Check Point expands security blade platform

Check Point is introducing four applications for its a la carte security platform that allows customers to create tailored security appliances on off-the-shelf hardware.

The new software blades – Application Control, Identity Awareness, Data Loss Prevention and Mobile Access – are part of a new release of the company’s Security Blade Architecture called R75.

The company is also launching 3D Security, a program to raise awareness of security problems and best practices and linking them to high-level business needs and strategies, educating end users and consolidating security enforcement with an overall business view, says Gil Shwed, Check Point’s chairman and CEO.

The 3D plan is to publish best practices for what corporate security policies should include, such as data access control, mobile use policies, how to handle security incidents, how to respond when users violate policies, exception handling and auditing, Shwed says.

One example is a Web-based education service for all corporate employees to familiarize them with security policies and their responsibilities to adhere to them. Many of the areas 3D addresses are also addressed by Check Point products, he says.

As for the new software blades, the Application Control tool can discern 100,000 Web applications and widgets, and allow customers to set policies about them.

The Identity Awareness blade enables tapping Active Directory to assign security policies to groups or individuals, giving granular controls and reducing configuration time. The Data Loss Prevention blade protects data and engages with pop-ups if they are about to jeopardize sensitive information. Mobile Access integrates the company’s SSL VPN and encryption technologies to protect corporate communications on mobile devices.

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