Check Point VPN-1 Power VSX NGX Reduces Costsby Virtualizing Network Security

Customers increase performance, flexibility and scalability with a reduction in security hardware requirements
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., January 22, 2007 - Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced an upgrade to Check Point VPN-1 Power VSX NGX, the virtual version of Check Point VPN-1 Power - the world's premier integrated firewall, VPN, and intrusion prevention gateway.
Check Point VPN-1 Power VSX is a virtualized security gateway that allows managed service providers (MSSPs), including application and telecom service providers, as well as enterprises with virtualized networks to create up to 250 virtual security systems - including firewall, VPN and intrusion prevention - on a single hardware platform.
Product updates include advanced clustering that efficiently distributes virtual systems among cluster members, enabling linear growth in performance, real-time monitoring of traffic-load distribution and reduced synchronization traffic. By virtualizing network security with the enhanced VPN-1 Power VSX Check Point, customers can reduce capital investments in hardware and save on overall operational costs associated with hardware acquisition and maintenance.
"Enterprises want to continue to grow their network without incurring large equipment and real estate costs," said Rich Weiss, director of product marketing at Check Point Software Technologies. "Leveraging virtualization to address this problem, the new VPN-1 Power VSX will reduce ongoing capital investment, limit the physical space needed for security hardware, and improve the manageability of network security, policy development and enforcement."
The new, more scalable version of VPN-1 Power VSX also increases hardware efficiency through new resource controls that ensure that the consumption of CPU resources by each virtual system is optimally adjusted for overall efficiency and network security. With the new release, customers can squeeze the highest performance out of their hardware investment by enabling control of CPU resource utilization by each virtual system – limiting the CPU time available to a lower priority virtual system, and assigning more capacity to mission-critical virtual systems.
Additionally, increased efficiency is achieved through a new lightweight network quality of service (QoS) control that provides granular management of various traffic types. The new QoS control supports the Differentiated Services protocol and allows the assignment of unique transmission characteristics to individual classes of traffic with minimal impact on performance to ensure high-quality end-user experience with advanced applications. As a result, large enterprises and managed service providers reduce the need to build out costly network and security infrastructures in order to ensure the quality of high priority communications.
"Check Point VPN-1 Power VSX plays a key role for our customers that utilize VoIP applications," said Ron Steffen of Sharper Technology, a Check Point Gold Partner. "VoIP requires low bandwidth, but is highly sensitive to latency and drops, so this application can be given preference over high-volume, low-priority traffic that has a low sensitivity to latency and drops."
New Benefits of VPN-1 Power VSX NGX Include:
Throughput Limitations Eliminated - New linear growth clustering technology in VPN-1 Power VSX provides more efficient distribution of virtual gateways - optimizing overall performance and network security scalability as the number of virtual gateways grows.
Lowered Operational Costs – Resource controls in VPN-1 Power VSX improve overall cost efficiency, minimizing spending for costly network security infrastructure builds.
Business-Focused Control - New lightweight network QoS control enables administrators to make necessary changes for special requirements of varying traffic types. With minimal impact on performance, traffic is prioritized for overall efficiency and network security to align resources with mission-critical business operations.