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Check Point Security Management vs syslog-ng comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

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 Security Manage...
Ranking in Log Management
9th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (13th), Threat Intelligence Platforms (7th)
syslog-ng
Ranking in Log Management
17th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
2.1
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Check Point Security Management is 0.4%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of syslog-ng is 2.5%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

NareshKumar10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced Internal Security and Efficiency
Check Point Security Management can be improved by addressing a negative challenge I face: sometimes it does not show internet utilization in the GUI. When I ask support, they tell me to upgrade the firmware, which happens quite frequently. Since I deployed the device in my on-premises environment 1.5 years ago, I have experienced this issue three times. Check Point Security Management has not impacted my daily work or decision-making in any negative way. As an IT person, I occasionally need to check how much internet bandwidth has been used in the internal network over the past month, day, or week. During those times, when I open the data utilization column, it shows nothing available. Each time this happens, I need to upgrade to the latest version of the firmware, and this frequent updating affects my productivity negatively. If Check Point addresses this issue in the future, it will be beneficial for all customers using Check Point SMBs.
RyanVargas - PeerSpot reviewer
It's a user-friendly open-source solution that can replace or augment a commercial product in some cases
I rate syslog-ng 10 out of 10. It's free and easy to use. It has built-in tools that help us index the various logs sent to it. It's a solid log product. If you're looking for a SIEM solution, syslog-ng will work as a stopgap measure at beginning of the project. It can also work as an injector for a true SIEM solution. You can send all the logs to syslog-ng and forward all the data to the SIEM solution after you've cleaned up the data and got the pertinent information. It's a good front end for a commercial SIEM solution, which becomes more expensive as you load more data into it. I would highly recommend syslog-ng for that use case. However, if you lack the expertise, you might need to go with a cloud-based SIEM instead. You need some in-house expertise or an outside consultant to manage it and set it up.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The management API is the best new feature for me. It allows us to further automate our customers' automated server ordering."
"HA Structure provides good coverage and works fine."
"Check Point Security Management is very useful when compared to other devices."
"It's a reliable solution for security."
"The Check Point Management server is isolated from security gateways, which means that in case there is an issue, we have our configuration ready and we can directly replace the device and push the configuration."
"The most valuable feature for me is Identity Awareness."
"Check Point management is one of the most complete solutions for managing Check Point Firewall appliances."
"The fact that everything starts from the same unified management console makes it very easy to integrate new equipment or functionalities once the operator has become familiar with it, as everything will follow similar management or operation mechanisms."
"Syslog-ng provides easy access to all my logs. It helps me show managers and other clients precisely where an incident occurred. I also like it because you can integrate syslog-ng with multiple solutions to allow real-time monitoring."
"The ability to extract and store the logs is the most valuable feature of syslog-ng."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior."
"Syslog-ng has a separate config file in addition to the core configuration."
 

Cons

"It would be great if the SmartView Monitor could become integrated into the SmartView Console Platform."
"Being a security appliance, there should be the ability for the Security Management server to send email alerts via authenticated email."
"It would be helpful if the documentation and good practice guides are updated. Many are still from R77."
"The web administration tool that allows administration in the browser must be developed even more."
"Some costs are ridiculously high."
"I would like this solution to be integrated directly into the Cluster XL equipment."
"They need to make a Mac version of the SmartConsole, in my opinion."
"They could offer educational courses to help individuals improve their knowledge and skills."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"It's hard to find people who know how to use syslog-ng. I often find problems with configurations, and solutions aren't integrated correctly with syslog-ng. For example, there might be data with extra decimals, or the collector agents are incorrectly named. It isn't a problem with the solution; it's a lack of professionals."
"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If one will be very expensive, and ten means low price, I rate the tool's price as a three out of ten."
"Price-wise, it is an expensive solution."
"Check Point is much cheaper than the competition ($4/server as compared to $17/server)."
"This product can be used for 25 security gateways on a basic license."
"Do the homework because Check Point is rather expensive."
"The solution is expensive."
"The solution is expensive and there is an annual license."
"The pricing can be estimated around 3 or 4 out of 10 in terms of expense."
"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Check Point Security Management?
The most beneficial features for us are the alert classifications, which help us prioritize critical issues, and the detailed reports that provide insights into attack origins and purposes, such as...
What needs improvement with Check Point Security Management?
I see areas of improvement for Check Point Security Management such as GUI stability and performance, and simplified firmware upgrades. I and my colleagues occasionally report glitches or missing d...
What is your primary use case for Check Point Security Management?
My main use case for Check Point Security Management is to unify firewall and threat prevention policies across multiple international sites, so I use SmartConsole to streamline rule updates and mo...
What do you like most about syslog-ng?
For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for syslog-ng?
The pricing is in the middle. I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap.
What needs improvement with syslog-ng?
Something could potentially be improved, though it works effectively for me. In the early stages, over 10 years ago, syslog-ng was lacking some features, so I created a patch for it. I used a patch...
 

Also Known As

R80.10, R80, R77.30, R77, Check Point R80.10 Security Management, R80 Security Management
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Hedgetec, Geiger
Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point Security Management vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.