Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) Reviews

It was implemented at work to be able to monitor collaborators and know what pages they are using and thus be able to take the necessary actions to block pages that are not authorized in the company and also know in which pages collaborators spend more time and be able to measure their work performance and thus be more effective in our company, on the other hand it helps a lot to improve the traffic and performance of the network, which is one of the points where it helps a lot.

Once all the security breaches of our collaborators have been detected, we can determine which options to mitigate in the company and improve security.

Harmony has improved the organization in being able to better monitor the use of internet bandwidth, accesses, pages, restrict pages, and allow sites, however, it has also been found that it makes machines a bit inefficient, this is because the program consumes many resources of the device where it is connected, sometimes causing slowness and starting to see many jams in the programs or processes that are being executed.

It has also been possible to determine that, for use on a Mac PC it is not very complicated to do the installation. You must have very robust equipment.

One of the most valuable features found using Harmony is being able to monitor in a simple and orderly way.

The panel configuration and agent installation on each of the machines is very practical and quickly distributed. Furthermore, all the equipment that does not have an agent installed can be viewed in the administration panel and have better control of each of the devices.

Another valuable characteristic is the configuration of reporting and information of each of the users. This report is quite complete, and it is possible to determine what actions to take in the organization and be able to present a report to high command.

One of the areas that must be improved is the ability to make the software less burdensome for the devices since they consume a lot of resources which makes it necessary to make an economic investment in the device itself such as servers, desktop laptops. that handle a relatively normal performance according to the functions it performs since, if used with a high-performance computer, Harmony behaves well and does not cause slowness.

This made us uninstall the product on several collaborating machines since the PC's performance dropped a lot. Some programs, like Teams, do not work and this causes us problems where we cannot monitor those machines.

He used the product for 5 years..

The stability is very good, however, it harms a little of the performance of the PC.

The scalability has been very good, it has helped us a lot to be able to improve our company.

The support needs to improve lately it is very average they do not respond quickly they do not always comply with the SLA

We did not previously use a different solution.

Implementation is now easier since we have considerable experience using the tool.

The installation was carried out with the tool vendor since we did not have much knowledge, today we have managed to have that learning curve and we have been able to do our own installations.

The investment in a security product will always have a return, not directly economical, but indirectly since all our information is secured.

The cost is very accessible and the installation is very easy to implement.

We did not evaluate other options.

It is very user-friendly. The panel is easy to use.

We use Harmony SASE to manage remote users across multiple countries, including India, Poland, and the US. The customer required a setup to control access for different groups and users, protecting them from threats and securing their systems.

Harmony SASE helps us to manage compliance by regulating the amount of access to each department and user. We control the relevant apps and websites, which can be accessed from company-owned devices. Harmony SASE uses its own threat intelligence data from the cloud for threat prevention, and detect and manage threats with their own threat intelligence data and SASE firewall features.

The Point locations need to improve the latency and speed. 

I have been using Harmony SASE for six months.

I would rate the stability as a seven out of ten. 

Harmony SASE is a scalable solution and I would rate it an eight out of ten.

The support from Harmony SASE is really good.

Positive

I've worked with Fortinet. In comparison to Harmony SASE with Fortinet, Fortinet is easier to manage because all FortiGate devices use the same FortiOS, making management straightforward.

The installation and deployment of Harmony SASE are easy. It usually takes fifteen to twenty minutes to install and configure on a single device

For deployment and maintenance, a single engineer is sufficient for MDM solutions. However, in multiple tasks, two or more people are required to sort out the glitches in the solution.

The remote users, who have been using Harmony SASE has shown cost savings. With SASE, we don't have to manage VPNs, which leads to long-term cost benefits. We don't need dedicated leased lines or bandwidth in the office, making it a good approach.

There are no such AI features as of now on Harmony SASE. I would recommend it and would rate it eight out of ten.

My company integrates the solution into other companies where we are required to do a project for them per the requirements. I had the opportunity to suggest Check Point Harmony Connect two years ago at the Bank of Brazil.

The most valuable features of the solution vary and depend on what our company does. For example, I may work with a big water distribution project where everything revolves around IoT. In general, I can say that everything depends on the type of project where I need to be working as an architect.

In our organization, we use two managed SaaS products or technology at a time when everything appears to be moving to the cloud, and we still work with tools like Check Point Harmony Connect that require a license since the problem related to the product lies in the licensing part, the aforementioned details should be considered to improve the product.

The complex initial setup phase of the product is an area that can be improved.

I have experience with Check Point Harmony Connect.

It is a very stable solution.

It is a scalable solution since the SaaS licensing part of the solution is by the number of users and not by the number of assets or people or everything you need to manage it.

My company provides customer support. We have an operations center with all the tools to provide the necessary support to our clients. I remember that the technical team from Check Point was very supportive when I was working with the Bank of Brazil. I rate the technical support a nine out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup of Check Point Harmony Connect was very complex and complicated since our company had to integrate 17 different applications into one console.

I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.

We use the solution since it is required by our client in Singapore. They needed to use a VPN solution, like Perimeter 81, because they wanted to connect it from an overseas place where their workers travel.

The best feature of Perimeter 81 is that it provides a secure feature while connecting, such as the IPsec tunneling or Perimeter 81's connector called Wireguard Connector.

The solution's speed of upload and download is an area where it lacks. If Perimeter 81 enhances the speed of upload and download, then it could be an improvement.

I have been using Perimeter 81 with Azure Active Directory. I started using it when my company got our license from Perimeter 81 in December last year. So, have six months of experience with the solution. My company has a partnership with the solution.

In my company, along with my coworker, two engineers use the solution for testing.

I rate the support team a ten out of ten.

Positive

The setup is really easy. The setup is very user-friendly.

The solution is priced appropriately considering its uses. For an essential license, a user pays only 30 USD per month. For an enterprise version, the prices can be negotiated with the company.

We use Perimeter 81 integrated with Azure Active Directory single sign-on (SSO). Not only in Azure but also Okta, an identity provider, we can guarantee the convenience of login, and also, it secures the connection.

I rate the overall solution an eight and a half out of ten.

The primary use is for secure site protection. 

I work at a worker's compensation company that deals with sensitive information, such as SSN, home addresses, phone numbers, and doctor notes that contain medical history and conditions. 

This product helps us keep the information on websites that are solely accessible through Perimeter 81 so we do not leak the patients, doctors, or adjusters' information to the public. Everything is in a safe space while at the same time, Perimeter 81 makes working from home accessible. 

It helps improve our organization by allowing employees work all over the globe providing colleagues with safe internet no matter what part of the globe they find themselves. 

Providing access and security allows our company employees to work from home and remotely. They are not confined to one space or location if they need to travel. The Perimeter 81 VPN provides the luxury to travel and work while maintaining security to create the work-life balance everyone needs. 

It improved our organization more than can be explained. We plan to continue to further use of this technology. 

The VPN is the main function used. It's valuable to us since it's the only way to access most company websites. All company websites can only be used if users are connected to Perimeter 81. It does not matter what location you are in. 

If Perimeter 81 is not connecting, it slows down company productivity. This is why we appreciate the live updates and minimal issues we have when dealing with this product. The faster we work, the more patients are taken care of, and the higher client success rate we can achieve. Perimeter 81's VPN feature helps our company be as efficient as possible. 

A Google Chrome extension would be handy instead of logging into the app. That way, it's pre-signed in and ready to go while browsing. 

While the app connects as we log in, it would be helpful to be able to stay signed in and have an automatic connection while browsing. The connection may be faster and stronger that way as well. 

A VPN Extention through the web browser would be a great asset to web users and companies. With a one-time login, we can have access and not worry about reconnecting to the VPN. I'm looking forward to seeing this feature. 

I've been using Perimeter 81 for one year. 

We did not previously use a different solution. 

Currently, I do not have access to this information. 

I'm an employee. I do not make decisions on organizational software. 

It provided us with the way to provide governance, control and monitoring of the visited sites, see vulnerabilities and find out how to deal with them in order to avoid cyber attacks. 

With this tool, we can guarantee that the equipment will not be an easy target for cybercriminals. It is really simple to implement.        

Checkpoint Harmony Connect helped us to guarantee the protection of equipment not covered by a Check Point Gateway. For example, when a vendor goes out and connects to the network from anywhere or is the target of cyber attacks (which can generate a loss of equipment functionality in addition to infiltrations or loss of company information that is confidential) which is why we decided to use this tool. It generated everything that was needed at the security level. It is an excellent tool.

The most valued features for us are:

The ease of implementation, of installation in the equipment, and the low performance of the equipment that the agent requires to provide security.

Its administration through a portal. Infinity Portal does not need to be implemented in an additional management server; rather, it is web-based and manageable from anywhere.

The application control and granular access feature are very easy to use, intuitive, and effective. It does not require equipment updates, policies are updated quickly.

They could improve on the available public documentation. The most modern applications or features of Check Point are difficult to find in their documentation for implementation. According to the manufacturer, sometimes it happens that the manual is applied, yet the desired implementation is not achieved.

Also, as seen in our support cases, it is somewhat slow to solve problems. There are other manufacturers that have better support. They can improve on that part and prevent customers from complaining about how they provide solutions.

We have used this tool for about two years.

It is an excellent security tool that provides additional features to our existing GWs. We can provide web security with it.

We had not really used other tools; when we had the need, we investigated, and we found Check Point Harmony Connect.

The cost is difficult to find, however, our seller can solve these issues. The cost is normal. It is per protected user.

We validated some security solutions, however, Check Point Harmony Connect was perfectly suited to what we needed.

It's a very modern tool and can be used to achieve security for old and new vulnerabilities.

The primary use case has to do with the remote connectivity of sites.

I have found the IPsec VPN to be valuable.

The integration from a management perspective could be improved so that the management can, from an existing Check Point firewall, manage a Harmony firewall through one pane of glass.

I would like to see the use of either GRE or non-IP tunnels in the next release.

I've been working with Harmony Connect for about 18 months. I tested it but did not run it in production.

Stability wise, I'd rate Harmony Connect at seven out of ten. It could be more stable in some respects.

The scalability is good, and I'd give it an eight out of ten.

I found the technical support to be okay. Most of the technical support was geared to the regular equipment, and we had to find specialists within Check Point to look at Harmony Connect. Because of that, I would give technical support a rating of seven out of ten.

Neutral

The initial setup is simple in some ways but complex in other ways. You need to know a lot about the Check Point side and the portal side to make it work.

I would rate Harmony Connect's pricing at six out of ten. It wasn't particularly expensive, but it wasn't super cheap either.

We evaluated Silver Peak. Comprehensiveness was the main difference between Harmony Connect and Silver Peak. Harmony Connect is a little more suited for smaller branch offices as opposed to full-site connectivity.

Overall, I would rate this solution at seven on a scale from one to ten.

For the past two months, we have been evaluating Harmony Connect because it has some limitations on routing and account control, so we are testing it for three customers to check this function. In some areas, Harmony Connect can replace older VPN products and also add some features, like DRP and security gateway.

The DLP (Data Loss Protection) is the most valuable feature. 

My customers want more remote functionality.  They need another routing option after they connect to the enterprise intranet. For example, let's say a user tries to connect to a remote branch office and headquarters through Harmony Connect. They need a local breakout after connecting to the headquarters, especially in China. They need to put local breakout in the Chinese internet. The current version cannot do something like this.

This solution is new to Taiwan, so I haven't been using it for very long. I started using Harmony Connect in Q3 2022.  

Harmony Connect has been stable so far, but this is still a test. 

There are some limitations on redundancy, and it takes about 30 minutes to switch. This is a significant limitation. Competitors like Palo Alto can do it in around five minutes. It's more appropriate for enterprises because they sell the product license in packages of 50 accounts at least.

I rate Check Point customer service nine out of 10. It is excellent, especially on the customer side. 

Positive

Check Point Taiwan provides me with a lot of flexibility in pricing. If I'm trying to secure a customer, they can give me a good discount on this product. The price is about 350 HKD annually. 

I rate Check Point Harmony Connect eight out of 10.

I'm using it for the VPN, I work from a home office and need to access data from different websites. I'm a front-end web developer for a famous brand, working remotely from another country, and the content I have to access must be from different countries. There are some internal tools we must use too, and we must access them with a VPN. Some of these tools are on mobile too, so we also have to install VPN solutions on mobile phones. I have to use a tool that we can access multiple VPNs and switch regions with ease.

We use some VPN solutions, and Perimeter 81 has the best user experience for desktop or mobile. The other solutions have more steps to set up, are more complicated and it was not a good experience. Unfortunately, I can't use Perimeter 81 for all VPN use cases, due to the company's policy, however, when I can, I always choose it. 

I have to use it on my phone too, and my smartphone was not compatible with the other VPN solutions (old Android version), but Perimeter 81 works on old mobile phones and is very light. 

The best points of Perimeter 81 are the:

- User experience
- Design
- Ease of use
- Support for mobile and desktop
- Very light mobile app

The other VPN tools have some old interface with a not great user experience. I use a Mac and the interface looks like an old Windows App. Perimeter 81 is very pretty. My phone is an old Android version (I cannot upgrade right now) and I could not use the other tools to access the VPN because their two-step authentication app could not run on my phone. Perimeter 81 app works on old phones and is very lightweight. The battery consumption is very low. 

I am very satisfied with the product right now. I don't know if it is technically feasible, however, if the Desktop App could be used as a Web App or a Chrome Extension it would be very nice. It would help a lot if I could click a link with the right-click and select from a range of options like: "Open a with VPN: Network main" and that tab would open with VPN activated only on that. And then I could refresh the tab with the VPN on or off. When I access a URL, the Extension could have an option like: "Reload current tab with VPN".

I've used the solution for two months.

I didn't have to deal with any bugs so far.

Our team is big, from people all around the world. Everybody is using a VPN. It scales well.

Until now, I have not needed to reach out for service support.

Neutral

Yes, I did use a different solution, however, I didn't make a full switch as some tools we use can only be accessed with specific VPN tools. That said, when I can choose, I prefer Perimeter 81 due to its ease of use.

It was very easy to set up.

Our IT team provided a step-by-step to setup the solution.

I don't deal with the billing.

I don't deal with billing, however, it would be nice to have a time trial.

IT selects the tools we use. I did not evaluate others.

I'd advise others to use it if you need to access VPN for both desktop and mobile.

It was installed on the machines of the organization due to the need to filter all the incoming and outgoing content and to protect the teams - mainly our units that use laptops and have to be constantly moving. 

In the last two years with the appearance of Covid-19, this solution gave us that protection outside the organization that had been neglected for strengthening internal security. 

Another great advantage is the possibility of being able to protect our mobile devices by integrating the solution into all mobile devices.

The solution has given us an additional layer of protection in our equipment and applications, mainly now that the equipment is portable and in many cases, we must connect to various public Wi-Fi networks.

Its Granular Access Control over and within each resource, based on dynamic and contextual evaluation of user attributes and device states is great. 

A broad set of rules can be applied across all users, servers, and enterprise data stores, including user commands and database queries - giving users well-managed access.

Review of exported and imported packages and protection and content filtering have been useful. 

Advanced behavior analysis and machine learning algorithms shut down malware before it does damage. 

The solution offers high catch rates and low false positives to ensure safety,
efficacy, and effective prevention.

The automated forensic data analysis delivers insights into threats. 

Complete attack containment and remediation can quickly restore any infected system. 

It blocks malware coming from web browsing or email attachments before it reaches the endpoints. 

It is important to locally validate the consumption exerted on the equipment. At times, when I lose connection, I feel that the equipment is slowing me down. They could improve this detail or indicate that the application, while it is being restored, can generate latency in the communication processes. That said, it is definitely a very good solution for the protection layer in teams inside and outside the organization. 

In mobile devices, there is also sometimes a bit of tear when it is via LTE, however, that must be due to connectivity.

I have been using the solution for two years and it really works.

It is very stable and normally any problems generated are from loss of internet.

Scaling is easy and fast, thanks to the fact that it is licensed.

We did not use a different solution previously.

It is a quick solution to install, however, its cost is really medium and not low.

We did not evaluate other options.

It is perfect for keeping all my devices protected.