EXCLUSIVE: Check Point UTM-1 1050

Check Point may have an enviable reputation in the network security arena but it has studiously avoided the mid-range and enterprise UTM appliance markets.

Until now that is, as it heralds its first assault with a family of three appliances and in this exclusive review we look at the UTM-1 1050 which represents the middle ground in the range. It aims to deliver a similar level of features as Check Point's higher-end appliances but at a more affordable price and although Check Point recommends a maximum of 500 users for the 1050, it actually has an unlimited user license.

The UTM-1 family pitches Check Point up against the likes of Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet and SonicWALL and offers a number of key differentiators. Centralized management comes as standard and the 1050 includes a license to manage three separate sites. More importantly, it doesn't require a separate appliance or any additional software to achieve this as these features are built in to the bundled SmartConsole software suite.

Along with the Eventia Reporter which allows a wide range of custom reports to be created you also get the SmartView Monitor. This provides real-time statistics on utilization for all appliances along with traffic graphs for areas such as the top services and destinations plus graphical counters for functions including content inspection and firewall activity history.

There's more as Check Point's browser-based SmartPortal offers quick access to all gateways where you can easily see their status, monitors alerts and manage security policies.

At the appliance's foundation is Check Point's Firewall-1 which, along with SPI/NAT firewalling, has the ability to handle a wide range of applications including IM and P2P. On top of this you get IDS, IPS, anti-virus, an application firewall and support for both IPsec and SSL VPNs. The latter is another valuable feature as a number of competing vendors only offer this as a separate appliance. Check Point's optional SmartDefense puts even more features into the melting pot although it seems a bit harsh that you have to purchase this to get regular anti-virus signature updates. However, is still looks good value as it includes web content filtering, proactive protection against known and emerging vulnerabilities and regularly updated security advisories and best practices. The UTM-1 appliances do not currently offer anti-spam services although this is a feature Check Point is considering.

Initial installation starts by pointing a browser at the appliance's internal Ethernet port where a quick start wizard gets you up and running. At this stage you'll probably just want to set up the LAN and WAN ports but the wizard does offer options for all ports including the dedicated DMZ and extra LAN ports. You can also decide whether you want the appliance to be locally or remotely managed which sets it up either as a SmartCenter server or configures it to contact another appliance running this service. Check Point has thoughtfully stored the SmartCenter software on the appliance from where it can be downloaded via the web interface. This installs the entire suite and your first port of call will be the SmartDashboard where you'll need to define the various interfaces and set up your firewall rules. No wizards are provided so from here on in you're faced with a fair amount of manual labour. Although the internal and external ports are activated during the setup phase you need to tell the appliance which one is connected to the LAN and which one faces the Internet and you also need to activate NAT on the latter as well.