TechWatch: Firewalls, PCs, SMB Servers

To kick off the New Year, we've tossed out all of our 2004 leftovers and uncovered a spanking new crop of hot products. What's on your must-resell list for 2005? Send it to awolfe@cmp.com.

WHO GOES THERE?
With customers clamoring for heavier-duty security solutions, the new InterSpect 2.0, from Check Point Software Technologies, could be just the ticket. Despite the name of its vendor, InterSpect isn't software at all. Rather, it's a hard-wired security solution that sits on the edge of corporate networks to guard them from lethal cyber-attacks. The 2.0 model--a major update to the appliance first released a year ago--adds centralized management features, the ability to quickly update the unit's software to guard against new threats and a new e-mail protection feature.
INTERSPECT 2.0, www.checkpoint.com Price: Starts at $9,000

BRIGHT LIGHTS, SMALL COMPUTER
PC vendor Gateway has slimmed down in more ways than one. In 2004, the company closed its retail stores in a bid to return to profitability and become more channel-friendly as well. On the slim-PC front, Gateway has launched the Profile 5.5. The sleek, all-in-one desktop comes with a Pentium 4 processor, Intel 915G chipset and a choice of 15-, 17- or 19-inch flat-panel screens. And unlike some other jam-packed thin-line models, it has a field-serviceable chassis to minimize maintenance costs. And we sure do like the way it looks.
PROFILE 5.5, www.gateway.com Price: $1,400

HP's SMB DREAM
Hewlett-Packard is positioning its new ProLiant ML150 G2 server as a dream SMB solution. The highly affordable system packs dual Intel Xeon processors into a tower configuration, complete with six I/O adapter cards, six hard disk drives and four memory slots. It boasts a software-driven remote-management feature, which helps SMB customers minimize support costs by enabling them to diagnose and resolve glitches from a centralized location. The server is part of HP's Smart Office initiative, so VARs can easily bundle it with an external hard-drive backup solution, UltraSCSI host-bus adapter, KVM switch or gigabit network interface card.
ML150, www.hp.com Price: $1,129