I am using not only Fortinet, but I am also dealing with other vendors as well, such as Check Point. I am working with email security by Check Point. I have a little bit of experience with Check Point CloudGuard WAF, as we ran a proof of concept here.
CloudGuard WAF-as-a-Service (Advanced/Premium, Contract)
Check Point Software TechnologiesExternal reviews
78 reviews
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External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.
Lower TCO and DevOps-Friendly Nano Agent
What do you like best about the product?
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is often lower because you don't need a full-time engineer just to babysit the WAF rules. The Nano agent is perfect in a devops environment
What do you dislike about the product?
Frustration where troubleshooting deep technical bugs results in a loop of being told to wait for a specific "hotfix" rather than receiving immediate configuration help.
Slow Response for Lower Tiers: If you aren't on a high-tier support plan, getting an L3 engineer on the phone for a P1 issue can take longer than desired.
Slow Response for Lower Tiers: If you aren't on a high-tier support plan, getting an L3 engineer on the phone for a P1 issue can take longer than desired.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
CloudGuard WAF uses contextual AI to stop manual rule tuning and alert fatigue. It solves the "zero-day gap" by blocking threats like Log4Shell preemptively. Benefit from a 0.81% false positive rate and auto-API discovery that finds "shadow" endpoints. While pricey and complex to license, it saves massive dev time via automation.
Web protection has simplified basic rule setup but still needs better multi-site flexibility
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The efficiency improvements provided by Check Point CloudGuard WAF are something I can describe. It was fairly easy to set up Check Point CloudGuard WAF if you are looking at the basic configuration. It was pretty acceptable with setting up rules, and so forth. If you were looking for advanced configurations, then you had to go for a different setup, and that made it a little bit complicated.
In terms of efficiency, Check Point CloudGuard WAF is very straightforward to set up rules because you really do not need to do much customization, as it is the case with all Cloud WAFs.
I have been familiar with Check Point CloudGuard WAF for about six months.
What needs improvement?
Check Point could improve or add more flexibility when it comes to migrating to different sites. Multi-tenancy is an area where Check Point has room for improvement.
How are customer service and support?
From what I saw, the customer support by Check Point was pretty good, but they were trying to sell it to us, so I would rate it eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with FortiWeb, although we just stopped using them. We used to have FortiWeb for the last few years, but now we have actually stopped using them.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The price of Check Point CloudGuard WAF is not expensive, as it was the cheapest solution we found. There is good competition for Check Point CloudGuard WAF at the moment, with big players in the market.
What other advice do I have?
If we selected Check Point CloudGuard WAF, which we did not, it would certainly be much cheaper. I would recommend Check Point CloudGuard WAF to others at a rating of seven out of ten. I would recommend it if you have a simple setup, then it is cheaper and it does the job. My overall review rating for Check Point CloudGuard WAF is seven out of ten.
Cloud security has improved and now consolidates multiple applications under one flexible firewall
What is our primary use case?
I can use Check Point CloudGuard WAF for multiple purposes, as I am using it as our cloud security posture management tool. I have started using it since cloud security posture management was sold to Wiz. Wiz is another product these days. I have started using Check Point CloudGuard WAF along with bot protection and API protection.
What is most valuable?
Check Point CloudGuard WAF provides great visibility and flexibility to use multiple FQDNs in a single load balancer. I am using multiple products with a similar solution, such as F5 and Check Point CloudGuard WAF. F5 operates with the discovery module and the API protection module only on a number of FQDN basis. This is a great, flexible option where I can implement multiple applications using a single load balancer.
The total cost of ownership has definitely reduced for my application firewall because there is no limitation on the load balancer for implementing FQDNs. FQDN is a fully qualified domain name. For example, I have an application on the load balancer with a.novaktech.one, and similarly, b.novaktech.one is another application, while c.novaktech.in is a third application. I can implement multiple FQDNs in a single load balancer.
Regarding the false positive rate, Check Point CloudGuard WAF has helped to reduce it as it gives more true positive cases rather than false positives. The technology leveraging Check Point's security provides threat intelligence where I can get DDoS and attack signatures and all AI/ML-based signatures. The false positive rate is very low. The approximately reduced false positive rate is about seventy percent. No product will give one hundred percent accuracy, but it detects seventy percent.
What needs improvement?
I see areas for improvement primarily on the reporting functionality front, as there are very limited functions in the reporting section. For example, I want to run a consolidated dashboard for the last six months, but it is not available.
Reporting functions alone have limitations, and sometimes this portal has latency issues when loading pages. Since I am using it as a SaaS platform, sometimes the loading pages take more time.
Regarding the Breach Reduction feature, I had a discussion with the Check Point account manager and pre-sale representative, but they have not yet provided a proof of concept demo. We are still in discussion.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am using the product for more than six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Regarding stability, I see no issues. Check Point CloudGuard WAF is quite stable and very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would say scalability is not a challenge with Check Point CloudGuard WAF, and there are no issues with scalability.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Check Point is good, especially since I am new to this particular product. They are providing good support currently.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Check Point CloudGuard WAF is easy to deploy.
What other advice do I have?
If I were to rate the support from zero to ten points, I would give them nine points.
If I were to rate Check Point CloudGuard WAF on a scale from zero to ten points, I would give it nine points.
Regarding the solution's ability for preemptive blocking of zero-day attacks and detecting hidden anomalies, zero-day protection with Check Point products is very less compared to all other vendors. For example, I am using Fortinet and F5 as well. Every forty-five days, I have to forcefully update my firmware and other aspects, while I have never seen much zero-day vulnerability on Check Point CloudGuard WAF. Yearly, I only do the patch management and firmware upgrade. Compared to other service and security providers, the zero-day vulnerability on Check Point is very less. I know this because I am using all the products and understand the challenges. Check Point CloudGuard WAF has very low zero-day vulnerability, which is evident in security reports. My overall rating for this solution is nine out of ten points.
Strong ML-Based Protection, but Pricing, Setup, and Documentation Need Work
What do you like best about the product?
It can easily distinguish between attacks and legitimate traffic. It doesn’t require a lot of manual tuning, such as creating rules and policies. It protects using machine learning and AI, which helps prevent most attacks.
What do you dislike about the product?
I don’t like the pricing and the complexity of the initial setup. Log retention is limited, which creates issues with troubleshooting, and the documentation feels lacking—especially when it comes to real-world examples.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It protects against SQL injection and XSS attacks that are often missed. It also reduces false positives, which means less overhead for the network security team. It helps stop automated botnets as well. Overall, it strengthens our network security.
Easy Cloud Setup with Strong Protection
What do you like best about the product?
The ease of set up and its strong protection. We were able to set up quickly in our cloud environment without a lot of complex configuration. The biggest plus is its minimal maintenance.
What do you dislike about the product?
UI feels a bit complex in the beginning, especially when we are trying to find specific settings or understand why something was blocked. Some features takes time to get used to.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
CloudGuard WAF helps us protect our web apps and APIs from common attacks and unwanted traffic without requiring a lot of manual effort. It also provides solid visibility into what’s happening with our traffic, which makes it easier to understand what’s being blocked and the reasons behind it.
Strong Security Features, but Setup and Management Can Be Challenging
What do you like best about the product?
I have been using the product for some time now, and I can honestly say it is highly effective against SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and bot threats. The automated rules make configuration appear very straightforward and simple.
What do you dislike about the product?
Configuring the system correctly requires a significant investment of time and a certain level of expertise, particularly when it comes to adjusting security rules to minimize false positives. Additionally, managing and reviewing policies can be somewhat cumbersome, as the interface is not always intuitive, especially when working with complex rule configurations or analyzing large volumes of traffic logs.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
As I have mentioned above the product is highly effective against SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and bot threats. The automated rules make configuration appear very straightforward and simple.
Easy Implementation and Management
What do you like best about the product?
I like that Check Point CloudGuard WAF is easy to implement and manage, which is a standout feature for me. It was also a bit faster to implement access control. I appreciate the search criteria as it doesn't require specific parameters for troubleshooting, making it a more straightforward process.
What do you dislike about the product?
Nothing to be disliked yet
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Check Point CloudGuard WAF was faster to implement for access control and easier to manage, protecting our company's web application and improving over our previous solution.
Simple and effective security solution
What do you like best about the product?
I like how it helps protect web applications from common attacks and gives clear visibility into traffic. The dashboard makes it easier to monitor activity and understand what’s being blocked.
What do you dislike about the product?
The initial setup and tuning can take some time to understand, especially when working with cloud environments. The interface also has a learning curve for new users.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It helps protect web applications from common attacks and reduces the risk of security incidents. This improves application security and makes monitoring traffic easier from a central place.
Cloud security has improved and unified dashboards now provide clear threat visibility
What is our primary use case?
I use Check Point CloudGuard WAF for security purposes. We have multiple clouds deployed in AWS. I look after and manage the incoming threats, and if there are any possibilities, I check in the XDR, which we also have. It gives a unified solution.
I receive lots of false positive reports that I bifurcate and provide to my manager. I manage any threats that have entered or are coming, and any processes that have been run. I manage these and provide reports to the concerned department to validate them.
The solution for blocking zero-day attacks and detecting hidden anomalies is very good. I can see lots of threats and how they are being blocked. That is the best aspect of Check Point CloudGuard WAF solution.
What is most valuable?
The best feature in Check Point CloudGuard WAF is its user-friendly dashboard. It is very detailed in a bifurcated manner, providing each and every detail about every threat or process that has been run.
The efficiency improvements provided by Check Point CloudGuard WAF compared to traditional WAF products is that traditional products give much more false reports. I previously used Forcepoint WAF, which gave very false reports. Check Point gives a proper report, whereas I can see and validate that particular report. That is very useful in Check Point.
The main benefits that I have seen from using Check Point CloudGuard WAF is that the security posture is very good. It analyzes and delivers the threats, enriches the intelligence, and I get proper clarity in my organization. There are lots of APIs which I get through the security platform. The threat hunting provides details about how the threat has been run and how it is running in the sandbox.
Check Point CloudGuard WAF gives much more clarity in the organization about what traffic has been passed on which systems and switches. It gives complete clarity in a single dashboard. If any random person checks the console, they would understand what threats have been going on and what things have been running in my organization. That is the best part about it.
What needs improvement?
Currently, there is nothing in the areas of Check Point CloudGuard WAF that I would like to see improved or enhanced in the future. If there is anything in the roadmap, I would definitely like to try that particular segment, and I am also willing to add some new features with much more clarity. It depends upon the roadmap.
Features that I would like to see included in the future are pretty much all there, but if there are any other enhanced features that can be implemented, particularly the integration part with other products would be better. Some products do not get integrated, so if those products become compatible with Check Point CloudGuard WAF solution, that would be much better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Check Point CloudGuard WAF product for the Web Application Firewall for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not faced any stability issues with Check Point CloudGuard WAF.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I do find Check Point CloudGuard WAF scalable.
How are customer service and support?
If any crucial updates or malfunction has happened with Check Point, I contact the TAC team. They are well responsive, and I like it very well.
On a scale of one to 10, I would rate the tech support around eight.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In the past, I worked on Forcepoint WAF. Currently, I am working on Check Point CloudGuard WAF.
Before joining this organization, which was two years ago, there was a different solution in place. I got feedback from there that the particular solution was not able to provide detailed reports or detailed clarity that Check Point CloudGuard WAF solution provides. That is how they switched to Check Point CloudGuard WAF. The solution is not only user-friendly but also has lots of technologies and engines running, and depending upon how policies are set, false positive activity got reduced. I can customize the policies depending upon the reports, which helped reduce false positive reports.
Check Point CloudGuard WAF helped me reduce my false positive rate.
How was the initial setup?
The onboarding process and initial setup for me personally was pretty straightforward since it was in the cloud. There were no challenges, and it was perfectly fine.
What about the implementation team?
We did not deploy Check Point CloudGuard WAF ourselves. We involved a partner who deployed it and then handed it over to us.
What was our ROI?
Check Point CloudGuard WAF product does reduce the TCO, Total Cost of Ownership, for my Web Application Firewall.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The setup cost was taken with the head of the department, who handled the pricing and everything.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The key differences, both pros and cons of Check Point CloudGuard WAF compared to other WAF technologies that I have worked with are very much in favor of Check Point CloudGuard WAF, because it provides entire cloud security and security postures. I do not think there are any cons currently.
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)
Proactive Threat Prevention with Easy Setup
What do you like best about the product?
I appreciate the proactive and AI-driven threat prevention offered by Check Point CloudGuard WAF. It effectively detects and blocks threats like SQL injections, remote code execution, and automated bots without the need for traditional signature updates. This advanced AI-driven security extends protection against a wide range of threats, including zero-day exploits and API attacks, all with minimal effort. I find the product’s capability to ensure comprehensive threat coverage with reduced manual intervention to be highly valuable. Additionally, the initial setup process is very easy, which facilitates a smooth adoption and fast deployment.
What do you dislike about the product?
The steep learning curve is largely due to the sheer number of features and the extensive configuration needed before the system feels truly comfortable to use. With so many profiles, protections, exception paths, and tuning options available, it can be difficult to determine exactly what is necessary from the very beginning.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Check Point CloudGuard WAF to protect web applications by automatically detecting and blocking threats like SQL injections and API attacks, without needing traditional signature updates.
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