Check Point Application Control and Beyond

Check Point made a pretty significant move today when it announced its new application control software blade. Built upon technology that Check Point acquired from Facetime, the new application control software blade can help organizations create and manage usage policies for 50,000 Web 2.0 and social networking applications and widgets.This is a pretty big deal for three reasons:1. Traditional firewalls offer limited help. Web 2.0 applications and social networking widgets bypass network firewalls over wide open Port 80 opening the enterprise to a new threat vector. Check Point can now address this vulnerability.2. Check Point throws its hat into the Palo Alto Networks ring. To date, Palo Alto Networks has created a market with a unique Web application-specific firewall. Check Point can now compete with Palo Alto on specific application security deals or push Palo Alto aside in its installed base.3. The introduction of the application control software blade is just the latest offering in a growing and integrated portfolio. Very quietly, Check Point has put together exactly what enterprise organizations are looking for — a tightly integrated, comprehensive security suite. If Check Point improves its sales and marketing skills, it could push tactical competitors aside and open itself to extremely big enterprise opportunities.Check Point’s application control software blade is a winner on its own, and even more so in a broader Check Point security architecture. Gil Schwed and Co. need to broadcast this news.