March 11, 2002
(IDG News Service)
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. said it has found an easy way for companies to install, configure and deploy its security software with its new SecurePlatform Media Pack, which the company announced Monday.
The SecurePlatform Media Pack is a bootable CD-ROM that contains Check Point's VPN-1 and Firewall-1 security software in both small-office and enterprise editions, as well as a Linux operating system that has been specially configured to be more secure than a standard Linux operating system, said Leslie Stern, product marketing manager at Check Point. The product was designed to allow businesses to quickly and easily implement security technologies, she said.
The software will install Linux and Check Point's products onto any PC with a Pentium processor or higher and at least 64MB of RAM, though some of the software needs as much as 512MB of RAM and 512MB of available hard-disk space, Stern said.
Because the software is preconfigured and installed through an interface designed to be easy to use, Check Point hopes to avoid the configuration difficulties that scare some businesses away from Linux, Stern said. The company has hardened the operating system by removing features that aren't security-related, but it hasn't added any features, she said. Check Point will also provide patches and updates for the operating system, Stern said.
The SecurePlatform Media Pack will allow Redwood City, Calif.-based Check Point to target more small to midsize businesses, which are both cost- and maintenance-conscious, Stern said.
Check Point, which traditionally has been dominant in the enterprise and carrier firewall and virtual private network markets, has recently turned its attention to smaller businesses. The company has offered customized versions of its software for those businesses and released low-cost security appliances through a subsidiary.
The SecurePlatform Media Pack will cost $100 per disk, Stern said, with licenses for the software installed running at their normal prices. Enterprise-level products start at $2,500, and small-office products start at $400, she said.