Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) Reviews

I work for a systems integrator and have designed and deployed solutions over many years with Check Point components. Problems solved with Check Point NGFWs have included securing the edge, data center segregation, SWG replacement, Remote Access, and many others.

I have designed and installed Check Point deployments from a single SMB appliance to multiple highly available chassis, running numerous virtual systems. Numerous different use cases include appliance form-factors, running modules, and licenses.

I have always found that Check Point's fully integrated management provides significant improvements to organisations where I have deployed them. As management has always been integral in the Check Point deployment, all functionality and visibility is natively baked into the management platform, which provides a single point to configure and monitor every function. Alternative vendors have added centralized management functionality as a secondary feature and therefore have never been able to compete on this front.

Management integration is holistic as centralized management has been core to the solution for decades. Where other vendors have bolted management on over time, Check Point has always made it central to everything that they do.  

I find that this is one of the most significant and valuable features of Check Point. In addition to that, many new features that eventually become the standard across the industry end up being first introduced by Check Point - sometimes years ahead (such as Threat Extraction which allows active content to be stripped from files being downloaded and a "clean" copy to be provided in near real-time, while sandbox inspection is being performed).

Product-wise, I have no real complaints. 

Potential improvements could be made around simplifying VPN functionality and configuration.  

The main area that the organization can improve is around the lack of local, in-state technical support. Competitor vendors have a strong presence in the Adelaide Market, however, Check Point has always been limited with its commitment to staffing local technical resources. If this focus is made, I could see Check Point returning to the strength that it once had in the Adelaide market.

I've used the solution for 17 years.

I do like that this solution is a very robust firewall.

It's very stable. 

The product is well supported. The solution is very scalable. 

Technical support has been quite good. 

The only thing I would like to improve is the updates. Sometimes when they bring on new upgrades, they affect something else. That happens sometimes. For example, something that was working well might have a new issue after an update. It's understandable as they do have like to add innovations. When you are innovative, you face some risks. 

They have already announced that they will be adding SD-WAN as a new feature.

I've been using the solution for 18 years.

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. That said, I would like the latest version to be more stable.

The product is very scalable. You have very good options. For example, if you start with a smaller firewall and you want to upgrade to have newer hardware, they have different options. For example, you can run a script that is going to tell you the new appliances that you need, according to your new requirements according to your network consumption. 

It did launch Maestro about two years ago. Maestro is something that allows you to stack firewalls. If your current firewalls handle the traffic anymore, you can add new firewalls to it. 

If you want to change the firewall you can do these trade-ins. You can return the old firewall and they will give you a special discount. 

Technical support has been very helpful and responsive. We've been happy with the level of support they offer. 

The product is easy to set up. I am seasoned on Check Point. For me, it's very easy. I wouldn't say it's hard. 

I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten.

I have certain customers who make use of the solution for providing security in respect of internet access. I am aware only of the solution acting as a firewall. 

My customers cite performance and ease of configuration as two of the solution's most valuable features. 

The price is middling. It's much more expensive than Fortinet, although not so expensive when compared with Palo Alto. 

The solution is significantly more expensive than Fortinet, although this holds true to a lesser extent when compared with Palo Alto. 

The solution is significantly more expensive than Fortinet, although this holds true to a lesser degree when compared with Palo Alto. 

I do not have much familiarity with Check Point NGFW, although I do have several customers who make use of it. I can mainly comment based on what I have come across in user reviews in magazines.

I know the solution to be one of the top players in the world at the moment. 

As Check Point NGFW does not compare favorably price-wise with Fortinet, I am inclined to deduct a point from its rating and rate it as a nine out of ten.

Check Point has strong security features as well as some decent monitoring and management capabilities.

My customers complain that the interface isn't user-friendly.

I have been using Check Point for eight years.

Check Point stable. I've had no problems.

Check Point is scalable.

Check Point support is good.

Check Point's setup process isn't very user-friendly.

Check Point is a little more expensive than FortiGate.

I rate Check Point nine out of 10. I work with both Check Point and FortiGate. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Check Point is more secure than FortiGate. However, Fortigate is more affordable and user-friendly. FortiGate offers seamless solutions to customers, so If they want a solution that's easy to use, they go with FortiGate.

We primarily use the solution for security.

Check Point NGFW is a stable and user-friendly solution. It has increased the security level and stability within our organization. With the ATP solution, it works and is fully competent. It can catch many zero-day attacks and it fits NGFW well,

The most valuable features are IPS and Antivirus. 

The Blades work fine and the performance optimization is great.

In some features, it is not easy to use the Check Point firewall. 

The IPSEC VPN setup is not easy to configure. In some cases, if the VPN is not established, it is very hard to troubleshoot the configuration. It does not address the problem well. 

The upgrading process takes too much time.

I've used the solution for seven years.

The stability is very good. I would rate it at a nine out of ten.

The solution is scalable. I'd rate it at a nine out of ten.

In most cases, they answer our ticket in one day. They are willing to solve the problems at hand.

The initial setup is not easy, however, it is also not very complex. We have to use both the Gaia and smart console interface and it should be checked for some conf from the CLI.

We did and their expertise was high. We did not face many problems.

I use CheckPoint in our data center to control the internet and to enable threat prevention. I then integrate it into my center and to my events.

I like the SmartEvent feature. When we see a threat, SmartEvent can create a rule for that. SmartEvent works with the SmartCenter to block a threat attack with a block monitor. The SmartCenter has the management for all the firewalls and data centers in a single dashboard.

It could be more stable and scalable. Check Point price and support could be better.

I have ten years of experience using Check Point NGFW.

Check Point NGFW could be more stable. I think the problem is that the kernel sometimes won't play ball and isn't stable. Sometimes, they have a block, and we have to spend a lot of time fixing it. In contrast, I think Palo Alto and Fortinet are more stable.

Check Point NGFW could be more scalable. I think Palo Alto has more plugins and features, and Check Point needs more features. However, Check Point integration is very complex.

Check Point support could be better. I think Palo Alto has a very clear pricing model. When we have an issue, we create a ticket and receive fast service from Palo Alto. It's good.

The initial setup, in my experience, isn't simple as Fortinet and Palo Alto. It would be better if the person doing it has experience. 

I implemented this solution by myself.

The price could be better. I think Palo Alto pricing is high, and Check Point isn't much better. FortiGate is cheaper. I think when I implemented this solution, I recommended buying a yearly subscription.

When I choose a solution for a customer, I must verify the features, current specifications and make recommendations. When we use an all-in-one firewall solution, we usually recommend using a Palo Alto external firewall. This is because Fortinet has an SD-WAN solution and firewalls, and Palo Alto is the same. But I don't think Check Point has one. When a customer doesn't want to implement many solutions, we recommend using Fortinet or Palo Alto.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Check Point NGFW an eight.

While the solution is good, we wish to have something that is a bit better, as the threats have evolved over time. We have been using Check Point for more than than eight years and are interested in a better solution. We entered a review site which ranks top security firewalls and saw that Palo Alto is ranked number one, followed by Fortinet, with Check Point in the lead. We noticed that Palo Alto was much more expensive than Fortinet, but wished to know which key features differentiated the two. 

Though we did not take issue with the price of Check Point NGFW, we felt that it was providing us with inadequate support here in Uganda. This is why we decided to switch solutions. I should note that I do not have a technical background and am responsible for procurement. 

The value we were getting for our money was an issue. I work for a bank for which security is very important, but we were not being assured of the appropriate support. The licensing fees we were paying did not equate with adequate local support. We had already had a bad experience with Check Point, so we did not bother with a quote from it and, instead, got one from several local companies that can support either Palo Alto or Fortinet. 

We do not feel that the local support given in Uganda is equitable with the pricing. 

While the pricing is okay, the local Ugandan support one gets is not commensurate with it. 

I rate Check Point NGFW as a six out of ten. 

The user interface is very good.

The level of security is excellent. It protects our organization well.

It's a good overall product and we have a high level of satisfaction with the features on offer. 

Technical support could be improved. It's hit or miss in terms of the level of service and getting the answers you need.

I've been using the solution for ten years. 

We have hundreds of users that use the solution currently within our company.

We aren't 100% satisfied with technical support. Sometimes you get the help you need and sometimes you don't. Sometimes it's absolutely amazing. Sometimes they're great. However, you can't rely on them being like that all the time. We'd like the service level to be more reliable.

I can't speak to the installation process, as it was handled by an outside firm.

We had an integrator that assisted us with the implementation. 

I'm a customer and an end-user.

I would recommend the solution to other organizations especially if the company is looking for a certain level of security.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.