New Direction, Product for Check Point

Check Point Software Technologies is moving into the data security market and enhancing its core network security product line after its recent acquisitions of Protect Data (which owns Pointsec) and NFR Security. Today at the RSA Conference 2007, the company talked about Pointsec's encryption solutions for data on mobile devices and announced a new line of unified threat management (UTM) appliances for midsized companies, called UTM-1.

In a pre-announcement briefing, Laura Yecies, a Check Point VP, pointed out that even if your network is pretty secure, your data is still vulnerable to leakage or theft—on mobile endpoints, through IM, and so on. The purchase of Protect Data is Check Point's beginning effort to build out a data security layer of products to augment its network security layer offerings. Yecies noted that Protect Data recently purchased Reflex Software, which brings Check Point port and device control software in addition to Pointsec's encryption technology.

UTM-1 is Check Point's effort to directly target what it sees as the fastest growing segment of the VPN market: the enterprise branch office. Dave Burton, Check Point director of product marketing, said that UTM-1 augments Check Point's existing UTM and VPN line. UTM-1 is designed for midsized businesses and branch offices with 100 to 500 connected users. The appliance features firewall, IPsec and SSL VPN, intrusion prevention, antivirus, antispam, URL filtering, and Web application firewall technologies. You use Check Point's SmartCenter management architecture to manage UTM-1 like other Check Point products, and frequent updates are downloaded by Check Point's SmartDefense Services. Burton emphasized that UTM-1 is designed to be a turnkey product--easy to deploy and manage for businesses without large security administration staffs.

For more information about Check Point strategy and UTM-1, go to http://www.checkpoint.com.