec Data Center Security
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs. Symantec Data Center Security and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
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We monitor all Cloud and Data Center Security reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.