Check Point Focuses on Endpoint Encryption
Check Point Software Technologies responded to the mobility trend by offering three secure communications products.
For starters, Check Point has its IPSec VPN Software Blade for remote access. Scott Emo, Check Point's head of endpoint product marketing, says with the VPN software blade, IP security (IPsec) encrypts all communications from a mobile notebook at home or on the road across the Internet to an organization's enterprise network.
Emo says the Check Point VPN is always on, which means the user doesn't have to bring up a software client to access data. "All this requires is a single sign-on that takes the user right into the VPN," Emo explains.
The second product is Check Point's Mobile Access Software Blade. This product encrypts communications on most popular cell phones, as well as on any web portal. The software sits on a Check Point gateway; users download the client application from the various app stores. Access rights are granted based on the person's status. In a higher education setting, professors would have permission to access the grades database, while students would be granted access to library databases.
The final product is Check Point GO, which is a fully encrypted USB drive. A user can plug the GO drive into a notebook or desktop that is not the user's machine and bring up a virtual workspace. Users can access apps that the administrator sets up on the remote machine, or they can use productivity apps that they previously loaded onto the USB drive. Once the user finishes a session, the data is saved and encrypted on the USB drive for use at another location or back on the user's office computer.
Voices
"We implemented a full-disk encryption solution four years ago with the goal of protecting the data that needs to be protected, wherever the data sits. We started with notebooks, as they were the most at risk, but over the last year we have started to consider how we can secure sensitive data, no matter the type of endpoint."
— Joshua Mauk, Information Security Officer, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
"The use of a centrally managed endpoint encryption solution is a key security strategy at Brown. Not only does it allow us to comply with state and federal compliance mandates, it plays a significant role in risk reduction relative to restricted and personally identifiable information."
— David Sherry, Chief Information Security Officer, Brown University, Providence, R.I.
"Endpoint encryption is a major priority for us. As devices proliferate across our campuses, it's becoming more and more of a necessity. It's a critical piece of the risk management process for the university."
— Judith House, Associate University Information Security Officer, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
