Check Point bundles for business

Check Point Software is introducing new pricing bundles of its VPN and firewall software that are aimed at businesses with between 100 and 500 users.

Called Check Point Express, the packages are designed for businesses with 50, 100, 250 and 500 users, and they include the functionality of many existing Check Point products.

For example, SmartCenter, Check Point’s policy-based deployment and management software is included, as is SmartDefense, its application and network layer attack protection. Also included is VPN-1/Firewall-1 and Secure Remote client software for individual PCs to make connections to the VPN. These features are available on hardware gateways that can be paired so one can pick up the load if the other one fails.

Previously, Check Point divided its packages into two categories: small business and enterprise. The company claims that this new bundle of software is simple enough for businesses that may have small IT staffs who work to install, manage and maintain. Basic Check Point Express lacks some features such as SmartMap, a graphical tool for verifying the impact of proposed security policy changes before deploying them. This is available as an add-on.

Also available as add-ons are SmartUpdate software for delivering new versions of security software; SmartView Monitor for graphical network performance analysis; SmartView Reporter for pulling key data from logs; SmartDirectory integrating with LDAP directories.

Check Point says the bundles are priced so these businesses can afford them. Basic Check Point Express bundles ranging from 50 to 500 users range in price from $3,500 to $12,000.

Check Point Express can be deployed on custom-built appliances made by other vendors such as Nokia and Sun, on server hardware owned by customers or on servers based on Windows, Linux and Sun Solaris operating systems.