Check Point
Israel's Check Point was one of the original firewall vendors, and its strength is central policy management that can run dozens of gateways. In 2026 it began replacing the Quantum, CloudGuard and Harmony family names with plain ones: Spark Firewall and Check Point Force for the network, Cloud Security, and Endpoint, Email Security and SASE, all under the Infinity Platform.
- Headquarters
- Israel
- Positioning
- Mid-marketEnterprise
- Official website
- www.checkpoint.com
Who it suits
Organizations running many firewalls that need one consistent policy across sites and an auditable change history.
Overview
Check Point today
Check Point Software Technologies is an Israeli company headquartered in Tel Aviv and one of the original firewall vendors. Its long-standing strength is central policy management: one management server can run dozens of gateways, and every change is logged with who made it and when.
New product names in 2026
During 2026 Check Point began retiring its old family names, Quantum (network), CloudGuard (cloud) and Harmony (users), in favour of plain descriptive names. Older quotations and documents still use the former names, so it helps to know both:
- Spark Firewall (formerly Quantum Spark): small firewalls for branches and small businesses, the 1500 to 2000 series, managed on the box or from the cloud.
- Check Point Force (formerly Quantum Force): gateways for head offices and data centers, plus Maestro for combining several gateways into one system.
- Check Point Cloud Security (formerly CloudGuard), Endpoint Security and Email Security (formerly Harmony Endpoint and Harmony Email), and Check Point SASE (formerly Harmony SASE).
All of these sit under the Infinity Platform, which ties management and threat intelligence together.
Operating system and licensing
Gateways run Gaia; R82 is the current recommended release. Management uses SmartConsole with a self-hosted management server, a Smart-1 appliance, or Smart-1 Cloud. Each gateway is sold with an annual threat prevention subscription. Higher packages add Threat Emulation, which detonates files in a sandbox, and Threat Extraction, which hands users a cleaned copy first.
Check Point suits mid-sized to large organizations that run several firewalls and have someone directly responsible for security.
Strengths
- A single management server controls policy for dozens of gateways, with an auditable change history and the ability to roll back to an earlier policy.
- Threat Emulation and Threat Extraction deal well with malicious attachments: users get a clean PDF straight away while the original is checked in a sandbox.
- The range runs from Spark Firewall for small offices to Maestro for data centers, all using the same policy model.
Things to know before choosing
- Product names changed in 2026. Check that new and old names on a quotation refer to the same product, and that the subscription package is spelled out.
- Mid-range and larger gateways need a separate management server (appliance, VM or Smart-1 Cloud). With only one firewall, that is extra cost and extra work.
- Far fewer people in Laos know SmartConsole and Gaia than know FortiGate. Plan for training or a support contract.
- Some organizations and funders have rules about the home country of security vendors. On externally funded projects, check the procurement conditions first.
Using it in Laos
Check Point is less common in Laos than Fortinet or Sophos. It is mostly found at banks, foreign companies and organizations whose parent company already runs it. Hardware and licences are ordered through distributors in Thailand. Popular Spark Firewall models are often in stock, while Force-class gateways usually have to be ordered.
Things worth knowing:
- Smart-1 Cloud helps a lot in Laos because nobody has to maintain a management server on site, but every branch needs a stable internet link.
- Power: desktop Spark units need a UPS. Rainy-season flicker can reboot a box in the middle of a policy install.
- Clustering: for the main gateway, run a ClusterXL pair rather than wait for a replacement from Thailand.
- People: if nobody on the team knows Check Point, cloud-managed Spark Firewalls are far easier to live with than large gateways run from SmartConsole.
Compared with alternatives
Fortinet is easier to staff in Laos and has SD-WAN built in, which suits organizations with many provincial branches. Palo Alto Networks fits when you want the most detailed application- and user-based policy and have your own security team. Sophos is simpler for mid-sized organizations that want the firewall and endpoints to work together. Choose Check Point when you run several firewalls and want one consistent policy everywhere with an auditable change history.
Product lines
- Spark Firewall
- Check Point Force
- Maestro
- Check Point Cloud Security
- Endpoint Security
- Email Security
- Check Point SASE
- Infinity Platform
Solutions that use this brand
Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)A firewall that knows which app and which user, with IPS, web filtering, HTTPS inspection and VPN, sized on real all-features-on…
Secure Remote Access (VPN/ZTNA)Staff and contractors reach internal systems from anywhere through VPN or ZTNA with MFA, seeing only what they need.
Endpoint Protection & EDREDR that watches behaviour, not just virus lists. It stops ransomware mid-run and cuts an infected PC off the network at once.
Email SecurityStop phishing, fake boss and fake supplier emails (BEC) and malicious attachments with filtering, SPF/DKIM/DMARC and sandboxing.
SOC & SIEM MonitoringFirewall, server and endpoint logs in one SIEM, with people watching the alerts and a clear plan for when something happens.
Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration TestingScan and test systems, websites and networks to find weaknesses before someone else does, with a report ordered by what to fix…FAQ
One quotation says Quantum Spark and another says Spark Firewall. Are they the same?
It is the same product line; Check Point renamed it in 2026. Compare the model numbers (such as 1600 or 1800) and the subscription package rather than the marketing name, and confirm it is the same hardware generation.
Will the gateway keep working if the subscription expires?
Basic routing and firewalling continue, but IPS, Anti-Bot, antivirus and sandboxing stop updating and you can't open support cases. Renew before expiry and ask the seller for each unit's end date in writing.
Should we run our own management server or use Smart-1 Cloud?
Smart-1 Cloud suits most organizations because Check Point handles its updates and backups. If policy requires management data to stay in-house, or you have many gateways and a skilled team, a Smart-1 appliance or an on-site VM is the better fit.
All brand names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Mention does not imply official partnership unless explicitly stated. Products are sourced through legitimate distribution channels.
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