Check Point's SD-WAN Strategy

[Andreas_Aust]

That's what Gartner is saying about Check Point's SD-WAN strategy:

• Product strategy: Check Point’s strategy to integrate its security virtual machine (VM) with leading SD-WAN providers, rather than add native SD-WAN capabilities, creates a disadvantage against its leading competitors when competing for the branch perimeter appliance use case.

What do you think about that topic?

[G_W_Albrecht]

What do you think about the topic yourself - i just ask as you did bring it up here ? I myself do not bother with these important marketing challenges at all as i am tech based only...😎

[Andreas_Aust]

In my opinion Gartner is right. SD-WAN is a requirement in nearly every call for tender and most customers desire native SD-WAN capabilities.

[MikeB]

I agree with you, SD-WAN is no longer an option and in many of the opportunities we see, the client is not willing to make an integration with a 3rd party SD-WAN solution that adds more cost and complexity to the project. I believe that the competition is a bit ahead of us at this point and takes advantage of it very well by positioning itself with SDWAN in the customers, so let's hope that Check Point can react quicky 😃

[John_Fleming]

I really thought Checkpoint was going to buy Silverpeak. I mean Silverpeak as has no life on its own. SD WAN is just going to be a feature of something else and won't be able to stand alone. Too bad really, but then again its hard to compete when other vendors are giving this feature away for free.

Come to think of it Checkpoint's own marketing is basically there are too many **bleep** tools out there. Go with us for a single thing.. Well I mean except for SD WAN. Go else where for that.

[RS_Daniel]

Completely agree. SD-WAN is a customer need and represents a disadvantage compared to other vendors. Considering this is the second year that Gartner has emphasized the growing demand for SD-WAN, it makes me think it was a decision and not an oversight by CheckPoint.

[Dale_Lobb]

@G_W_Albrecht, that's a rather cavalier attitude.  Unless you own your own business and personally set business priorities, you will have to deal with the perception of CheckPoint as a security technology leader.  Right or wrong, Gartner sets business perceptions for many managers around the world.

Or are you ready to switch to Fortinet or Palo Alto at the drop of a hat? 

Personally, I'll do whatever management decides is best for the business, regardless of the fact that I have 20+ years of experience invested in CheckPoint.  I do not have any experience with SD-WAN at this point, so Gartner's observation at least gives me a starting point for investigation if or when the subject comes up.  Having said that, I would not hesitate to recommend a CheckPoint competitor if the situation warrants it.  That includes letting management know about Gartner's statements, even if I were to recommend CheckPoint.

All that aside, I've actually kind of wondered about CheckPoint's SD-WAN strategy for some time.  About a year ago, I had to sit through an hour long presentation on VMWare's SD-WAN offerings, even though my organization had no pressing need.  In the course of the presentation, I perked up when I heard that VMWare was partnering with CheckPoint for firewall integration with SD-WAN.  Later in that same presentation, it was stated that VMWare was/is working on it's own firewall system so that it's SD-WAN solution would be totally VMWare owned, end-to-end.  My thought: Where does that leave CheckPoint?  If CheckPoint does not have it's own SD-WAN offering, then CheckPoint is dependent upon the benevolence and whims of others who mostly have their own strategic interests at heart. 

[PhoneBoy]

Whenever people ask about SD-WAN, I always ask “what features and functionality does that mean to you?”
Because when you drill down, we actually have some of the needed functionality already, particularly on the 1500 series appliances.
Can we improve the existing functionality and add more across more platforms? Surely, and we have plans to do that.

[Andreas_Aust]

No offense Daemon, but the competitors have "ready to install" answers to that question. In my opinion, CP should implement a SD-WAN feature very quickly because "who comes too late is punished by life"

[PhoneBoy]

No offense taken. 🙂