Check Point 600 Appliance review

SMBs need just as tough network security as enterprises, but many unified threat-management solutions can be overly complex and expensive. Check Point’s new 600 Appliance series avoids all of these problems, since it’s designed to be plug and play, and very affordable.

All models use the same compact, fanless desktop chassis and are licensed for different throughputs. The 620 has Check Point’s full next-generation threat prevention (NGTP) package, and is good for ten users, while the 680 can serve up to 50. If you find your 620 is running out of steam, you can simply buy a new licence to upgrade it to a 640 or 680. If you wish, you can lower costs even more by only purchasing the firewall and VPN components.

Eight Gigabit ports handle LAN duties, with two more for WAN and DMZ functions. The appliances all come with an integral 802.11bgn wireless AP and ADSL2+ modem, each of which can be enabled by applying a licence.

Installation is a cinch: point a web browser at the appliance’s default address and follow its quick-start wizard. This runs through securing administrative access, setting up an internet connection and deciding what to do with the LAN ports.

These default to an eight-port switch, but you can break them out into individual ports, each with separate security policies. In switch mode, DHCP is already configured, avoiding the problems of earlier Check Point appliances where this could only be created from a CLI sysconfig command. Management has also been simplified, and the appliances are now fully configured from a web browser. Check Point’s higher-end appliances require its SmartConsole software suite, which is overkill for small businesses.

The 600 uses most of the same software blades as Check Point’s enterprise offerings. Along with an SPI firewall and VPNs, the full NGTP licence opens up IPS, application controls, URL filtering, antivirus, anti-spam, user awareness and QoS. The intuitive web interface makes it easy to locate the various security features. There isn’t much to do, though, since the appliance is set up out of the box with most of them already running.

A dashboard provides an at-a-glance status view of each software blade, with quick links to configuration and performance graphs. There’s no need to mess about with firewall rules, since you can pick from Standard or Strict policies with a single click.