Citrix Gateway and Check Point Remote Access VPN both compete in the secure remote access solutions category. Check Point Remote Access VPN appears to have the upper hand due to its integration capabilities and cost-effectiveness.
Features: Citrix Gateway provides robust security capabilities such as a Web Application Firewall (WAF), load balancing, and seamless integration with virtual environments and cloud services like Azure and AWS. It is favored for its ease of setup and allows remote work without disruptions. Check Point Remote Access VPN excels with dual-factor authentication, compliance checks, and strong integration with existing firewalls. Its ability to provide seamless access to on-premises resources and scale efficiently, avoiding new hardware costs, is highly valued.
Room for Improvement: Citrix Gateway could improve its dashboards and reporting tools for better issue visibility and simplify the setup process. Check Point Remote Access VPN would benefit from enhanced client support for Linux systems and a more intuitive user interface. More frequent updates to match OS changes and smoother automation of client deployments are also suggested.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Citrix Gateway offers flexible deployment options with strong on-premises and cloud capabilities, though technical support varies with some inefficiencies reported. Check Point Remote Access VPN has a robust on-premises presence with good cloud capabilities and generally well-regarded technical support known for responsiveness. Both aim to enhance customer interaction and support, with strengths aligned to specific deployment needs.
Pricing and ROI: Citrix Gateway is generally higher priced, especially for enterprise models, with significant maintenance and support costs. Check Point Remote Access VPN is more cost-effective, especially appealing to those using Check Point NGFW environments due to minimal hardware additions. Both solutions offer good ROI depending on business applications—Citrix for its security infrastructure and Check Point for integrated security features within firewall ecosystems.
It reduces the dependency on being physically present in the office and enhances the overall user experience, saving time and maintaining security.
Citrix Gateway secures our environment from potential threats, which can save substantial financial resources, especially in preventing data breaches or ransomware attacks.
Contacting the Technical Assistance Centers (TACs) initially can be difficult, but once I get in touch with the TAC team, it is easy to solve problems.
The timing of technical support does not always align with our working hours.
I believe that the scalability of Citrix Gateway depends on the project's requirements, as it can vary from simple load balancing to extensive Web Application Firewall implementations.
I find Citrix products to be very stable.
Check Point Remote Access VPN can be improved by having more granular options to steer traffic, like easier configurations for split tunneling, which is currently complex.
Deploying these solutions requires higher technical expertise than other solutions.
Our key technical supports come during hours that are not aligned with our working hours, which sometimes affects our access to support.
It is competitively priced, and we have chosen it for its market leadership in the firewall space.
The pricing, setup cost, and licensing are straightforward, though the setup is a bit expensive.
In terms of pricing, Check Point Remote Access VPN is not the most cost-effective option compared to other vendors.
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model.
The functionality enables secure access for remotely connecting users, which is necessary for our operations.
The end-to-end endpoint security provided by Check Point Remote Access VPN impacts our organization by ensuring compliance and enhancing security.
Additionally, there's endpoint compliance scanning, which ensures that devices that do not fulfill compliance requirements cannot connect to the network, preventing compromised devices from infiltrating the network.
The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
Remote secure access VPN is a solution that provides users with remote access to an organization’s network. The host may have VPN client software loaded or use a web-based client. The solution leverages security features like multi-factor authentication, endpoint scanning, and encryption of all data in motion.
Check Point Remote Access VPN provides individuals with protected and efficient access to a company network from anywhere. This strategy fosters collaboration and connectivity between distributed teams and offices.
Features of Check Point Remote Access VPN
Key features of the secure remote access VPN include:
The system enforces endpoint security with endpoint compliance. It monitors and verifies the security status of each endpoint and reports back to the Security Gateway. The gateway, in turn, checks the compliance level and directs the connectivity to the right resources.
Users can deploy the Remote Access VPN in one of three ways:
Remote Access VPN is centrally managed. The centralized console enables management and enforcement of policies with a single log-in.
The Remote Access VPN has a web portal that users can use to connect securely to corporate applications, such as web-based resources, file-sharing, and email. Administrators can customize the web portal to match the brand identity.
Remote Access VPN offers two choices for remote access:
The authentication features include password management, RADIUS challenge/response, CAPI software, and hardware tokens. P12 certificates, and SecurID.
The system establishes a VPN tunnel on demand. It also re-arranges connections when roaming. The tunnel can automatically tear down when the user is on the corporate LAN.
There are several connection features, such as Hotspot detection, office mode IP, split tunneling, and automatic fallback to HTTPS.
Benefits of Check Point Remote Access VPN
One of the key advantages of Remote Access VPN is that it provides remote workers with a secure way to connect to a corporate network from any device, including their personal devices. The data encryption in transit enables them to securely access the resources they need for their tasks.
It also provides IT support and technicians with a faster way to troubleshoot software issues. In the case of a ticket, IT doesn’t need to go to the server location to fix the problem but can troubleshoot it remotely.
A remote secure access VPN is also an affordable alternative for small and medium-sized businesses, without requiring expensive infrastructure.
Reviews from Real Users
A Global IT Network and Security Service Senior Specialist at a manufacturing company who uses Check Point Remote Access VPN says, "I found the MEP feature the most valuable. This has improved users' latency allowing the users to connect to the nearest Azure Check Point VM."
"Organizations that already use the Check Point NGFW Solution do not require any additional hardware, which makes the implementation straightforward and reduces the time to go live," explains Basil D., Senior Manager at a financial services firm.
Manuel B., a Voice and data infrastructure specialist at a tech services company, says that "The IPSec VPN, Mobile Access, and Identity Awareness are three of the blades with which we have been working with since the pandemic. This has given us great mobility, making our network more dynamic."
Citrix Gateway is a customer-managed solution that can be deployed on premises or on any public cloud, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. Citrix Gateway provides users with secure access and single sign-on to all the virtual, SaaS and web applications they need to be productive.
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