Netzer Shohet is a Product Manager based in Givatayim, Israel. He joined Check Point as a developer on the IPS infrastructure team in 2005 and currently works on cloud development for our platform that enabled the launch of CloudGuard WAF, Quantum SD-WAN, and Quantum IoT Protect, among others. Netzer holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Biology from Tel Aviv University and authored his best-selling book, “The Cyber-Safe Child,” to help parents teach their children about cyber safety.

What is your role at Check Point, specifically within the product team?

I work as a product manager on a platform that enables the fast development of SaaS-based security applications. Previously, I led the team as a director, but moved to an individual contributor role during COVID due to family commitments.

Today I oversee development processes, product deployments, help guide platform users, and create and review designs and architecture decisions.

What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your role?

The platform we’ve been building is an amazing effort to deliver a holistic solution to a number of security applications. The main challenge is striking a balance between offering app developers what they need in order to avoid writing infrastructure code on their own – and the uniqueness of each security application. That uniqueness can manifest itself both in the environment it’s protecting and the way the product is deployed and managed. Finding that balance is exceptionally rewarding.

It’s also very rewarding to serve as a central point of contact and ensuring that each product aligns with our overarching goals and vision.

How has the company evolved since you joined in 2005?

It’s been incredible to watch and be part of the company as it grew over the past two decades. As I look back at the transitions the company has made, I’m in awe. The comprehensive cybersecurity platform that we’ve created is truly best in class. From firewalls to securing additional environments in endpoint and mobile security, to securing the cloud, containers and the variety of environments that exist today – this journey shows the strength of our vision.

What product enhancement are you most excited about and why?

As a platform and infrastructures guy, I am excited about enabling innovation, even more so than the new product aspects that customers see. As a former leader of the SMB group, I was excited to enable the transition of many product aspects to an audience that required even more simplicity. As a member of a next-gen security solution team right now, it’s exciting to plan for the incredible variety of security applications Check Point needs, and will continue to need in the future. It’s important to make sure they can be developed as easily as possible, while continuing to provide a single pane of glass for customers.

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

Professionally, I take pride in my contributions to various infrastructures throughout my career. These include threat prevention during the days of IPS over 20 years ago, SMB infrastructures, and my latest endeavor – a new platform that enables security application development.

On a personal level, I’m proud to have authored “The Cyber-Safe Child,” a book that helps parents teach their children about cyber safety.

This endeavor was born out of my desire to educate not only my own children, but also their classmates, about cyber safety in a deeper and broader way that doesn’t start with the realms of the Internet. It is not about cybersecurity, although there are certainly points that intersect. Rather, it’s about a process in which our children gradually grow from being taught not to speak with strangers to navigating encounters with new people as they grow older. This has become increasingly important in today’s digital age, where the prevalence of strangers and misinformation poses significant challenges.

Check out the English and Hebrew versions of my book here.

What’s an interesting fact about you that most people don’t know?

An interesting fact about me is that I’ve been actively involved in giving lectures on cyber safety to parents and educators at Israeli schools, especially during the Israel-Hamas conflict, when online learning was prevalent. This allowed me to teach more than just my own children and their classmates.

To learn more about working at Check Point and join Netzer in securing the world, visit our Careers page.

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