Improved security posture and streamlined compliance while user interface could be more intuitive
What is our primary use case?
The main use case for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is for perimeter security and analyzing traffic in the network environment.
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security offers deep visibility into traffic, detailed logs, and real-time monitoring to see what applications, users, and devices are communicating on the network. Apart from that, it prevents lateral movement, stops phishing attacks, and mitigates DDoS. The main use case is to provide protection for a hybrid environment such as on-prem and multi-cloud by having consistent security. It enforces zero trust access to critical applications.
What is most valuable?
The best features that Check Point CloudGuard Network Security offers include deep visibility into traffic, detailed logs, and real-time monitoring to see what applications, users, and devices are communicating on the network. Apart from that, it prevents lateral movement, stops phishing attacks, and mitigates DDoS. The solution provides protection for hybrid environments such as on-prem and multi-cloud by having consistent security and enforces zero trust access to critical applications.
The best feature is unified threat prevention, including IPS, antivirus, anti-bot, URL filtering, and Sandboxing in one platform. It provides seamless integration with AWS, Azure, and GCP. Furthermore, it offers centralized management from which we can manage security policies across cloud and on-prem solutions in a single console, known as Smart Console. From this, we can implement automation and DevOps support, as well as infrastructure as code security templates for faster deployment.
Cloud-native integration automatically adapts to changes in our AWS, Azure, or GCP environments; for instance, if a new workload is spun up, policies are applied instantly. Centralized management offers one console for both on-prem and multi-cloud environments. Additionally, automation and DevOps support allow security policies to be deployed as code and integrated into CI/CD pipelines.
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security has positively impacted our organization by improving our security posture. We have seen a sharp reduction in successful intrusion attacks because of its unified threat prevention, along with greater visibility and control. CloudGuard gave us full visibility into east-west traffic inside our local or cloud environment. Previously, we monitored north-south traffic, which helped detect unauthorized lateral movement early. It has enabled faster incident response and stronger compliance with standards such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR, which made audits smoother and helped us maintain continuous compliance in the cloud.
What needs improvement?
Areas for improvement for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security include user interface and usability, pricing and licensing, integration with third-party tools, reporting and analytics, depth of automation, and support.
In terms of user interface and usability, the Smart Console UI is feature-rich; however, for new admins, navigation is not always intuitive, and log search feels clunky compared to SIM tools. Policy editing could be faster with bulk or drag-and-drop options, and dashboards need more customization. Streamlining these would make day-to-day use much better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Check Point CloudGuard Network Security for the past one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is stable.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is average. I would rate the customer support as six on a scale of 1 to 10.
How would you rate customer service and support?
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment from using Check Point CloudGuard Network Security in both money and time saved.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is that it was good.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Comprehensive CloudGuard Security for Dynamic Environments
What do you like best about the product?
What I like most about Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is its ability to deliver consistent and powerful attack protection across many cloud platforms, including AWS, Azure, and GCP. The extensive integration with native cloud services allows for flexible deployment while maintaining high levels of security. Advanced threat intelligence, unified security management, and automatic posture correction provide robust protection for dynamic cloud workloads. Scalability and visibility across hybrid and multi-cloud setups are also significant benefits, making compliance simpler to manage and operational risk lower.
What do you dislike about the product?
What I detest about Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is how hard the initial setup and configuration can be, particularly in multi-cloud situations where rules must be fine-tuned for each platform. The user interface, although powerful, might be less intuitive than comparable cloud-native systems, resulting in a lengthier learning curve for novice admins. Licensing and cost control may also be difficult for firms that are fast expanding, since they need careful planning to minimize unforeseen charges. Furthermore, interaction with third-party monitoring and automation systems might be improved to streamline operations.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is assisting us with the difficulty of safeguarding workloads and applications in hybrid and multi-cloud settings. It offers consistent visibility, enhanced threat protection, and unified security policies, reducing complexity while ensuring regulatory compliance. Data breaches are considerably reduced by defending against zero-day attacks, misconfigurations, and unauthorized access. The ability to incorporate security into cloud-native operations boosts agility, enabling teams to innovate without sacrificing security. Finally, it has helped us improve our overall security posture by simplifying cloud operations and lowering human overhead.
Great NGFW for the cloud
What do you like best about the product?
Our overall experience with Check Point CloudGuard Network Security has been very positive, as the solution was easy to implement and integrates seamlessly with our cloud environment while maintaining the same reliability we are used to from on-prem clusters.
What do you dislike about the product?
I dislike that the upgrade process is not as streamlined as it could be, since it requires changes on both the firewalls and the cloud load balancers, which adds extra steps compared to on-prem upgrades.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is solving the challenge of extending the same level of protection we have on-prem into our cloud environments. It was easy to implement, and the clusters work just like the on-prem appliances we’re already familiar with, which makes operations smooth for the team. The solution gives us superb logging to the SMS, so we have great visibility into traffic, and it integrates well with our existing workflows. The main benefit is that we can run our cloud workloads with the same level of security and confidence as on-prem, without adding unnecessary complexity.
Seamless Cloud Integration Balances Reliability with High Deployment Complexity and Cost
What do you like best about the product?
Seamless integration with AWS and Azure, from GWLB to Autoscaling, it works perfectly.
What do you dislike about the product?
Architecture is complex to setup and to manage. High-skilled team required to manage the infrastructure.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It centralizes east-west and north-south access control. It inspects traffic, is able to host VPN's, NATs the traffic (possibility of centralized ingress), IPS, Anti-bot and Anti-virus blades.
Robust Cloud Security with Excellent Unified Management
What do you like best about the product?
The advanced threat prevention is truly best-in-class. We have deep visibility into our cloud traffic, and the ability to apply consistent, granular security policies across our hybrid and multi-cloud environments from a single console (Smart-1 Cloud) is a massive operational advantage.
What do you dislike about the product?
The initial learning curve can be steep for engineers not already familiar with the Check Point autoscaling ecosystem. Furthermore, the pricing structure can be complex to navigate, requiring careful planning to ensure cost-effectiveness, especially with dynamic workloads.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
CloudGuard solves our main security challenges by providing a single, unified management platform for our on-prem and multi-cloud (AWS, Azure) environments. This creates a consistent security posture, which reduces management overhead and simplifies compliance audits. Its advanced threat prevention, including IPS and sandboxing, protects our critical workloads from threats that native cloud tools cannot block. Finally, it gives us deep, granular visibility into all traffic flows, which is crucial for faster incident response and effective reporting.
Great integration with cloud platforms, easy to use, centralized management on-prem or in cloud.
What do you like best about the product?
Centralized management and integration with other Check Point products.
What do you dislike about the product?
Installation process can sometimes be a tricky if you are not prepared well.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It is protecting data centar services at microsegmentation level. It also enhances visibility into virtual infrastructure.
Defending the Cloud: An In-Depth Review of Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
What do you like best about the product?
1. Offers advanced threat prevention capabilities, safeguarding the cloud environments from a variety of threats
2. Designed to scale with the cloud workloads, ensuring that security measures grow alongside your business needs
3. Provides detailed insights and visibility into cloud security posture
What do you dislike about the product?
1. Initial setup and configuration can be complex
2. Higher cost
3. Limited customization
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security addresses several key problems:
1. Protect against threats specific to cloud environments
2. Provides comprehensive visibility into cloud resources and security posture
3. Adapts to dynamic cloud workloads, ensuring consistent security as applications scale or change
Checkpoint CloudGuard Network Security: Powerful Protection for Cloud Environments
What do you like best about the product?
What I like best about Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is its ability to provide consistent, advanced threat protection across multi-cloud environment. It offers seamless integration with major cloud providers, ensuring comprehensive visibility and control. Additionally its automated security policies help reduce manual efforts while enhancing overall security posture.
What do you dislike about the product?
Setting up and configuration of Checkpoint CloudGuard security can be complex particularly if you have limited cloud security expertise.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Checkpoint CloudGuard Network Security solves the problem of securing cloud infrastructure by providing advanced threat prevention and traffic inspection across hybrid cloud environments. It benefits us by ensuring that cloud workloads are protected from cyberattacks maintaining compliance and simplifying security management with automated policy enforcement and centralized visibility.
Best autoscaling solution for multiple CSP
What do you like best about the product?
Autoscaling is super efficient and easy to configure.
Deploys actually take less than 2 days, even less with terraform deployments.
Support is actually really fast, even on the lowest severity.
I manage cloudguards in aws, azure, gcp, oci every day, and i am completely satisfied.
What do you dislike about the product?
We need c2s and s2s vpns on A/A scalesets.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Check Point CloudGuard is a lifesaver for our dynamic cloud environment. The auto-scaling feature automatically adjusts security coverage as traffic volumes change, eliminating those throughput bottlenecks we used to face. When traffic spikes, it scales up instantly, and scales down when things quiet down. This means we're never overpaying for unused capacity or scrambling when traffic surges.
User-friendly interface and reliable security empower financial institutions
What is our primary use case?
I am based in Jamaica for the most part. Not a lot of people use
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security due to pricing issues, but most banks still use it.
What is most valuable?
I think it is secure and user-friendly. The interface is easy to understand and the
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security history assures me of its trustworthiness.
What needs improvement?
They could improve the documentation. The interface is fine for me since I have been using it for some time.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using network security from around 2003 or 2004.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Deployment usually takes about two days depending on the network.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not experienced any issues with stability such as lagging, crashing, or downtime.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is fine. In Jamaica, the networks tend to be relatively small.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had to contact technical support or customer support for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security specifically, but I have contacted them for other Check Point products.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I work with Cisco and
FortiGate.
FortiGate is popular in Jamaica, partly due to pricing. Users often choose cheaper options even if Check Point is considered better.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is fine. It is not difficult.
What about the implementation team?
I usually work with a team of about two or three people for deployment, totaling three or four including me.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing in Jamaica is a major issue, with users often citing it as a reason for not using Check Point.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have experience with Cisco and FortiGate solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I advise new users to carefully look at the documentation and do their homework before starting deployments. Proper planning and preparation, supported by the documentation, are crucial. I would rate the solution about nine out of ten.
