Check Point Expands Connectivity Reach With Dedicated VPN

The product, VPN-1 Net, is a dedicated VPN solution that includes Check Point's Stateful Inspection technology. Unlike Check Point's flagship VPN software, however, the product doesn't incorporate the complete FireWall-1, said Raphael Reich, product marketing manager at the company.

The software targets networking and telecommunications buyers, whose primary concern is connectivity rather than security, he said.

Gary Fish, president and CEO of FishNet Security, Kansas City, Mo., said the new dedicated VPN product is a "good move" by Check Point that will help him meet the needs of clients that want just a VPN, not a firewall. "We have people who already have a firewall and want to separate the VPN from the firewall and don't want to pay for an additional firewall," he said.

Reich said VPN-1 Net is priced differently from Check Point's integrated VPN/firewall solutions, which are priced based on the number of nodes protected. Instead, pricing for VPN-1 Net is based on the number of tunnels, starting at $1,000 for five tunnels.

"The pricing makes it attractive for migration from private WANs," Reich said.

VPN-1 Net features Check Point's One-Click technology, which aims to ease VPN setup.

Check Point, Redwood City, also plans to roll out VPN-1 Pro, the successor to its flagship VPN-1 Gateway. VPN-1 Pro offers enhancements to make it easier to deploy and manage VPNs, Reich said.

For example, the software allows administrators to define VPN communities for various configurations. The product also has a "VPN Dashboard" that streamlines VPN policy management.

Pricing for VPN-1 Pro starts at $3,500 to protect a network of up to 25 nodes.

VPN-1 Pro and VPN-1 Net are both included in Check Point's Feature Pack 2, the latest release of its next-generation security suite.

In other news, Check Point last week warned that its first-quarter results will fall short of Wall Street estimates because of prolonged depressed spending on technology by large companies. Check Point said it expects earnings of 24 cents or 25 cents per share on revenue of $104 million to $105 million.

In January, the company said it expected to meet Wall Street's earnings outlook.