Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP) has expanded its UTM (unified threat management)-1 Total Security solution line and has also released its Endpoint Security solution, both of which are designed for use in the enterprise. With the recent releases, Check Point’s Canadian country manager said he hopes to take a more aggressive stance in the Canadian market by obtaining more partners to help fulfill customer demands.
Check Point, which is a Tel Aviv, Israel-based information and Internet security vendor, also has Canadian offices in Calgary (Canadian Headquarters) and Mississauga, Ont.
Paul Comessotti, the Canadian country manager for Check Point, explains Check Point’s distribution strategy is through distributors such as Ingram Micro, Tech Data and Westcon Group Canada, and with resellers, which include boutique shops and systems integrators. In total, he said there are 44 active channel partners who work and deliver Check Point solutions in Canada.
With three new additions to its UTM-1 Total Security appliance line up, Comessotti said he’s hoping to attract more partners to further build Check Point’s Canadian channel base.
“In each region of Canada, we’re looking for partners to deliver our solutions,” he said. “The security marketplace is very hot right now and we have customers who have tremendous needs. We see a tremendous demand for additional services from our customers, and so there’s a significant demand for partners to fulfill that demand,” Comessotti added.
Check Point’s UTM-1 Total Security appliance solutions are designed for small to medium enterprises and remote offices. Some of the security features included in the appliance are firewall protection, intrusion prevention, Web security and messaging security and anti-spam. Its three new models, the 270, 570 and 3070, come with 100Mbps and four ports, 250Mbps and four ports and 1.1Gbps and 10 ports respectively. At a price point that starts at less than $5,000, Comessotti said Check Point’s UTM solutions are ideal for smaller businesses that need a high performance all-in-one security solution at a lower price.
Also relating to its UTM solutions is Check Point’s Endpoint Security software, which Comessotti explains adds a different type of security for businesses.
“Our UTM solutions secure data in a transmission state while it’s being moved,” Comessotti said. “Our Endpoint Security software tackles security when it’s at rest and isn’t being moved over the network.”
Endpoint Security is a total endpoint security solution that features firewall, network access control, program control, anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, among other things. Comessotti said the same customers who use UTM are the target users for this software solution. Designed to protect and encrypt company notebooks and PCs against data loss, malware and other threats, Endpoint Security, Comessotti says, is ideal for mobile devices that contain important data that could be placed at risk.
“If I leave my notebook in a taxi, it’s good to no one because it’s fully encrypted,” he says. “Data security also relates to USB keys because they move data and hook up to your systems. The software solution also allows customers to audit what data is going in and out. Being able to encrypt is one thing, but being able to audit along with encryption is something else.”
For its partners, Comessotti explains that Check Point has a Secure Margin Program within its Secure Advantage Program, which ensures resellers obtain a certain amount of margin upon registering the deal with Check Point and delivering the solution to the customer.
“I’m aware of several UTM solutions going out with about 20 per cent margins,” Comessotti said. “But of course it all depends on the types of services that partners are adding because any time you’re delivering services with a product, your margins are greater. It’s the perfect opportunity for our partners to add professional services and return engagements to help their customers optimize and customize their environments,” he added.
As the country manager for Canada, Comessotti said his plan this year is to move a lot of Check Point’s current customer base into the endpoint security realm, which he said is still a relatively immature market when compared to the U.S. market.
“We’ve had tremendous success in the enterprise space with our customers so far with our UTM solutions because they’ve opened up an additional market for us in the small and medium business space,” Comessotti said. “We’ve got programs in place to incent our partners and customers into the endpoint security market and we’re also doing awareness programs to get them interested.”
