Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

A NEW MARKET IN NEW HOMES FOR CHECK POINT'S SME SECURITY SOLUTION

A NEW MARKET IN NEW HOMES FOR CHECK POINT'S SME SECURITY SOLUTION

Deal which reinforces Check Point's success in the SME market

Woking, Surrey - 18th August 05: New homes are providing a new market for Check Point, with the installation of Check Point Safe@Office security appliances at 21 new flats in Bishop's Stortford. Wick Hill reseller Natpoint has embarked on a project with developer Stephen Howard Homes to install the Safe@Office appliances, which will provide firewall protection for the pre-installed broadband in the flats.

New buyers will get the benefit of industrial strength firewalling, from the world's leading supplier of firewall systems, while the developer hopes that this new direction in built-in communications will provide the company with a competitive edge. Although providing broadband access in new buildings has been done before, providing security, as well, is a new phenomenom, particularly for flats in the GBP220,000-GBP250,000 range.

The deal reinforces Check Point's success in providing a range of security solutions for the SME/SMB market. Safe@Office is one of a range of competitively priced firewall-based security systems launched by Check Point for this market in 2004. The range also includes Check Point Express, aimed specifically at providing security for the mid-sized business with up to 500 employees and multiple sites; and VPN-1 Edge, designed to deliver secure connectivity for remote sites and VPN deployments.

Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of Wick Hill Group, Check Point's SME value added distributor, who were appointed to help Check Point reach this new market, commented: "The robustness, low cost and centralised management of Check Point's SME solutions make them ideal for this kind of deployment. We expect to see significant growth in this kind off application."

NOTES FOR EDITORS

How secure broadband access is built in
Internet access will be via two ADSL lines coming into the building and a cupboard will house the Check Point security appliance for each flat. The ADSL lines will go through routers and through the Check Point appliances, then into the individual flats. The Check Point firewall will protect the flats from each other (as an internal network has been created), as well as protecting their broadband access to the Internet. All installation, management and updating will be handled by Wick Hill reseller Natpoint.

Other points
Check Point is the world's leading firewall company, well known for its corporate firewall installations worldwide and also now providing security for SMEs.
Home owners do not have to deal with ISPs and the service allows them to use the Internet at will. The cost is covered in the maintenance charges. The firewall provided is for a wired network, but advice will be provided on how to set up wireless access.
Advice will also be given to end users, on how to add anti-virus and content filtering from Check Point, which are available on subscription.

Release issued by...
This press release is issued by Wick Hill, Check Point's value added distributor in the SME market . Stephen Howard Homes is based in Stevenage Hertfordshire and has developments in the South of England. Natpoint is a value added IT reseller, with a particular knowledge of security solutions.

About Wick Hill
Established in 1976, VAD (value added distributor) Wick Hill specialises in secure infrastructure solutions. The company's portfolio covers security, performance, access, services and management. Wick Hill sources and delivers best-of-breed, easy-to-use solutions through its channel partners, providing customer support, implementation, training and technical services.

About Natpoint
Established in 2001, value added reseller Natpoint offers highly professional managed firewall and e-mail security services to the SME sector. As its customer base has grown, the company has expanded to all areas of managed IT services, offering a full range of support options for firewalls, vpns, e-mail and networks together with system design and integration. Natpoint currently manages in excess of 60 firewall installations based all over the UK and abroad. NP deals with a number of property developers and has previously installed a WLAN into a development of 70 short term dwellings.

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is the worldwide leader in securing the Internet. It is the market leader in the worldwide enterprise firewall, personal firewall and VPN markets. Through its NGX platform, the company delivers a unified security architecture for a broad range of perimeter, internal and Web security solutions that protect business communications and resources for corporate networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and partner extranets. Check Point solutions are sold, integrated and serviced by a network of more than 2,200 Check Point partners in 88 countries.


Pictures and press info
A picture of the Stephen Howard Homes development can be downloaded from www.prshots.com/?clid=2019. For further press information or an emailed pic of the development, contact Annabelle Brown on 0191 252 8548, e-mail a_brown@dial.pipex.com. For reader queries on the development contact Stephen Howard Homes on 01438 846700, www.stephenhowardhomes.co.uk. For reader queries on the technology contact value added distributor Wick Hill on 01483 227600, www.wickhill.com; or IT reseller Natpoint on 020 8951 0050, www.natpoint.co.uk