Check Point acquires NFR

Check Point to acquire intrusion detection/prevention system (IDS/IPS) company NFR Security

Internet security specialist Check Point announced Tuesday that it will acquire intrusion detection/prevention system (IDS/IPS) company NFR Security in an estimated $20m deal.

Check Point CEO Gil Schwed said there is very little product crossover between the two companies and disclosed plans to integrate NFR signature based IDS/IDP technology into Check Point NGX security platform but also to keep the NFR Sensitive solution as a separate brand.

"There are too many security companies and too many security products today; it makes it hard for enterprises to decide which technology or solution to buy. Check Point is trying to simplify that choice and unify those technologies under one architecture," he said.

Schwed dismissed talk of dedicated security devices disappearing from the market, estimating that Check Point currently sees 40 percent of its business coming from supplying software for inclusion in firewall/VPN and unified threat management (UTM) appliances from Nokia and Crossbeam, with 60 percent from open server security solutions.

"There has been a lot of talk about network vendors embedding firewalls, IDS/IDP and VPN into routers and switches for the last 11 years, but it is still not happening, and most are offering separate product lines for the purpose," he added.