The  worldwide leader in securing the Internet, Check Point  Software Technologies Ltd,  has  announced the introduction of   Software Blade Architecture,  the industry’s first architecture to meet businesses’ need for total, flexible and manageable security to the  Nigerian customers.

Introduced  eighteen months ago and embraced by many customers around the world, the product  comes pre-installed and integrated in Check Point’s appliance solutions, and enables enterprises to select the exact security functions that they need and then to combine them into a single, centrally managed gateway.

As Internet threats reach new levels of complexity and sophistication, Nigerian organizations need to activate numerous security protections in order to shield against the vast array of IT security attacks.

They end up deploying multiple products, hardware platforms, management consoles and daily monitoring systems, making their security environments increasingly complicated, composite and costly. Check Point Software Blade Architecture helps solve this challenge and offers businesses a unique and common platform to deploy independent, modular and interoperable security applications or “software blades” – such as firewall, virtual private network (VPN), intrusion prevention system (IPS), anti-virus, policy management or provisioning blades.

“Seventeen years after pioneering the IT security market with the Firewall and its patented Stateful inspection, Check Point continues to refine the security landscape with its Software Blade Architecture.

This revolutionary architecture empowers businesses with the true flexibility that they need to meet their ever-changing security requirements,” said Dubi Blitt, sales manager for the African region in Check Point.

“The architecture can be quickly and flexibly expanded as needed without the addition of new hardware and without management complexity. Such a breakthrough innovation will enable our Nigerian customers to scale their security needs while reducing security cost of ownership,” he explained.

Nigerian businesses can select from a library of over 30 Software Blades the exact security protections that they need and dynamically tailor their security gateways for their different environments and websites. For example, a business could start with a single core, single blade firewall system.

Business can turn on functionalities such as VPN, network anti-virus, VoIP security and intrusion prevention by adding four blades, turning their infrastructure into a five blade system.  To meet their performance needs the contained can be upgraded into a two, four or eight core computing system enabling multi-gigabit performance with the extended functionality.

Key benefits of the Check Point Software Blade Architecture include:
*Flexibility – Provides the right level of protection at the desired level of investment
*Manageability – Enables fast deployment of security functions and increased productivity through central management of software blades

*Total Security – Provides the exact level of security needed, at all enforcement points, and at all layers of the network
*Guaranteed performance – Enables performance setting per blade to ensure guaranteed performance
*Lower TCO – Protects investment by enabling consolidation and leveraging existing infrastructure
Software blades can be deployed on most Check Point appliances

Commenting on the newly released architecture, Andrew Hanson, network and endpoint security analyst at IDC said, “Check Point’s new Software Blade Architecture offers customers important flexibility and customization options to deliver security tailored to each enterprise’s specific environment. The Software Blades Architecture is a modular approach that can also supply cost saving benefits with the option to deploy dynamically without the need to upgrade hardware, firmware or drivers.”

“We are proud to introduce a new paradigm in security; one that meets today’s complex threat environment with refreshing simplicity,” added Shmuel Agi, regional director of the Middle East and Africa at Check Point Software Technologies.

“To address each new risk businesses can now consolidate multiple security systems by simply activating software blades on their Check Point security platform.  Check Point Software Blade Architecture gives them the flexibility to create a unified security infrastructure that is uniquely flexible and can be extended to fit their growing needs and optimize their existing infrastructure,” he added.