Check Point Experience 2011: Roadmap
With customers and resellers from all over New Zealand and Australia in attendance, Check Point took the opportunity to outline a few of the initiatives the company will be implementing in the next few months.
1. New operating system
Dorit Dor, Check Point senior VP of product, told delegates on the first day of the event that Check Point will be unifying its two operating systems, SecurePlatform and IPSO, into a single OS called Gaia.
Dor says Gaia will combine the best of both current platforms, as well as supporting the full portfolio of Check Point products and software modules, or 'blades'. The new OS will also have a more simple User Interface (UI), offering search functions and the ability to customise the view to prioritise tools that are used more frequently.
2. Mobile security
With more and more employees wanting to work on their own mobile devices, mobile security is possibly the biggest security challenge businesses face today.
Gary Gardiner, Check Point security engineer, says Check Point has been concentrating a lot of effort on its mobile access blade. The tool now offers a two-tier authentication process, so when users enter their login details, they are then sent a text message with a specific code they must enter before being granted access. Users are also paired with their devices, so employees can't swap devices or claim another user has accessed their phone or tablet.
In addition, Check Point also offers a remote wipe tool, for cases where the user's device is lost or stolen.
The CheckPoint Mobile app is currently available for iPhone and iPad, with an Android app to come shortly.
The company is also upgrading its USB-based security tool, Abra, designed to create a 'sandbox' environment so employees on the go can securely use devices in public spaces like internet cafes. The tool is to be rebranded as the Check Point Go.
3. Document security
Check Point's ANZ data protection - Endpoint manager, Gareth Cox, says the company is looking to introduce a new document security blade in the next year, based on technology acquired with the purchase of Liquid Machines in June 2010.
The new blade will allow document creators to designate each document's security level, choosing whether other users will be able to edit, print or just read each file. Users will also be able to terminate access to a document remotely, useful in cases where the user only wants to grant access for a limited time.
The blade is currently in advanced testing, and should reach general availability in early 2012.
4. Cloud security
It wouldn't be an IT conference without someone mentioning the cloud, and Dor says this is definitely an area in which Check Point plans to work in the future, with work is currently underway in partnership with Amazon's cloud division, Amazon Web Services.
