Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) Reviews

My primary use case for Perimeter 81 is to have a secure remote workforce. With colleagues stationed across the globe, it ensures a secure network connection, enabling seamless remote work. 

This is particularly vital for our multinational operations, as it guarantees that our team can access critical resources and applications securely from anywhere in the world. 

Perimeter 81 has become the cornerstone of our remote work infrastructure, providing peace of mind and reliability to our globally dispersed workforce.

Perimeter 81 has been instrumental in transforming our organization. It has seamlessly integrated security into our remote work setup, allowing us to adapt swiftly to the evolving work landscape. 

Our employees now enjoy secure, uninterrupted access to vital resources from anywhere. It has not only improved our overall productivity but also instilled confidence in our team. However, it's crucial to emphasize that achieving these benefits necessitates careful configuration and ongoing management to ensure optimal performance and security.

The feature I find most valuable in Perimeter 81 is its user-friendly interface and very quick connection establishment feature. Even after restarting, it tries to quickly reestablish connection which is very helpful. It simplifies the management of multiple users and devices, making administrative tasks efficient and straightforward. This ease of use has saved our IT team time and effort, allowing us to focus on more strategic aspects of network security and management. 

The intuitive design and straightforward controls have significantly contributed to a smoother user experience within our organization, ultimately enhancing our productivity and overall satisfaction with the service.

In terms of improvement, Perimeter 81 could enhance its reporting and analytics capabilities to provide more detailed insights into network activity. 

Additionally, expanding integration options with a broader range of third-party tools would be beneficial for seamless compatibility with various existing systems.

As for additional features in the next release, it would be great to see advanced threat detection and response capabilities integrated into the platform. This would further enhance security by proactively identifying and mitigating potential threats. 

Additionally, improved mobile device management features and more comprehensive user behavior analytics would be valuable additions to meet evolving cybersecurity needs.

I've used the solution for a couple of months.

Perimeter 81 has demonstrated remarkable stability throughout our usage. We've experienced minimal downtime or disruptions in our network connectivity. 

The solution has consistently delivered reliable and secure access to resources, even during peak usage periods or when facing potential network threats. This stability has instilled confidence in our team, knowing that we can depend on Perimeter 81 to maintain a secure and stable network environment. 

Overall, we've been highly satisfied with the solution's stability and its ability to provide uninterrupted service to our organization.

The scalability of Perimeter 81 is quite impressive. It offers flexibility to adapt to the evolving needs of our organization. 

We've easily scaled up the number of users and devices as our team has grown, and the solution has seamlessly accommodated these changes without compromising performance or security. This scalability is particularly valuable for businesses with dynamic workforces and changing network demands. 

Perimeter 81's ability to efficiently scale resources has been a key asset in ensuring the continued reliability of our network security infrastructure.

Our experience with Perimeter 81's customer service and support has been highly positive. They have been responsive and attentive to our needs, promptly addressing any inquiries or issues that have arisen. 

Overall, their customer service and support have been exceptional.

Positive

I didn't previously use a different solution before adopting Perimeter 81. I chose Perimeter 81 as the initial network security solution due to its reputation for user-friendliness, robust security features, and seamless support for remote work. It aligned perfectly with our needs from the start, so there was no need for a switch from a previous solution.

The initial setup of Perimeter 81 was straightforward for basic deployment but became more complex when customizing security policies and integrating with our existing network infrastructure.

We implemented Perimeter 81 with the assistance of a vendor team. Their level of expertise was excellent, and they provided valuable guidance throughout the deployment process.

In our case, the ROI from implementing Perimeter 81 has been substantial. We've seen a reduction in security incidents and associated costs, improved productivity due to secure remote work capabilities, and significant cost savings by reducing the need for employees to travel to the office. 

Perimeter 81 has delivered a positive and measurable return on our investment in terms of enhanced security, productivity, and cost-effectiveness.

It's essential to consider the organization's specific requirements and budget. Here are some general recommendations:

1. Evaluate your needs
2. Understand pricing models
3. Request a quote
4. Compare competing prices
5. Factor in support and maintenance
6. Demo/trial period
7. Negotiate
   

Before selecting Perimeter 81, we conducted a thorough evaluation of several other network security solutions. Some of the options we considered included Cisco AnyConnect, Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect, and Fortinet FortiClient. 

We assessed these options based on factors such as security features, ease of deployment, scalability, user-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. Ultimately, Perimeter 81 emerged as the best fit for our organization's specific needs and requirements, especially in the context of enabling secure remote work for our geographically dispersed team.

Perimeter 81 is a valuable tool for network security and remote work, but user training is key to its effectiveness as it comes with many features and might be overwhelming for new users. 

Users should keep the software up-to-date and utilize the provided support. Emphasize cybersecurity best practices, consider integration with other tools, and maintain a feedback loop with the Perimeter 81 team. 

Regular audits and compliance checks are important, and users must continually evaluate the solution's value in meeting evolving security and remote work needs.

We are a company that is rapidly expanding our presence across multiple regions and moving key operations to a hybrid cloud model and needed a scalable, prevention-first security platform to bolster its security stack. 

Check Point Security Tooling by Check Point Software Technologies offers a robust and comprehensive cybersecurity solution tailored for the insurance industry. With features like advanced threat detection using AI and machine learning, firewalls, intrusion prevention, and endpoint protection, it ensures the security of sensitive customer data and compliance with industry regulations. Its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with existing IT systems allow for minimal disruption and quick deployment, making it adaptable to both small and large insurance firms.

The solution has improved our organization by providing a scalable, prevention-first security platform to better protect critical applications and sensitive client data, and meet industry compliance requirements. We chose Check Point Quantum Security Gateways and Check Point CloudGuard Network Security to protect our on-premises and cloud-based assets. The Quantum gateways in the data center are paired with a cluster of CloudGuard cores in the cloud, safeguarding assets and services in both environments with next-generation threat prevention. 

Check Point’s unified security management made it easy to implement controls and access real-time security data for on-premises and cloud environments. Since the rollout, Quantum's anti-bot, antivirus and SandBlast capabilities have delivered consistent protection. 

The following features provide consistent protection and make it easy to ensure security everywhere.

• SandBlast Zero-Day Protection in the Quantum Security Gateways, which defends against the latest cyber threats.
• Advanced threat prevention, the Intrusion Prevention System, and threat extraction defend against the latest cyber threats.
• The unified security management made it easy to implement controls and access real-time security data for on-premises and cloud environments.

While the higher cost and complexity may pose challenges for smaller companies without extensive IT resources, the value provided by Check Point's advanced capabilities and excellent 24/7 support justifies the investment. Overall, it is highly recommended that insurance firms prioritize data security and regulatory compliance, especially medium to large companies with the resources to manage and fully utilize its features.

Although the interface is user-friendly, further simplification and customization options tailored for non-technical users would benefit smaller firms without dedicated IT teams. Intuitive dashboards and guided setups can help in reducing the learning curve.

Increasing the automation capabilities for threat detection, response, and reporting can help reduce the manual workload on IT staff. Automated compliance reporting tailored to regulatory requirements could be particularly beneficial.

I have been using it for a year.

Stability is excellent.

Scalability is excellent.

The customer support is excellent.

Positive

The setup was straightforward using the unified security management modules.

We implemented it in-house.

It is difficult to calculate ROI, as it mitigates risk.

It is an expensive solution, but worth the cost.

We looked at various options.

Customers employ Check Point Diagnostics for their multi-branch solutions. They're also using Foundation Firewall with Blade Security and Check Point Harmony Connect. Their primary focus is on prevention, particularly in terms of access to ServiceEdge. This approach ensures the safety of packets and applications for our IT customers. Consequently, we are investing in quality hardware to support these secure solutions.

Our investment in quality hardware has proven to provide a better customer experience. They heavily rely on Check Point Firewall and Check Point SaaS Connect to safeguard their networks from external threats and attacks.

They should work towards the WAN intergration.

A cloud service that unifies multiple network security products and deploys within minutes.

Check Point has proven to be an exceptionally stable solution. We've been deploying these devices to our customers since around 2013-2014, and during this period, we haven't received any RMA requests or hardware-related field requests from our customers. There have been no reported issues or failures on the customer side. From our perspective, Check Point devices are known for their robustness and granularity in the market. When it comes to stability, we would rate Check Point ten out of ten.

The solution is very scalable, so I would rate it 10 out of 10.

The quality of service can vary depending on your SLA (Service Level Agreement) and the specific services you receive from Check Point. In our case, we've had a positive experience. Depending on the level of support, such as 24/7 availability, we've consistently received responses within the agreed SLA timeframe. This has been a satisfactory aspect of our service with Check Point.

Positive

We've determined the most optimal days for MAC setups at our customers' locations. We rely on our in-house experts rather than seeking assistance from Check Point's site. Our expert team takes charge of ticket management and ensures smooth customer implementations. To date, we've successfully deployed this solution for numerous customers, including approximately 2,500 customers with endpoints and over 50 branch locations. One noteworthy customer in the software industry, known as SIM Contact Modules, also received our support for their deployment needs.We've successfully implemented various security measures, including data protection, cloud DLP (Data Loss Prevention), granular policy enforcement, and Jira integration. Additionally, we've set up sandboxing and connected to Azure for protection against phishing and malware threats. Throughout this deployment, we encountered some minor issues, but overall, managing and configuring the deployment process was relatively straightforward. It takes almost one day. 

It's very easy to set up it and I would rate it 9 out of 10.

The pricing of Check Point is relatively high when compared to other competitors like Palo Alto and Fortinet. While Palo Alto may be on the higher side in terms of cost, Check Point's pricing is similar to that of Fortinet. In some cases, Check Point offers better value for the features it provides. We initially considered other options but ultimately decided to purchase hardware that came with three years of iOS. This approach eliminated the need for any additional costs associated with Check Point.

I would rate it 10 out of 10.

We will suggest the Check Point solution to customers and other partners. This way, they can obtain a comprehensive solution in one package, addressing all their needs. Whether it's deploying data with Jira, setting up cluster attacks, or utilizing various features through a single connection, this approach ensures customer satisfaction and contributes to our business success.

I would rate it 9 out of 10. 

One use case of SASE is for a partner customer who needs a secure and fast connection for their employees to access the final customer's data center and cloud. Green protection and security measures enable access to all information, including the data center's applications and networks.

Harmony SASE can prevent threats, provide global network protection, and manage API evaluations of user posture. Its software solution also ensures connectivity and protects against NSF filtering.

Check Point complements our more robust solution with Harmony SASE. This solution allows me to see Harmony SASE as an additional layer of security. It profiles security for users connecting remotely, whether working from another branch, a hotel, or an airport. In this case, we needed to protect these connections quickly, so we deployed it as the fastest solution for this customer.

There is a hefty cost, but it has excellent coverage. We need SASE management for five websites, including streamlining, logging, and monitoring. The solution offers the final customer three cloud coverage options and an excellent price point. Our competitors are Palo Alto, Cisco, Symantec, and Solar.

If the dashboard allows the PMS administrator to easily and quickly deploy configurations, it will facilitate the solution's faster deployment.

It is stable. It brings strong stability to the program, including updates to protect against new ransomware attacks.

Check Point's support is on par with the best in the market. Check Point Harmony SASE is a leading solution in both the local and global markets.

Positive

Unlike Cisco, Microsoft Azure, and similar solutions, SASE Insight offers limited visibility. It is slow in detecting and reacting to threats at the point of entry in real-time. Microsoft’s solution is focused on protection but doesn’t provide comprehensive security management. Although it deploys easily, Microsoft’s approach to security isn’t sufficient for robust threat prevention, especially against ransomware. Check Point's Harmony SASE is a more effective solution as it includes several advanced tools and sandboxing capabilities for thorough threat prevention and management.

The deployment is easy, but financial customers must have a comprehensive protection solution. Check Point's Harmony provides complex protection with its firewalls and other features.

The return of the SASE web addresses the void in the quality of information protection clients have in their employment. We can check the information, ensuring higher value and effective deployment, ultimately benefiting us. It is crucial to verify the quantum of protection provided and the conditions and access to private information. 

Harmony SASE may not be the cheapest solution but offers more value. It provides enhanced capabilities and features that justify its cost. We are conducting several trials with the new rigs in the silver packs to evaluate their effectiveness.

I recommend Check Point's solution, including various verticals like Quantum, CloudGuard, and Harmony. Harmony SASE, in particular, covers mobile endpoints, email, and collaboration. It's known for easy and fast deployment, as well as efficient administration through the portal. This solution provides organizations with real-time protection and is considered one of the best in the market.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

I work remotely from quite a remote location in South Africa, for a US-based Software company (GoCanvas/Device Magic). GoCanvas and Device Magic are 2 software platforms used for data collection on mobile devices. In order for me to access platforms such as Salesforce and Cornerstone, I need to be connected to the Perimeter81 GoCanvas VPN. Salesforce is an important integration to our entire organization, and I need to be connected to the Perimeter81 GoCanvas VPN to access my own shared Salesforce account.

Perimeter81 has made it easy and hassle-free for South African employees to access certain platforms needed to do our work on a daily basis. 

Before having the pleasure of being on the Perimeter81 GoCanvas VPN, it was very frustrating. I had many hassles with JumpCloud and I could not get onto the platforms I needed to be working on to get my work done.

I never have any issues with Perimeter81, it really is simple and easy to use.

It really has provided a seamless gateway to much-needed platforms.

I work on a Macbook Air M1, and I love the small icon at the top of my screen that allows me to see when I am connected to the VPN or not. I don't have to open the app to connect to the VPN - I can just click on the small icon and a small tab opens wherein I can click "Connect". It's simple, easy, and convenient.

It would be nice to have a notification sound when Perimeter81 disconnects, as I sometimes don't notice when the icon shows that it's disconnected, and I end up wasting time waiting for my browser to load a page that shows an error, usually error 404.

I've used the solution for 18 months.

The solution is very, very stable. I never have issues with Perimter81.

The scale on which this platform can be used is vast. I work remotely in a remote location in South Africa. We have 400 people in our town (it's a tiny place), and yet, Perimeter81 connects me to a VPN that allows me to access US-based platforms.

I have never had to contact customer service or support for Permieter81.

Positive

I am not sure which solution was used before the company started using Perimeter81.

The initial setup was very straightforward.

Our IT team set me up; I received an email and followed the prompts.

My understanding is the initial setup was handled in-house.

I cannot speak to the ROI.

I do not know the details of the cost or licensing.

I did not evaluate other options.

I'm overall super happy with this product.

My work started using Perimeter 81 as a replacement for our previous VPN provider. Our previous solution was Sophos. 

We are a company that is around 75% fully remote, and we are an ISO 27001 Certified legal tech solution provider to some of the largest law firms and health care providers in the UK and North America. For that reason, ensuring our internal and client data is of the highest priority. 

We use the Perimeter 81 solution to secure all of our internal cloud-based systems as well as the demo system for the products we sell to our customers.

With the previous solution, we had to have an app on our phone that would generate PIN numbers that would auto-generate. It was cumbersome and not very user-friendly. 

This solution has allowed for a more seamless login experience when accessing my files, and from a user standpoint, it is fantastic. I am barely cognizant of the fact that Perimeter is running in the background. This was not the case with our previous VPN solution. 

Direct login using Microsoft network credentials and no extra applications or manual inputting of PIN codes is probably the best feature of using Perimeter 81. Our last VPN solution required that users manually input PIN codes to confirm two-factor authentication, and the process was not very user-friendly. Moreover, logging back into Perimeter 81 is relatively user-friendly as I just need to re-type my Windows credentials in to access the VPN. Of course, having to regain access to the VPN is kind of annoying, however, it is still a much better user experience than our previous solution.

One of the more negative experiences using Perimeter 81 is the fact that I am logged off after a pre-determined amount of time which cuts off access to some of my company's resources. It's probably a configuration thing on our end, yet frustrating nonetheless. If there was a way to have quicker access to the Perimeter login page, that would probably be of great assistance when re-logging into the VPN. For instance, if the pop-up for Perimeter 81 allowed me to log in from there, that would probably streamline the process.

I've used the solution for about six months.

The product seems stable to me!

The solution is very scalable.

I have not interacted with customer service.

Positive

We used Sophos and switched. I am not sure why.

I am not sure how the setup process was handled. 

I have no idea if we have looked into monitoring for ROI.

I do not advise anyone at my company on any of those topics. 

I am not aware of the other options that were evaluated if any.

I really like Perimeter 81 as opposed to our previous VPN solution. It is a much more streamlined and user-friendly experience.

We primarily use Perimeter 81 for VPN purposes.

The customer support was excellent. They were very helpful whenever we needed assistance. Also, the gateway they provided worked well. The availability of support programs made it easy for us to resolve any issues promptly. The solution itself was quite similar to others we have used, so the strong support was a distinguishing factor.

There are a few areas where the solution could be improved. For instance, we sometimes encounter connectivity issues, which can be problematic. Recently, I experienced a connectivity issue while trying to move to Azure. Connectivity issues can be quite frustrating.

Moreover, in the past, they may have charged differently for their services, which could have impacted the current performance or connectivity. However, I am not entirely sure about the specifics of their previous service offerings. But overall, connectivity issues are a common occurrence when using VPNs.

We've been using Perimeter 81 for almost three months now.

Scaling Perimeter 81 was easy to do. Around 20+ users were using it.

I had a moderate level of experience with the support. During the installation phase, I found it very easy and supportive. However, after that, when I faced an issue, the support person themselves became part of the problem. We went back and forth trying to resolve the issue, but unfortunately, nothing worked out, and we had to find a solution on our own. So, that's been my experience with their support.

The installation on Azure was actually quite easy. I had to provide a couple of personal details for data installations, and then I was able to set it up. 

In Azure, there were multiple instances available for the installation, which was helpful. It was a good experience, and I was able to get it up and running smoothly.

For the installation of Perimeter 81, it didn't take long at all. Setting up the backend and connecting with the users only took about ten minutes. It was a quick process, and I didn't spend more than that time on it. However, I didn't handle the filling up of all the details myself, as that part was handled by a third person.

We only had a single point of contact for the deployment. There was one person available to assist with the installation and configuration.

When it came to maintenance, we faced some connectivity issues, and whenever that happened, we contacted their support for assistance. There were some technical workarounds provided, but sometimes the response and resolution were not satisfactory, which became frustrating. Due to this, I had to get in touch with the solution team often. Eventually, I decided to move away from their service.

Perimeter 81 charges separately for gateways and VPN connectivity, but compared to Azure, it seemed more reasonable. Azure's pricing details were not as clear as Perimeter 81's. While Azure team mentioned certain areas, Perimeter 81 provided a clearer breakdown of the pricing, making it more understandable. So, I would say it was moderate in terms of cost.

Perimeter 81 offers both monthly and yearly licensing options. Users can choose whichever option they prefer based on their needs and preferences.

For those planning to use Perimeter 81, I would recommend going ahead with it. However, I suggest ensuring that there is a reliable tech support process in place. It's essential to know which person would be available for assistance so that you can connect with them anytime you face any issues. Also, it's important to avoid any support connectivity issues during usage. In my experience, they were in a good space when it came to using the solution.

Overall, I would rate the solution a six out of ten. 

I use Perimeter 81 primarily for VPN connections and work and home banking. Additionally, I use it for some oil and gas applications. You should also consider using it for SD-WAN solutions. In fact, SD-WAN is one of the primary solutions offered by Perimeter 81.

In order to minimize costs, you can use a zero-trust security model. We also use VPN to interconnect many branches, for example, here in Nigeria, for an operator in the oil and gas industry. We have a high frequency in our network.

For us, SD-WAN is the most valuable feature. They provide a unique advantage for banking purposes and are also different from other solutions. VPN is good for security.

One of our challenges is ensuring the security of our cloud-based operations. We place a high priority on security and take measures to protect our data. We avoid using public cloud services and instead rely on data centers to collect data for both small and large branches.

In the next release, I would like to see more improvement in security capabilities.

I have been using Perimeter 81 for ten years. I am working with the latest version.

It is a very stable solution. It efficiently ensures security. We also use VPN to touch cloud and ensure secure information. However, for a specific company, we may need to improve security. The code is updated biweekly.

The scalability of Perimeter 81 depends on your equipment and routers. Different solutions may require different approaches. It is also a PLS to control.

The customer service was good. We needed to make some configurations, and it was the same as with other providers because it's a solution we use.

The initial setup is easy. The deployment process is different for each project, and it depends on the project's scope, such as the type of network and the kind of project. If you use IP and POS, it's different from if you don't use them.

It's possible to implement it in-house, or we can get some help. As for the technical aspects, we have six people who are required for the deployment and maintenance. We plan to increase the number of users for Permieter 81 in our company.

The system should think about how to maximize the ROI and minimize the OpEx cost for the customer. When you use a good solution, you can decrease your supply costs, increase engineering, reduce repair costs, and increase product stability. It's a win-win solution where the customer wins, and you win.

I would definitely recommend using Perimeter 81. Overall, I would rate the product a nine out of ten, but I would like to improve its security.