Today’s enterprise networks are more complex than ever. Cloud computing, floods of connected devices and highly mobile workforces put a ton of pressure on security teams to keep networks and data protected. At the same time, the tools and techniques used by cybercriminals to target enterprise data continues to rapidly evolve. When reflecting on the state of enterprise security, I often quote the philosopher Heraclitus who said it best, “The only thing that is constant is change.”
This begs the question: Why is the firewall still part of the network security discussion? There are some in the security industry who view the firewall as antiquated technology. After all, the really cool kids are doing this whole next-gen thing. Why make such a fuss over the firewall?
As network security requirements adapt to business needs, emerging threats and market conditions, the significance of the network firewall is about the only thing that really remains constant. The firewall is the backbone of any solid security strategy. It is the starting point for defining and enforcing policies that allow traffic to enter or exit any network, essentially enabling the technology that drives our daily lives.
At the same time, enterprise appetites for consolidating security capabilities have been satisfied by innovating on top of the firewall. Thus the enterprise firewall transformed from a stateful inspection engine to an advanced threat prevention solution capable of proactively blocking advanced persistent threats (ATPs), known and unknown malware, as well as zero-day attacks. Today’s enterprise networks are more dynamic than ever, and it’s clear the firewall will continue to play a key role in helping organizations combat cyber threats.
Check Point is proud to once again be named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Network Firewalls. To be regarded as a leader in the network security space since 1997 takes more than clever slogans or catch phrases—it takes leadership, vision and innovation. We believe our continued placement in the Leaders quadrant reflects our commitment to delivering technologies and solutions that truly keep our customers a major step ahead of cybercriminals while enabling them to focus on business needs rather than risk mitigation.
Building on our rich history of innovation, we continue to transform the security industry. Within the past year, we introduced:
- New Threat Prevention portfolio solutions SandBlast and SandBlast Agent to bring to market the first CPU-level threat prevention technology to the network and endpoint.
- Mobile Threat Prevention that stops threats on iOS and Android and delivers real-time threat intelligence and visibility for extension into existing security and mobility infrastructure.
- A new line of threat prevention appliances that are designed to block the most sophisticated attacks for businesses of all sizes.
- The R80 Security Management platform that paves the way for new levels of automation and prevention capabilities, freeing up security teams from repetitive tasks to focus on security strategies.
Our robust security heritage, along with our industry-leading security management platform, represents one of the most comprehensive and innovative threat prevention portfolios in today’s market.