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CSIA Provides VoIP Security Recommendations to Assist Congress in Revising the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Tuesday May 10, 9:00 am ET
Announces June Workshop on VoIP Technology, Research, Regulatory and Public Policy Issues
WASHINGTON, May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), the only public policy and advocacy group dedicated exclusively to cyber security, today released a report that recommends Congress consider cyber security issues facing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as it looks to revise the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The report explains why increasingly broad adoption of IP-enabled technologies, such as VoIP, calls for heightened focus on protecting the security, integrity and reliability of the Internet. CSIA also announced that it is co-hosting a VoIP security workshop with several leading universities on June 1-2, 2005 in Washington, D.C. to further explore the technology and policy issues surrounding VoIP security.
The Report finds that the same qualities that make VoIP such a valuable new option for mass-market voice communications also can lead to quality of service and performance issues including denial of service attacks, Spam over IP Telephony (SPIT), session eavesdropping and voicemail hijacking. The report concludes that adding an extra layer of security infrastructure can help resolve some of these issues, but not all of them. Since voice communication is a key enabler of critical government services operated by national security and emergency preparedness providers, a VoIP cyber attack could lead to serious consequences, such as loss of public access to critical emergency services like 911.
"While the promise of IP telephony is economical for many organizations, cyber security issues cannot be ignored," said Paul Kurtz, executive director of CSIA. "Because IP telephony depends solely on the Internet for operating, it is subject to all the same vulnerabilities that our corporate networks face. As Congress considers revisiting the Telecommunications Act of 1996, CSIA strongly recommends that the serious implications of VoIP cyber attacks be addressed since they can affect critical government services such as 911 and other emergency first responder services."
As consumers, businesses and government make much more intensive use of the IP platform through voice applications, it is essential to address the resulting impact on national security, emergency preparedness and Internet fraud/criminal activity. This report demonstrates the potential for VoIP to provide another channel for exploiting vulnerabilities in both our critical infrastructure and the IT-based economy. VoIP vulnerabilities also have the potential to act as entry points for attacks on the rest of the network, including non-VoIP applications, systems and infrastructures. Some potential fallout examples include:
* Crippling impacts on the operations of IT dependent critical
infrastructures, including the potential knock out of banking, finance,
chemical, electric power generation and distribution, oil and gas
production and storage, emergency services, public health services,
transportation systems, water supplies and more;
* Disablement of IT supporting critical infrastructures in these
industries;
* Potential for weakening the national response capability as part of a
blended cyber and physical attack;
* Loss of revenue for operation stoppages in call centers, order
processing and shipping;
* Theft, erasure, or alteration of business and personal information; and
* Violations of privacy and confidentiality regulations, possibly
resulting in civil and/or criminal penalties.
CSIA concludes that cyber security for VoIP is essential for the protection of the entire information technology ecosphere and asks that Congress consider several recommendations for securing VoIP technologies, including supporting research & development aimed at improving the security and reliability of VoIP as well as defining roles and responsibilities for agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Defense.
On June 1 and 2, CSIA, the University of North Texas, University of Tulsa and George Mason University are calling together leading scientists, technologists, policy makers and domain experts to address VoIP technology, research, regulatory and public policy issues at its workshop on "Securing Voice Over IP" in Washington, D.C.
Details on the "Securing Voice Over IP" workshop and a copy of CSIA's VoIP report can be found at http://www.csialliance.org.
About the Cyber Security Industry Alliance
CSIA is the only advocacy group dedicated exclusively to enhancing global cyber security through public policy, education, awareness and technology. The organization is led by CEOs from the world's top security providers, who offer the technical expertise, depth and focus to encourage a better understanding of cyber security issues. It is the belief of the CSIA that a comprehensive approach to ensuring the security, integrity and availability of global information systems is fundamental to national and economic stability. To learn more about the CSIA, please visit our Web site at http://www.csialliance.org or call +1-703-894-2742.
Members of the CSIA include BindView Corp. (Nasdaq: BVEW - News); Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP - News); Citadel Security Software Inc. (Nasdaq: CDSS - News); Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS - News); Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA - News); Entrust, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENTU - News); Internet Security Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ISSX - News); iPass Inc. (Nasdaq: IPAS - News); Juniper Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: JNPR - News); McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE - News); PGP Corporation; Qualys, Inc.; RSA Security Inc. (Nasdaq: RSAS - News); Secure Computing Corporation (Nasdaq: SCUR - News), Symantec Corporation (Nasdaq: SYMC - News) and TechGuard Security, LLC.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Cyber Security Industry Alliance
Midas
Check Point Software started at buy at Banc of America - MarketWatch.com
7:53am 05/10/05
Midas
200 Israeli high-tech companies to join US Internet Security Alliance
The US organization will accept Israeli companies with less than $100 million in annual sales.
Hadas Manor 9 May 05 16:23
200 Israeli high-tech companies will join the Internet Security Alliance (ISAlliance), following a signed agreement by the organization and the Israel Association of Electronics, Information, and Software Industries. Association of Electronics director Uri Har said that the ISAlliance would accept Israel companies with less than $100 million in annual sales.
Companies joining the ISAlliance will receive a booklet outlining how small and medium-sized companies can protect themselves against Internet-related damage. They will also receive a daily e-mail briefing from US Department of Homeland Security, periodic updates, and a direct e-mail line to consultations and inquiries, if needed. Har said that the service was very important for small and medium-sized companies lacking special personnel to handle the problem.
The ISAlliance was founded as a joint venture of the US Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), and Carnegie Mellon's CyLab, and is sponsored by companies like Nortel Networks (NYSE, TSX: NT), Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC), Visa, Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), Boeing (NYSE: BA), Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE; TSE: 6758), the Tata group, NEC (Nasdaq: NIPNY; TSE: 6701), and Mitsubishi Corp. (TSE: 8058; OTC: MSBHY.PK).
The Israel Association of Electronics, Information, and Software Industries operates as an independent association for the benefit of Israeli high-tech industries, and takes part in the activity of the Manufacturers Association of Israel.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on May 9, 2005
Midas
Not CHKP related,that is.
Check Point Achieves Prestigious Endpoint Security Recognition from Frost & Sullivan
Monday May 9, 8:31 am ET
Frost & Sullivan Global Market Leadership Award Confirms Check Point's Endpoint Security Leadership; Check Point Integrity Achieves Prominent Industry Accolades in 2005
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2005-- Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced that its endpoint security solution, Check Point Integrity(TM), achieved prestigious recognition from Frost & Sullivan. The industry analyst firm bestowed Check Point with their renowned Global Market Leadership Award for outstanding market share, revenue growth rate, profitability and market and technology innovation. In addition, Check Point emerged as the worldwide endpoint security market leader for its top market share and its ability to deliver to customers and channel partners in 2004 based on findings published in Frost & Sullivan's April 2005 report called, "The World Endpoint Security Markets."
Specifically, the Frost & Sullivan Awards recognize top companies in regional and global markets for exceptional industry achievements. Frost & Sullivan analyzed market share, revenue growth, profitability and innovation data for 28 endpoint security vendors to determine that Check Point held the endpoint security leadership position among all other competitors.
"We only present the Frost & Sullivan Awards to companies that demonstrate the highest levels of success in the competitive marketplace, and Check Point certainly deserves this recognition," said Jose Lopez, industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan. "Check Point Integrity occupies the largest worldwide market share percentages in the enterprise, consumer/SOHO and overall endpoint security markets, and we believe that Check Point will continue to dominate in 2005."
Check Point Integrity Receives Industry Accolades
In addition to the Frost & Sullivan Global Market Leadership Award, Check Point Integrity has also achieved the following industry accolades this year:
Endpoint Security Evaluation Winner, Information Security Magazine -- Integrity was tested head to head with five other security vendors and achieved the highest report card score for its outstanding policy management, deployment/scalability, compliance, installation and security.
Best Enterprise Security Solution, SC Magazine -- The 2005 SC Magazine Global Awards Program accepted over 1,000 security product and service nominations across 35 security-related categories, and publication's panel of judges named Check Point Integrity the Best Enterprise Security Solution for 2005.
eWeek Excellence Awards Finalist, eWeek Magazine -- The awards recognized vendors that meet today's rigorous enterprise IT demands, and Integrity was recognized in the area of Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation.
"Check Point's Integrity solution offers customers the industry's best manageability, scalability and reliability for endpoint security, and these latest accolades reaffirm our leadership position," said Carol Stone, vice president of marketing for Check Point Software Technologies. "Internet threats are continuously evolving, and customers can rest assured Integrity will keep their networks protected from all the latest threats so they can keep their businesses competitive and running 24 x 7."
About Check Point Integrity
Check Point Integrity endpoint security products ensure that both employee and guest users' PCs are secure before they're granted network access. For more information on Check Point Integrity, please visit http://www.checkpoint.com/products/enterprise/integrity.html.
About Frost & Sullivan
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050509/95351.html?.v=1
Midas
Shwed, Nacht each sell $5.3m Check Point shares
Including the latest sale, Check Point CEO Shwed has sold $21.3 million worth of Check Point shares, and senior VP Marius Nacht has sold $18.4 million worth of shares.
Tali Tsipori 5 May 05 15:41
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP) CEO Gil Shwed and senior VP Marius Nacht have begun selling holdings in the company. A notice sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday indicates that ten days ago, Shwed and Nacht each sold 250,000 shares at an average price of $21 per share, for $5.3 million.
Shwed and Nacht are selling Check Point shares in a blind sale plan, under which they have no control on the date of the sale or the number of shares sold. Shwed and Nacht are selling shares in order to finance the exercise of options whose vesting period ends soon.
In a statement about future sales by Shwed and Nacht, Check Point said they were converting options granted in July 1999 at a strike price equal to the share price at the time. Check Point was traded at an average price of $10 per share at the time, which means that Shwed and Nacht will get a capital gain of $2.8 million each on the current sale.
Check Point says that Shwed and Nacht are expected to sell up to three million shares each, which means that the current sale amounts to 8% of the total sale. Shwed currently owns 12.6% of Check Point, worth $689 million, and Nacht owns 11.4%, worth $624 million. Shwed and Nacht's holdings include options not yet converted into shares.
Including the latest sale, Shwed has sold $21.3 million worth of Check Point shares, and Nacht has sold $18.4 million worth of shares. Check Point vice chairman Jerry Ungerman has sold $3.5 million worth of shares so far this year, and David Rubner, a director and former CEO of ECI Telecom (Nasdaq: ECIL), sold a modest $280,000 worth.
Check Point is currently traded at a market cap of $5.47 billion, after falling 11% since the beginning of the year.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on May 5, 2005
Midas
Funk Software and Check Point Collaborate on Endpoint Security Solution
Tuesday May 3, 11:30 am ET
OPSEC Certified Solution Supports the Trusted Computing Group's Endpoint Security Integrity Architecture
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 2005--Funk Software, a leading provider of network access security solutions, and Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced an endpoint security technology collaboration designed to protect an organizations' critical data and eliminate network downtime caused by Internet threats.
The companies have worked to integrate Funk Software's endpoint verification solutions that provide network enforcement of endpoints, and Check Point's Integrity(TM) product family, the most complete, integrated, and manageable solutions for securing internal network PCs. The joint solution allows enterprises to proactively protect the network against viruses, worms, and other malware by ensuring endpoint compliance with corporate security policies. It is currently available for customer trials and will be demonstrated at NETWORLD+INTEROP, May 1-6, 2005 at Booth #2307.
Standards-Based Interoperability
The joint Funk Software/Check Point solution is based on the architecture set forth by the Trusted Computing Group in its Trusted Network Connect (TNC) subgroup on endpoint integrity. Additionally, the solution is OPSEC(TM) (Open Platform for Security) certified, assuring customers that the solution will interoperate in their network. Total Access Protection (TAP), a new OPSEC category, involves verifying that all endpoints connecting to the corporate network are properly secured and compliant with corporate security standards to effectively block the introduction and spread of viruses, Trojans, worms, and other malware plaguing today's networks.
"This Funk Software/Check Point solution enables new and existing customers to enforce endpoint compliance at the time of network connection," said Paul Weinstein, vice president of business development at Check Point Software. "Our collaboration with Funk Software demonstrates an industry decree to effectively quarantine and remediate infected endpoints at every access point to the network. This vision is being supported by Check Point OPSEC alliance partners, such as Funk Software and the Trusted Network Connect subgroup."
"Our priority has always been to work with industry-leading vendors to bring superior network access security solutions to our customers, and we are pleased to extend our OPSEC relationship with Check Point to provide this exciting solution," said Joe Ryan, vice president of Funk Software. "A joint Funk Software/Check Point solution gives our customers the proactive network security they require, while also providing a path to the standards-based architecture they need to meet their evolving security requirements."
The joint Funk Software/Check Point solution comprises the following components:
Steel-Belted Radius v5.0 with specialized plug-in authenticates users, performs or brokers the integrity check against the Check Point Integrity(TM) server via an Integrity Measurement Verifier (IMV), and grants access to the network according to the result of the integrity check.
Funk Software's 802.1X supplicant Odyssey Client v4.0 with specialized plug-in lets a user request access to the network, passing not only login credentials but security information about the endpoint gathered by the Check Point Integrity(TM) client agent via an Integrity Measurement Collector (IMC).
Check Point's Integrity(TM) Server and Client v5.1 enables network administrators to easily configure, measure and enforce a corporate compliance policy for endpoint security credentials (e.g., operating system patch level, antivirus update level, personal firewall update level).
Availability
The joint Funk Software/Check Point solution is currently available for customer trials and will be demonstrated at NETWORLD+INTEROP, May 1-6, 2005 at Booth #2307.
About Funk Software
Funk Software is a leading provider of network access security solutions for networks of any size, from enterprise to operator, wired or wireless. The company's family of RADIUS/AAA and WLAN security products allow an organization to enforce a uniform security policy across all network access methods, including WLAN, remote/VPN, dial, and identity-based (wired 802.1X) -- with the performance and reliability to handle any traffic load, and with full support for any network infrastructure. Funk Software's customers include many of the world's largest corporations, institutions, telecommunications carriers, and Internet service providers (ISPs); its products are licensed or resold by numerous leading manufacturers of Internet hardware and software. Founded in 1982, Funk Software is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.funk.com or call 617-497-6339.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050503/35805.html?.v=1
Midas
Check Point Announces Support for Trusted Network Connect ''TNC'' Architecture to Protect Networks, Systems and Data from Viruses, Malware and Other Attacks
Tuesday May 3, 8:30 am ET
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 2005--Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced support for the Trusted Network Connect (TNC) architecture. Check Point Software's Integrity(TM) product line will be demonstrating its support for the TNC architecture this week in Booth 1075 at Networld+Interop, Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas.
When implemented in products, TNC determines the health and security of clients connecting to networks and controls network access based on pre-determined policies. The architecture is intended to support multi-vendor environments.
TNC has been developed by Check Point Software and more than 60 other members of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), whose open specifications help vendors build products that protect critical data and information. More information about the open, non-proprietary TNC architecture and the first two specifications are available free of charge on the TCG website.
"We want network administrators to have choices in products and services for endpoint integrity in heterogeneous operating environments," noted Paul Weinstein, vice president business development, Check Point Software Technologies. "We support the TNC architecture and TCG's open and non-proprietary approach to determining client health and access to the network."
The TNC architecture provides a common framework for endpoint configuration enforcement based on system integrity and identity, with the option of incorporating the added security provided by Trusted Platform modules based on TCG specifications. The first phase of the architecture will offer two standardized APIs to address the exchange of compliance data and results between systems requesting network access and policy decision points.
About TCG
TCG is an industry standards body formed to develop, define, and promote open standards for trusted computing and security technologies, including hardware building blocks and software interfaces, across multiple platforms, peripherals, and devices. TCG specifications are designed to enable more secure computing environments without compromising functional integrity with the primary goal of helping users to protect their information assets from compromise due to external software attack and physical theft. More information and the organization's specifications are available at the Trusted Computing Group's website, www.trustedcomputinggroup.org.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050503/35257.html?.v=1
Midas
Cisco Tightens The Net
Quentin Hardy, 05.03.05, 12:01 AM ET
NEW YORK - Computer networking giant Cisco Systems is making good on its promise to better manage threats to corporate networks and plans to introduce a product that could threaten a lot of smaller players.
On Tuesday, at the Network & Interop trade show in Las Vegas, Cisco (nasdaq: CSCO - news - people ) Chief Executive John Chambers will announce the company's new breakthrough: a new device that puts up to 18 different security and network management functions, from detection of unwanted intruders to keeping employees off data-intensive free music-downloading sites such as Kazaa, all one on single box. Many of these functions are currently performed inside a data center with separate machines, which take up valuable floor space and budgets.
The Cisco device, called the Adaptive Security Appliance 5500 series, lists for about $3,000 to $17,000 a box depending on the speed of data packets it is managing. Cisco expects customers to start with a few security applications to begin with, but they can add applications and future functions to the device for additional cost.
The product may impress customers while causing a headache for so-called "point product" software companies that offer one security solution or even specialize in a few, such as Checkpoint Software (nasdaq: CHKP - news - people ) and Symantec (nasdaq: SYMC - news - people ). Juniper Networks (nasdaq: JNPR - news - people ), Cisco's top competitor in the U.S., purchased security company Netscreen last year and is incorporating that company's products in its machines. The latest Cisco move may drive Juniper to make even more acquisitions, furthering consolidation of the industry.
"We put a lot of hooks into it, the ability to run multiple processes and have enough storage and memory," said Jayshree Ullal, senior vice president of Cisco's security and technology group. "Nobody has integrated this many security functions--from virtual private networks, firewalls and intrusion prevention and VoIP [voice-over-Internet Protocol. For example, Internet phone calls] security--in one form factor, on one platform." From here on, point product companies "will have to move to the next generation" of security software, she predicted.
Aside from what it says is a lower purchase price, Cisco hopes to sell the ASA 5500 boxes on the basis of lower management costs. This one device can add security features to perhaps 10,000 personal computers at once, dramatically cutting cost and time associated with securing PCs one at a time.
Cisco's security group is the first of Cisco's "next generation" businesses (others include wireless and VoIP systems) to reach over $1 billion in revenue--Chambers' minimum threshold of success. Ullal said the security business is growing 25% to 30% annually and is increasingly a mainstream business for Cisco. Up to 40% of Cisco's switches and routers now come with built-in computing and security functions, she said, up from zero two years ago.
The ASA 5500 is the first in a series of new products stemming from an initiative designed to approach Internet security in a more systemic way, which Cisco announced in February. Previously the company had offered software upgrades to provide better defense against things such as spyware, as well as to offer better network control capabilities. Future products are expected to keep consolidating more of these functions into singe devices.
Expect Cisco to leverage its expertise in both hardware and software to build a stronghold that will become increasingly difficult for smaller companies to penetrate.
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2005/05/03/cz_qh_0503cisco.html?partner=yahootix&referrer=
Midas
LogLogic Achieves OPSEC Certification from Check Point; LogLogic's Log Management Solution Integrates with Industry's Most Recognized Security Framework
5/2/2005 9:04:01 AM
SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 02, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- LogLogic, Inc., (www.loglogic.com) today announced that its LogLogic(TM) LX and ST log management appliances have achieved OPSEC(TM) (Open Platform for Security) certification from Check Point(R) Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet. Through OPSEC certification, LogLogic's appliances seamlessly integrate with Check Point's market-leading VPN-1(R)/FireWall-1(R) Next Generation(TM) software. LogLogic's Log Management appliances will be live on display in booth 464 at the Networld + Interop tradeshow at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas May 2 - 5, 2005.
The LogLogic aggregation and archival appliances can pull firewall rules information through the CPMI interface and aggregate firewall log data through the OPSEC Log Expert API (LEA) interface. The configuration (CPMI) and audit (LEA) paths can be separated for compliant firewall policy validation like Sarbanes-Oxley. Log data is also correlated with other log data sources in support of network availability, performance management and security remediation applications.
LogLogic is the industry's first end-to-end log data analysis and retention solutions company. Already deployed in corporate networks of Global 2000 companies, the LogLogic LX and ST solutions help IT organizations accelerate security remediation, improve network availability, as well as deliver regulatory and legal compliance. The LogLogic appliances provide centralized, real-time monitoring, analysis and archiving of enterprise log data. The LogLogic appliances capture log data from firewalls and make the data instantly available, helping IT departments speed up problem resolution and prevent costly network outages which can result in lost profits for their customers.
"Log management is a vital part of any data center infrastructure," said Dominique Levin, vice president of product management and business development at LogLogic. "The OPSEC certification of LogLogic's appliances means improved network security for our customers through superior visibility into their networks' log data. We are working closely with Check Point to continue to build out our high-performance log management feature set."
"Log Management tools are important elements of security management solutions that provide necessary steps towards identifying and stopping security breaches," said Paul Weinstein, vice president of business development for Check Point Software. "OPSEC certification for LogLogic Appliances will provide our joint customers with a comprehensive event monitoring solution that integrates with existing Check Point SMART management architecture for managing security policies."
LogLogic's LX and ST appliances
The LogLogic solution consists of appliances, analysis modules and a browser based management console that deliver high performance-capture, ad-hoc queries, real-time alerts, anomaly detection, root-cause and trend-analysis reports and reliable aggregation and retention for log data. LogLogic appliances install in minutes, are standards based and work in distributed, heterogeneous environments delivering a fast rate of return through a cost-effective solution.
About Check Point's OPSEC
OPSEC (Open Platform for Security) is the industry's open, multi-vendor security framework. With over 350 partners, OPSEC guarantees customers the broadest choice of best-of-breed integrated applications and deployment platforms that support Check Point's Perimeter, Internal and Web security solutions. Products that carry the OPSEC Certified seal have been tested to guarantee integration and interoperability, ensuring maximum protection for business communications and resources for corporate networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and partner extranets. For complete OPSEC Alliance program information, including partner and product listings, the freely available OPSEC SDK (software development kit) and evaluation versions of OPSEC Certified products, visit http://www.opsec.com.
About LogLogic, Inc.
LogLogic's appliances provide high-performance log data aggregation, analysis, and retention for enterprise IT departments. The scalable LogLogic network infrastructure significantly accelerates response time to data center security and performance events, while providing complete log data archives for compliance and legal protection. Based in Sunnyvale, CA, LogLogic serves Global 2000 organizations that depend on immediate visibility into high volumes of log data under the most demanding traffic conditions. For more information, please visit www.loglogic.com.
LogLogic is a trademark of LogLogic, Inc. All other products or services mentioned are the trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered service marks of their respective owners.
SOURCE: LogLogic, Inc.
Midas
Check Point Express CI Named One of Midmarket 'Products of the Year' by CMP's VARBusiness Magazine
Monday May 2, 8:30 am ET
Latest Integrated Security Solution with Antivirus Protection Offers Customers Simple Deployment and Management to Address Midmarket Needs
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2005-- Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced that Check Point Express CI(TM), the company's latest mid-sized security solution that includes firewall, VPN, intrusion prevention and now integrated antivirus protection, was named midmarket "Product of the Year" by CMP Media's VARBusiness magazine.
ADVERTISEMENT
VARBusiness, the biweekly magazine that provides strategic insight to technology integrators solicited input from information-technology (IT) vendors and solution providers to determine which products and services were best for midmarket customers with 100 to 999 employees. Entries were considered and reviewed by VARBusiness editors who selected only 100 of the more than 400 nominated products.
"Our readers tell us that the middle market is one of the fastest-growing IT categories today," says VARBusiness Publisher, Robert C. DeMarzo. "Our editors have determined that Check Point Express CI is a security solution that best meets that segment's needs."
"The midmarket customer has very unique security needs that cannot be met by simply scaling up small business solutions or scaling down enterprise solutions," said Kevin Maloney, vice president worldwide sales for Check Point Software Technologies. "With our network of over 2,200 channel partners, Check Point is providing the mid-sized company with the ideal solution to combat today's evolving Internet threats. This recognition from VARBusiness is particularly gratifying because it further indicates Check Point's leadership in the medium business market."
Check Point Express CI is featured and profiled in the special May 2 VARBusiness "State of the Midmarket" issue and also online at www.varbusiness.com.
About Check Point Express CI
Check Point Express CI was designed specifically for midmarket customers and offers an easy to deploy and manage platform that incorporates firewall, VPN, intrusion prevention and integrated antivirus protection. With the newly added antivirus protection, customers can rest assured that inbound and outbound traffic is free of rapidly emerging worms and viruses. For more information on Check Point Express CI, please visit http://www.checkpoint.com/press/2005/express_ci_041105.html.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050502/25347.html?.v=1
Midas
CHECK-POINT SOFTWARE: Check Point Software wins two prestigious SC Magazine European Excellence Awards
via COMTEX
April 28, 2005
Best Enterprise Security Solution and Best SOHO Security Solution further indicate Check Point's leadership in the market
LONDON, UK, Apr 28, 2005 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) --
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, has won two prestigious SC Magazine Awards for Best Enterprise Security Solution and Best SoHo Security Solution. The winners were announced in a ceremony on Tuesday evening at the Riverbank Plaza Hotel in LondonVictoria.
Check Point's endpoint security product, Integrity 5.0, was awarded Best Enterprise Security Solution, whilst Zone Labs , LLC, a Check Point company, received the Best SoHo Security Solution award for its ZoneAlarm Security Suite 5.5. Check Point was also one of the finalists in the Best Small Business Security Solution category for Safe@Office, a product that offers wireless protection for small businesses.
"I am absolutely delighted." says Nick Lowe, Regional Director for Northern Europe. "For well over a decade, we have consistently worked to help businesses protect themselves against evolving security threats, through a range of intelligent security offerings. Winning these awards reinforces our dedication to security and our leadership in offering our customers total end-to-end security policy management, irrespective of platform or environment."
Check Point fought off competition from other vendors including Microsoft and Symantec to be named the winner at last night's ceremony.
About SC Magazine
SC Magazine (Secure Computing) is the largest circulation information security magazine in the world. It has three editions: USA, UKand Asia Pacific online with a global readership in excess of 88,000.
Midas
Check Point Featured in SSL VPN Pavilion at NetWorld+Interop 2005
Thursday April 28, 8:30 am ET
Pavilion Joins Market Leaders and Industry Experts for SSL VPN One-Stop-Shop
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2005--Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, will showcase its SSL VPN technology and products at the SSL VPN Pavilion at NetWorld+Interop 2005, taking place in Las Vegas, May 1-6, 2005. This is the third year in a row the SSL VPN Pavilion will be a featured exhibition area at NetWorld+Interop, which has seen a significant increase in attendance and interest in SSL VPN solutions.
"SSL VPN is no longer an emerging technology, and our attendees have told us they want to learn more about the benefits of this critical secure application access platform," said Lenny Heymann, NetWorld+Interop Vice President and General Manager. "The SSL VPN Pavilion will provide vendors with a great opportunity to interact with buyers who are eager to learn about the latest products and services."
The SSL VPN Pavilion features leading technology companies in the SSL VPN industry, including AEP Networks, Array Networks, Aventail, Check Point, Citrix, Eicon, Juniper and Nortel. Located in Booth 811 in the Security Zone, the Pavilion provides conference attendees a one-stop-shop on remote access issues, solutions and future trends.
In addition to the booth and product demonstrations, company executives and industry analysts will deliver special presentations throughout the three days on the latest advancements in SSL VPN technology and products. The presentation lineup will feature Check Point Software on "Secure SSL VPN Mobility: Managing Data Security from Kiosk to Corporate."
The Pavilion will also feature presentations from the following industry experts:
Joel Snyder of Opus One on "What is an SSL VPN?"
Brian Monkman of ICSA Labs on "ICSA Labs SSL-TLS VPN Certification Testing"
Jon Oltsik of the Enterprise Strategy Group on "Extended Enterprise Access Control"
Connectra: Check Point Software's SSL VPN solution
Connectra is a complete Web Security Gateway that provides SSL VPN access and integrated endpoint and application security in a single, unified solution. For more information on Connectra, please visit http://www.checkpoint.com/products/connectra/index.html.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050428/285203.html?.v=1
Midas
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP) recently
announced first-quarter earnings of 30 cents per share, excluding charges, outpacing last year's 25 cents and exceeding the consensus estimate by about 3%. The company stated that in the second quarter,it will remain focused on execution and will continue to expand the depth and breadth of its intelligent perimeter, internal, Web and endpoint security solutions, providing customers with the highest levels of protection. Earnings estimates for the year ending December 2005 advanced two cents, or almost 2%, from three months ago.
http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=48663339
Midas
Check Point missing the point
I don't like the way Check Point execs are dealing with the competition, as if Juniper/NetScreen and Cisco weren't forces to be reckoned with.
Shlomi Cohen 26 Apr 05 11:17
Israel's three largest software companies released their quarterly results last week. Undoubtedly, the only one that showed significant growth was Mercury Interactive Corporation (Nasdaq:MERQ), but the share took a hit, dropping 1.5% by Friday, because investors expected management to raise guidance than it did.
Check Point (Nasdaq:CHKP) continues to have problems with internal growth, not generated through acquisitions. The market punished Check Point for that, with a 4.1% drop in the share for the week.
Amdocs's (NYSE:DOX) results and guidance were neither pleasantly nor unpleasantly surprising, but investors had expected profit guidance to be revised upwards. When this did not happen, due to new investments the company is currently making, the share went down 6.5% by week's end.
I've always been interested in comparing Mercury and Check Point, because both of these companies operate in enterprise software, selling licenses and charging subscription fees, although the former deals in systems optimization, and the latter in network security.
In recent years, Mercury has grown far more rapidly than Check Point. In 2002, Mercury's quarterly sales were on a par with Check Point's; since then, the gap between them has only widened. In the first quarter of 2005, Mercury posted $199 million in sales, compared with Check Point's $138 million.
In terms of absolute quarterly profit, however, Check Point was unbeaten with $76 million in the first quarter of 2005. Mercury had less than half of that amount, with $34 million.
But if we look at cash generation from business activities for the first quarter, we see that Mercury is very close to passing Check Point on that count as well, unless Check Point quickly shifts gears into significant growth. Check Point generated $98 million cash on business activity; Mercury - $72 million.
I didn't like the way Check Point executives denigrated their competition, saying Juniper Networks (Nasdaq: JNPR) (together with recently acquired NetScreen Technologies) was not a factor, and that Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) product line was a mish-mash.
I particularly didn't like these statements because lurking in the background was a worrisome drop in Check Point's product sales in the first quarter. It makes one ask: if you're so much better than your competition, why are you having such a hard time making sales?
Less than 24 hours after Check Point's managers finished their somewhat uncharacteristic bragging, Juniper published an excellent first quarter report, showing a 10% rise in sales, compared with the previous quarter, for the NetScreen security systems division, even though the first quarter is traditionally weak. Not one analyst claimed that NetScreen had a problem with sales, even though Check Point's managers hinted at that.
Cisco, the other competitor, will publish its first quarter report on May 10.
Now it's true that, despite the slight dip in first quarter sales, Check Point is a cash machine. Having generated $98 million in the first quarter, it can laugh all the way to the bank, like some movie producer who, in spite of terrible reviews, puts out blockbusters.
In the months to come, Check Point CEO Gil Shwed and senior VP Marius Nacht will have more to laugh about, after yesterday's announcement that they plan to sell shares in the company.
The two have both established "blind" stock trading plans to sell 3 million shares by July 2006. Adopting pre-determined stock trading plans means that corporate insiders with access to sensitive financial information cannot be suspected of using insider information. For example, information about negotiations over a possible acquisition, which I think will take place during this time.
If it were up to me, I'd save Shwed and Nacht the broker fees, and sell most of the shares to their colleague, Check Point CFO Eyal Desheh, who has a budget of several million dollars to buy back shares in the company.
The average strike price of Shwed and Nacht's options is unclear, but it is known that in July 2003, Shwed received 2 million options, and Nacht received 1 million at a strike price of $17.5 per share. They received an equal amount of options in July 2004, but the strike price is now out of the money, at $27 per share. Perhaps they believe that the share will exceed that price by July 2006.
As I said, Juniper's first quarter report was good, and Merrill Lynch analyst Tal Liani raised his recommendation from "Neutral" to "Buy", with a target price of $26 for the coming year, compared with the current price of $22.60.
Liani expects Juniper's profit to grow by 20-22% in the next one to three years. That's double the growth rate of another company he recommends, market gorilla Cisco.
Liani sees Juniper as the undisputed number two competitor to Cisco, having benefited from the major telecommunications companies' migration to Internet protocol.
Liani believes that any problems in integrating NetScreen and Juniper products have been solved. As I point out, Check Point claims they have not.
Liani even believes that, in the near future, Juniper will begin taking market share from its network security competitors, because Juniper's network security products are more compatible with its other products.
One of the most interesting comments Liani makes also appears in his report on Foundry Networks (Nasdaq: FDRY). He says that Juniper's investors were wary that a major acquisition, such as the NetScreen one, would damage the share, and prevent further acquisitions, for example, acquiring Foundry.
Liani believes that Juniper will not buy a switcher/router company like Foundry, but rather, will buy a small company with a complementary technology in the pure field of network traffic management.
He doesn't name names, but Liani knows that there are only two small publicly traded companies in this field: Radware (Nasdaq: RDWR; TASE:RDWR), which issues its first quarter report today, and Packeteer (Nasdaq: PKTR), which published a good quarterly report this past Thursday.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on Tuesday, April 26, 2005
The above recommendations were made by a person/s working in the investment industry who may hold positions in securities mentioned in the column. This column should not be taken as advice to buy, sell or continue to hold any securities, and anyone acting on the advice of this column does so at his or her own risk.
Midas
Check Point Software Executives Establish 10b5-1 Trading Plans
Thursday April 21, 4:05 pm ET
To Address Expiring Options
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2005--Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, announced today that two of its executives, Gil Shwed and Marius Nacht, have implemented stock trading programs in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Mr. Shwed, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, and Mr. Nacht, Senior Vice President and Vice Chairman of the Board, have both established stock trading plans to be in effect for the next 15 months to exercise and sell options that are due to expire in July 2006. The respective plans comply with the company's trading policies.
Mr. Shwed beneficially owns outright or has the option to purchase 31.1 million of the 247.1 million outstanding ordinary shares of the company and Mr. Nacht beneficially owns outright or has the option to purchase 28.1 million of the outstanding ordinary shares of the company. The respective 10b5-1 plans will allow each executive to sell up to 3,000,000 shares that he is eligible to obtain upon the exercise of the stock options that are due to expire in July 2006. Even assuming the sale of all the ordinary shares covered by the 10b5-1 plans, the two executives would remain the company's largest individual shareholders.
Rule 10b5-1 allows corporate insiders and those with access to sensitive financial information to adopt written, pre-determined stock trading plans when they do not have material, non-public information.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050421/215903.html?.v=1
Midas
CSIA Testifies Before House Subcommittee to Advocate for Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security at DHS
Wednesday April 20, 4:25 pm ET
- Executive Director Paul Kurtz Outlines Critical Cyber Security Priorities for Department of Homeland Security
WASHINGTON, April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), the only CEO-led public policy and advocacy group exclusively focused on cyber security policy issues, testified today before the House Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity to support the rapid passage of HR 285, which would create an Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security in the Department of Homeland Security. CSIA executive director, Paul Kurtz, testified on behalf of both the Cyber Security Industry Alliance, as well as members of the Business Software Alliance. Both organizations strongly support the appointment of an Assistant Secretary to help the federal government take a more comprehensive approach to cyber security protection.
Last December, CSIA released its agenda for the administration that outlined twelve steps to help build a more secure critical infrastructure. This report also called for an Assistant Secretary level post in the Department of Homeland Security.
"We are seeing increased threats and vulnerabilities associated with our information infrastructure. We rely upon our information infrastructure, yet there is no one clearly in charge of coordinating its security and reliability. The Department's responsibilities to identify critical information infrastructure, develop emergency communications, contingency and reconstitution plans are compelling, yet the leadership is not," said Paul Kurtz, executive director of Cyber Security Industry Alliance. "CSIA believes the Department of Homeland Security must be the focal point for the prevention, response and recovery from cyber security incidents that have a debilitating impact on our national and economic security. While the private sector has a critical role to play in the protection of critical information infrastructure, DHS provides the main point of coordination for all of our efforts."
Kurtz's testimony focused on outlining key responsibilities of DHS in the area of cyber security, recapping the current framework for securing cyber space through the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, the Homeland Security Presidential Directive-7 and the National Response Plan's Cyber Incident Annex.
As part of his testimony, Kurtz also highlighted the importance of integrating cyber and physical infrastructure protection. As proposed in HR 285, CSIA believes it is appropriate to have an Assistant Security for Cyber Security working along side an assistant secretary responsible for securing the physical infrastructure under the leadership of an Under Secretary.
"We strongly support HR 285 in creating a more senior position at DHS to lead efforts to build a more secure information infrastructure for both the government and private sector."
To request a copy of the complete testimony, please contact Michelle Schafer at 703-390-1530 or schafer@merrittgrp.com
About BSA
The Business Software Alliance (http://www.bsa.org ) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce. BSA members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Bentley Systems, Borland, Cadence Design Systems, Cisco Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Dell, Entrust, HP, IBM, Intel, Internet Security Systems, Macromedia, McAfee, Microsoft, PTC, RSA Security, SAP, SolidWorks, Sybase, Symantec, UGS and VERITAS Software.
About CSIA
Launched in February 2004 by a group of cyber security software, hardware and services companies, the CSIA is an advocacy group whose mission is to enhance cyber security through public policy initiatives, public sector partnerships, corporate outreach, academic programs, alignment behind emerging industry technology standards and public education. The CSIA is the only CEO public policy and advocacy group comprised exclusively of security software, hardware and service vendors that is addressing key cyber security issues.
Members of the CSIA include BindView Corp. (Nasdaq: BVEW - News); Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP - News); Citadel Security Software Inc. (Nasdaq: CDSS - News); Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS - News); Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA - News); Entrust, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENTU - News); Internet Security Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ISSX - News); iPass Inc. (Nasdaq: IPAS - News); Juniper Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: JNPR - News); McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE - News); PGP Corporation; Qualys, Inc.; RSA Security Inc. (Nasdaq: RSAS - News); Secure Computing Corporation (Nasdaq: SCUR - News), Symantec Corporation (Nasdaq: SYMC - News) and TechGuard Security, LLC.
To learn more about the CSIA, please visit our Web site at http://www.csialliance.org or call +1-703-894-2742.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050420/daw076.html?.v=2
Midas
Check Point's Q1 was decent, says Unterberg
20.4.2005 / 15:33
TheMarker
CE Unterberg, Towbin repeated a Buy rating for Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ:CHKP), calling the company's report for the first quarter of 2005 "decent".
More specifically, analyst Vikram Kaura called the company's first quarter financials a "mixed bag". "
Near-term growth catalysts may not e fully visible yet," he warned, but the data security company is trading at a discount and it may well repurchase more stock, limiting potential downside.
Kaura is not committed on Check Point's new products, but notes better than expected sales of SmartDefense.
Barring a macroeconomic slowdown, he sees Check Point offering a 20% upside over nine to 12 months, hence his 12-month price target is $26, compared with the stock's present level of $21.25.
For the second quarter of 2005, Kaura foresees 30-cent earnings per share on turnover of $144.8 million, and for the year 2005, $1.23 EPS on sales of $589 million. For 2006, he projects $650 million revenues and earnings of $1.34 per share. Check Point itself guides investors to expect $1.31 per share for that year.
http://tinyurl.com/d3z3r
Midas
Tue: Did Check Point miss any targets?
In a world in which companies that are selling nothing but a dream are valued in the billions, analysts are disappointed because Check Point missed a forecast by $900,000 (which isn’t even true).
Shlomo Greenberg
I believe the investor public is much smarter than many people think. All it has been doing in recent weeks is to sit on the fence. Investors believe that they are faced with a scenario of rising inflation and a slowing economy, which is a definite reason to leave the market. In my opinion, this is the reason for the situation in stocks and bonds. The market will continue its stuttering until the picture becomes clear.
Look at Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP). The buzz about the company’s first quarter results came to an end only this morning. On April 14, less than a week ago, the important Meta group chose Check Point as the leading software protection services company, out of all the vendors fighting over the various market segments in the sector. Meta Group, a subsidiary of the prestigious Gartner group, is a company that provides evaluations of companies dealing in protection of transmitted information. Main Street pays attention to what such companies are saying, while Wall Street pays attention to analysts, which is a pity.
This selection of Check Point as the leader among twelve large vendors, including Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), McAfee Security for Consumers, Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC), and Juniper Networks (Nasdaq: JNPR), is a bit more important than analysts unceasing jabber. I’ve explained where analysts’ problems lie. Virtually all of them know exactly what state the market is in, and Check Point’s position in it. But the competition for publicity, and the “maybe” (maybe Check Point will miss, after all), distracts analysts; instead of concentrating on the figures, they concentrate on possibilities.
Just before Check Point published its results, Merrill Lynch analyst Edward Maguire wrote that he thought that Check Point would either meet or beat expectations. In his opinion, despite lower valuations in software security, Check Point is still attractive. He predicted that the company would report a profit of $0.29 per share, 16% more than its $0.25 per share in the corresponding quarter in 2004, and sales of $138.9 million, up 19.6%.
Check Point published its results yesterday morning: sales of $137.7 million, and EPS of $0.29, or $0.30, excluding one-time provisions. The company bought back 2.1 million shares for $50 million in the quarter.
Now let’s look at the responses by investors and analysts. Analysts questioned Check Point vice-chairman Jerry Ungerman about why the company’s sales were $900,000 low. “I don’t know why they decided [that we missed]. Our guidance for sales was $136-140 million in the quarter,” Ungerman said. So what if their sales were $137.7 million. Let’s be honest with ourselves. In a world in which companies selling nothing but dreams are valued in the billions, and in which accuracy is the last thing anyone cares about, analysts are disappointed because Check Point missed a forecast by $900,000, which isn’t even true. I’m very sorry, but I stick to my assessment that Check Point is one of the few technology shares on Wall Street that offers a real economic investment. Why do I think that? Because of the facts, ladies and gentlemen, because of the facts.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on April 19, 2005
Midas
Check Point Granted Two Endpoint Security Technology Patents
Tuesday April 19, 8:31 am ET
Technologies Ensure Total Access Protection from Security Threats
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2005--Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today continues the company's legacy of innovation with two technology patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Both patents are critical for protecting user access to corporate networks of all sizes by ensuring endpoint security and shielding computing resources against evolving Internet threats.
"With the introduction of these two unique technologies, we further illustrate our commitment to providing our customers with total end-to-end security solutions for today's dynamic networks. Mobile and remote computing platforms are rapidly gaining in popularity, and Check Point is working diligently to ensure we continue to develop the most trustworthy solutions available," said Gregor Freund, chief technology officer, Check Point Software.
Both patents are for technologies critical to protecting endpoint security devices such as personal computers, PDAs and remote servers as they interact with public or private networks.
Patent 6873988 entitled "System and Methods Providing Anti-Virus Cooperative Enforcement" was issued on March 29, 2005. This powerful Cooperative Enforcement technology protects networks from viruses, malware and other Internet-borne threats by requiring personal computers have up-to-date anti-virus software before allowing them to connect to valuable company resources and information.
Patent 6850943 titled "Security System and Methodology for Providing Indirect Access Control," issued on Feb. 1, 2005, describes mechanisms that ensure only trusted programs communicate over the Internet. This process prevents malware such as worms, viruses and Trojans from conducting malicious outbound communications, which can wreak havoc against other Internet-connected devices. The technology described in the patent will apply to products from both Check Point and the company's Zone Labs consumer business unit.
Check Point Total Access Protection
Check Point Total Access Protection (TAP) is an initiative that overlays endpoint security on each of the primary components of Check Point's enterprise security model -- Perimeter, Internal, and Web security. It provides a comprehensive framework for cooperation between endpoint security solutions and other security technologies in order to deliver optimal network protection. Additionally, the TAP initiative addresses the security posture of all types of network endpoints -- remote and internal, employee and guest, wired and wireless -- used to access network resources. By securing all the service endpoints used for network communications, from Web browsing and email to instant messaging and file sharing, Check Point protects against both network-level attacks and attacks on the endpoint's operating system.
History of Innovation
With the introduction of these two new technologies, Check Point reinforces its reputation for developing advanced technologies and expands its patent portfolio. Check Point is credited with holding the patent for Stateful Inspection, now the de facto standard for Internet security technology. Other Check Point patents of note include SecureXL(TM) and the patent-pending Malicious Code Protector(TM). SecureXL technology is a software interface that enables Check Point to leverage technologies from multiple silicon, appliance and computer system partners to accelerate the performance of firewall and VPN gateways by offloading simple, though computationally intensive, functions to third-party packet processors. Malicious Code Protector, a patent-pending technology from Check Point designed to detect buffer overflow attacks, enables customers to gain protection for their applications before a vulnerability can be exploited and before an attack can infect the target.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050419/195377.html?.v=1
Midas
Merrill Lynch finds Check Point attractive
"We are comfortable that improvements will follow as the year unfolds."
Globes correspondent 19 Apr 05 13:06
Merrill Lynch contimues to rate network security company Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP) "Buy", with a $30 price target, following yesterday's quarterly results release and the company's conference call. Analyst Edward Maguire says he finds the company's share attractive at current levels. Check Point shares fell 1.97% on Nasdaq yesterday, to $21.37. At that price, the company has a market cap of $5.3 billion.
"Check Point's 1Q05 results were mixed but nevertheless demonstrate overall resilience of the business. While licenses lagged, subscriptions and cost efficiencies drove EPS upside. Despite a solid 2Q05 outlook, near term appreciation depends on improving license traction," Maguire writes.
"Nonetheless, we remain confident in fundamentals and have raised estimates slightly to reflect EPS upside. Given attractiveness at current levels, we reiterate our Buy and $30 target.
"Licenses of $65 million (+4%) missed expectations and likely reflect organic declines in core products. New products increased to 28% of sales from 25% in 4Q. Given seasonal factors, a pending upgrade cycle for core products and signs of solid activity in 2Q05 we are comfortable that improvements will follow as the year unfolds.
"Offsetting weaker license growth was strong subscription revenue and healthy (+6.4% Q/Q) growth in deferred revenues (which represent 12% of our next 12-monthe revenues). Management believes the mix shift toward subscriptions and services is seasonal - but it will take another quarter to bear this out.
"Despite a relatively slow 1Q05, security fundamentals remain strong and valuation is attractive, in our view. We continue to recommend Check Point as we believe the expanding portfolio, deep franchise and continuing focus on security provide a basis for continued appreciation in the stock.
"Our price objective of $30 is derived by applying a 26X multiple to our 2005E EPS. Our multiple is derived by applying a 2.2X PE/Growth (the average of the Security Software group) to our normalized EPS growth rate of 12%. Risks to our target are execution, competition and weaker than expected economy."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 19, 2005
Midas
Check Point Software Announces Participation in Second Quarter Investor Conferences
Monday April 18, 4:02 pm ET
Management Presentations Available via Web Cast
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2005--Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKP - News), the world leader in securing the Internet, today announced its expected investor conference participation for the second quarter of 2005. Events include:
-- Smith Barney Citigroup 2005 Software Conference
April 28, 2005 - New York, NY
-- CIBC Israeli Arena
May 15, 2005 - Tel Aviv, Israel
-- 33rd Annual J.P. Morgan Technology Conference
May 17, 2005 - San Francisco, CA
-- UBS Annual One-on-One Conference
May 17, 2005 - London, UK
-- NASDAQ 15th Investor Program
May 18, 2005 - London, UK
Presenters will include members of Check Point's management team, who will discuss the latest company strategies and initiatives. All presentations are expected to be available via web cast at the company's web site. To view these presentations and access the most updated information on presenters and the schedule, please visit the Investor Relations section of the company's web site at http://www.checkpoint.com/ir. Schedule is subject to change.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050418/186053.html?.v=1
Midas
Merrill Lynch: Check Point could trade weakly on results
Analyst Edward Maguire maintains his "Buy" rating, and puts below-estimate revenue down to "seasonal headwind".
Globes correspondent 18 Apr 05 16:11
Merrill Lynch analyst Edward Maguire puts network security company Check Point's (Nasdaq: CHKP) slightly lower than expected first quarter revenue down to seasonal factors, and maintains his "Buy" recommendation.
"Check Point reported mixed 1Q05 results this morning as strong growth in subscriptions offset weaker than expected license sales. The softer than expected license line and decline in deferred revenues evidence a seasonal headwind, and we anticipate the stock could trade weakly on the news," Maguire writes.
"We remain buyers particularly on weakness. Given recent weakness in security software valuations, we think that the shares remain attractive and believe softer 1Q05 results imply a revenue distribution more skewed toward 2H05. We continue to recommend Check Point as we believe the expanding portfolio, deep franchise and focus on security provide the basis for continued appreciation in the stock.
"Expect outlook in line for the year, conservative for 2Q. Current June consensus is revenues of $144 million and $0.30 versus our estimate of $145 million and $0.28. We think management could guide revenues slightly in line for the year but more conservatively for 2Q05. We are leaving estimates intact pending the company’s conference call."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 18, 2005
Midas
Check Point meets profit estimates; revenue undershoots
The company posted EPS of $0.29 on revenue of $137.7 million for the first quarter.
Globes correspondent 18 Apr 05 11:42
Network security company Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP) Point( Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKP - News) made a profit of $73.7 million ($0.29 per share) on revenue of $137.7 million for the first quarter of 2005.
The company's guidance was for a profit of $74-79 million ($0.28-0.29 per share) on revenue of $136-140 million. The consensus analysts' estimate was $0.29 EPS on revenue of $138.86 million.
First quarter revenue was 19% higher than the $116.1 million recorded in the first quarter of 2004. Net profit was 76% higher than in the first quarter of 2004, when it was $41.9 million.
Net profit excluding acquisition related charges was $75.8 million in the first quarter of 2005, representing an increase of 17% compared with $65 million in the first quarter of 2004.
The $0.29 earnings per diluted share in the first quarter of 2005 were 78% higher than the $0.16 earnings per diluted share in the first quarter of 2004. EPS excluding net acquisition related charges was $0.30, representing an increase of 18% compared with $0.25 in the first quarter of 2004.
Deferred revenue increased by $9.1 million to a record $150.2 million, 6% more than deferred revenues at the end of 2004.
During the first quarter of 2005, Check Point purchased 2.1 million shares at a total cost of close to $50 million.
"We are pleased with our first quarter results, which showed significant growth in profits and revenues," said Check Point chairman and CEO Gil Shwed.
"We continued to extend our annuity based revenues which were spearheaded by growing sales of two of our new offerings: ZoneAlarm security services for the consumer segment and SmartDefense real time security updates for our enterprise customers," Shwed added.
Check Point shares closed at $21.80 on Friday, giving the company a market cap of $5.41 billion.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 18, 2005
Midas
Check Point Software posts higher quarterly profit
Mon Apr 18, 2005 04:15 AM ET
NEW YORK, April 18 (Reuters) - Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP.O: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a sharp rise in quarterly profit on higher revenue from a year earlier, buoyed by strong demand for its security software products.
First-quarter net income was $73.7 million, or 29 cents per share, versus $41.9 million, or 16 cents a share, a year ago, when the company took a $23 million research and development charge, the Israeli-American company said on Monday.
Total revenue was $137.7 million, up 19 percent from $116.1 million in the year-ago quarter.
Analysts on average were expecting Check Point to earn 29 cents per share in the quarter, according to Reuters Estimates.
Excluding certain charges, the company said earnings were 30 cents per share.
http://tinyurl.com/bt4um
Midas
Check Point Software Reports Financial Results for the First Quarter of 2005
Monday April 18, 4:00 am ET
2005 First Quarter Revenues Increased 19% over First Quarter of 2004
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2005--Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2005.
Financial Highlights for the First Quarter of 2005:
Revenues: $137.7 million, an increase of 19% compared to $116.1 million in the first quarter of 2004.
Net Income: $73.7 million, an increase of 76% compared to $41.9 million in the first quarter of 2004. Net income excluding acquisition related charges(1) was $75.8 million, an increase of 17% compared to $65 million in the first quarter of 2004.
Earnings per Diluted Share: $0.29, an increase of 78% compared to $0.16 in the first quarter of 2004. EPS excluding net acquisition related charges was $0.30, an increase of 18% compared to $0.25 in the first quarter of 2004.
Deferred Revenues: increased by $9.1 million to a record $150.2 million, a 6% increase over deferred revenues as of December 31, 2004.
Share Repurchase Program: During the first quarter of 2005, Check Point purchased 2.1 million shares at a total cost of close to $50 million.
"We are pleased with our first quarter results, which showed significant growth in profits and revenues," said Gil Shwed, chairman and chief executive officer of Check Point Software. "We continued to extend our annuity based revenues which were spearheaded by growing sales of two of our new offerings: ZoneAlarm security services for the consumer segment and SmartDefense real time security updates for our enterprise customers."
Business Highlights and Introductions during the First Quarter Include:
Unveiled Eventia(TM) Product Family of Security Event Management Solutions -- designed to help IT security departments reduce the cost and complexity of security event correlation, management, and reporting. The first product unveiled, Eventia Analyzer(TM), automatically prioritizes security events for decisive, intelligent action and turns volumes of raw data into actionable information to empower security administrators to make informed decisions on their security deployment.
Unveiled Integrity(TM) 6.0 for Unmatched Endpoint Security -- the most complete endpoint security solution, including intrusion prevention, outbound threat protection, access policy enforcement, advanced server and policy automation, protects PCs and enterprise networks proactively from the newest worms, viruses, spyware, and hacker attacks.
Released Connectra(TM) 2.0 -- the newest version of Check Point's revolutionary Web Security Gateway that provides SSL VPN access with integrated application and endpoint security. In addition, Connectra 2.0 includes secure browser and cache cleaning, endpoint host checking and real-time security updates.
Introduced a New Focus in our Highly Regarded OPSEC(TM) Partner Alliance -- to help customers overcome today's emerging network security threats through a comprehensive, best-of-breed security architecture. The new initiative focuses on six critical OPSEC (Open Platform for Security) solution areas -- internal security, Web security, content security, Total Access Protection (TAP), Voice over IP (VoIP) and regulatory compliance.
Partial List of Awards in the First Quarter:
Leader in the Prestigious Gartner Magic Quadrant -- for the fourth consecutive year Check Point ranked as a leader for Network Firewalls. This influential report evaluates both network and application firewall vendors on their ability to execute and completeness of vision.
Dramatically Outperformed Competitors in Tolly Group Tests -- independent tests confirmed that Check Point provides the broadest breadth of security coverage at the lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for today's complex security vulnerabilities.
VARBusiness Magazine Five-Star Rating for Channel Partner Program -- The highest attainable ranking for outstanding breadth and depth of channel partner program offerings.
Three Prestigious Awards for 2005 SC Magazine Global Awards -- Best Firewall award for the VPN-1®/FireWall-1® Next Generation(TM) with Application Intelligence(TM), Best Enterprise Security Solution for VPN-1 Pro(TM) Next Generation with Application Intelligence and Best SOHO Security Solution for ZoneAlarm® Security Suite.
Mr. Shwed continues: "In Q2, we will remain focused on execution and will continue to expand the depth and breadth of our intelligent perimeter, internal, Web and endpoint security solutions, providing customers with the highest levels of protection."
Conference Call and Webcast Information
Check Point will host a conference call with the investment community on April 18, 2005 at 8:30 AM ET/5:30 AM PT. A replay of the conference call will be available through May 2 at the Company's website http://www.checkpoint.com/ir or by telephone at 201-612-7415, access code 215 and conference ID 146033.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050418/185423.html?.v=1
Midas
Check Point, ahead of the report
17.4.2005 / 15:17
Shirley Yom Tov
Usually if a stock tanks ahead of the company's financial statement, the conclusion is investors are worried, and prefer to ditch rather than stay on the fence.
On Friday, Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ:CHKP) stock shed 4% on heavy turnover. Were investors fretting about its impending report, or merely punishing it together with the rest of the tech sector?
Probably not. Nasdaq did retreat by 2% and other weighty Israeli tech stocks also sank: Teva Pharmaceuticals (TASE, Nasdaq:TEVA), Amdocs (NYSE:DOX), ECI Telecom (Nasdaq:ECIL), Comverse Technologies (NASDAQ:CMVT) and Mercury Interactive (Nasdaq:MERQ). None were spared.
Tomorrow Check Point will make matters clearer, by filing its financials for the first quarter of 2005.
The year 2005 is expected to be a record one for the Israeli data security company, with 14-16% revenue growth to $585-600 million, and a profit per share of $1.18-1.24, or $325 million to $340 million.
If accurate, those figures will leave 2001, so far its best year, in the dust. It had posted sales of $527 million for that year, before the great tech crash.
The first quarter is traditionally a weak one for software companies, so actually Check Point's figures are expected to be below its fourth-quarter 2004 ones. Then it netted $70 million or 30 cents per share.
The company has guided investors to expert first-quarter sales of $136-140 million, and earnings of 28-29 cents per share. That would be 17-20% above the parallel quarter of 2004.
Unterberg: Scale back position in the share
As one of Israel's most prominent companies on Wall Street, Check Point is covered by 30 investment banks. Their average forecast is about $130 million revenues in the first quarter, and pro forma earnings of 29 cents per share.
Hitting the upper line of the company's guidance indicates the analysts feel Check Point was conservative. A sample of six investment banks found that five – Merrill Lynch, Piper Jaffray, Oscar Gruss, Kaufman ad Wedbush – think Check Point will meet or beat the forecast. Only Unterberg thinks otherwise and advised investors it feels the first-quarter forecasts are in danger.
Unterberg is concerned because it believes Check Point slashed the prices of products to achieve secure access to enterprise systems from remote endpoints. It's a line of products partly based on solutions from Zone Labs, which Check Point acquired. Unterberg spoke of price cuts ranging from 2% to 30% but couldn't say when it happened.
But the figures indicate weak demand for the products, which Unterberg feels may cause the company to fall short of first-quarter expectations, and to disappoint in the second quarter as well. They suggested investors scale back their holdings in Check Point ahead of the company's financial statement release.
None of the other investment banks share Unterberg's sentiment: if anything Kaufman Bros expects stronger than expected results regarding Zone Labs' integrity products. They expect Check Point to beat the consensus and to achieve $139 million sales in the quarter.
Wedbush foresees a 1% slip in revenues against the previous quarter, to $139.8 million, which would beat the company's own guidance. The investment bank's recommendation remained Buy, a sentiment echoed by Oscar Gruss and Merrill Lynch.
Piper Jaffray also expects an upside and reassures investors that it is not expecting slow sales in Europe. Its forecast is the highest: turnover of $142.1 million and 30 cents per share earnings.
The investment banks' 12-month price targets are high: Piper Jaffray's is $31, which is a cool $42 above the stock's Friday closing on Nasdaq. Yet Check Point stock has sunk 13% since February began.
http://www.themarker.com/eng/article.jhtml?ElementId=%2Fibo%2Frepositories%2Fstories%2Fm1_2000%2Fsy2...
Midas
CHKP: Reit Buy - Check Point reports its Q1 results on Monday, April 18, 2005, 5:30am PST.
We expect the company to report upside to our estimates, down 1% sequentially in revenues versus down 2.3% in our estimates and potentially $0.01 upside in EPS.
Channel checks improve in 2nd half of quarter for Web and perimeter security.
Internal Security still lagging other areas but modest improvement seen.
Valuation highly attractive; reiterating Buy; maintaining $28 price target based on DCF.
http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=48391869
Midas
Merrill Lynch expects solid quarter from Check Point
"The expanding portfolio, deep franchise, and focus on security provide the basis for continued appreciation in the stock"
Globes correspondent 14 Apr 05 15:28
Merrill Lynch finds shares of Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP) attractive, and believes the company will meet or beat its estimates for the first quarter of this year. Merrill Lynch analyst Edward Maguire projects EPS of $0.29 on revenue of $139 million for the network security company. Check Point's own guidance is for EPS of $0.28-0.29 on revenue of $137-140 million.
Given recent weakness in security software valuations, we believe the shares remain attractive ahead of a possible 2H05 sector rebound. We continue to recommend Check Point as we believe the expanding portfolio, deep franchise and focus on security provide the basis for continued appreciation in the stock," Maguire writes.
"While seasonality could present a headwind, we remain comfortable with our current estimates. We believe the best chance for upside to our numbers comes from Zone Labs and Integrity, as well as continued strong renewals and subscriptions. We also believe Express remains strong, as do certain low/midrange Nokia appliances.
"Looking ahead, we believe Check Point is off to a good start to 2Q05. A recent Check Point product seminar drew the best attendance by channel partners in several years according to our sources. We continue to recommend Check Point as we believe the company’s expanding portfolio, deep franchise and focus on security provide the basis for continued appreciation in the stock.
"Current June consensus is revenues of $144 million and $0.30 versus our estimate of $145 million and $0.28.We think management could guide earnings in line with expectations for the quarter and maintain the prior outlook for the year."
Check Point shares closed at $23.30 yesterday, giving the company a market cap of $5.78 billion. It is due to release its first quarter results on April 18.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 14, 2005
Midas
Check Point Achieves an Industry Leader Position in Analyst Firm Report
Thursday April 14, 8:30 am ET
InterSpect and Integrity Recognized as Ideal Network Intrusion Control Solutions
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 2005--Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced that it has been ranked as a market leader in META Group's recently released METAspectrum(SM) report on Network Intrusion Control Systems. Of 12 vendors, Check Point ranked the highest for "performance" -- a category that takes into account the company's technology, services pricing and financial standing.
According to the META Group, leaders are defined as vendors who are able to prove their strong technical performance with reputable certifications and a significant market share. Other key evaluation criteria include brand recognition, patents and a process to capture changing market demands. After an extensive evaluation of Network Intrusion Control solutions, META Group concluded that Check Point InterSpect(TM) and Check Point Integrity(TM) are leading intrusion control solutions.
"Check Point is dedicated to delivering market-leading internal and endpoint security solutions to help customers defeat network threats," said Carol Stone, vice president of marketing for Check Point. "The METAspectrum rating of Check Point InterSpect and the combined InterSpect and Integrity solution is validation of our Internet security leadership, technical superiority and innovation."
For more information on Check Point InterSpect and Integrity, please see http://www.checkpoint.com/products/index.html.
About METAspectrum
METAspectrum(SM) evaluations from META Group (Nasdaq:METG - News) provide IT professionals with a view into critical market success factors and vendor positioning. METAspectrum delivers comprehensive evaluations of both technology markets and vendor product offerings. There are multiple market evaluations planned for release in 2003 and beyond. METAspectrum evaluations are updated quarterly, biannually, or annually, depending on the characteristics of individual markets. To view completed market evaluations, or learn more about the METAspectrum methodology, visit www.metagroup.com/metaspectrum.
METAspectrum(SM) market evaluations and results are the sole property of META Group, Inc. and are Copyright © 2003 META Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use the results requires prior written approval from META Group, and should not be deemed an endorsement of any company or product.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050414/145205.html?.v=1
Midas
Check Point Provides Preemptive Protection Against Microsoft IP Validation Vulnerability
Wednesday April 13, 7:20 pm ET
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2005--Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced that it provides preemptive protection again the latest looming Microsoft vulnerability. The IP Validation vulnerability reported by Microsoft on April 12, 2005 has the potential to cause an affected system to remotely execute code. This vulnerability, if exploited, could result in damaging outbreaks like the infamous Nimda and CodeRed worms. Microsoft issued the bulletin on April 12, 2005, but Check Point has provided a preemptive defense against such threats for more than three years.
Users of Check Point VPN-1® and InterSpect(TM) are automatically protected against this vulnerability. The vulnerability is based on sending a packet with a malformed IP option that might cause arbitrary code to run on the target system. Preemptive protection is imperative with this threat because one successful exploit could amount to an affected system remotely executing code, i.e. installing programs; viewing, changing or deleting data; even creating new accounts with full user rights.
A detailed description of the threat and defense is available to subscription customers of the SmartDefense Service. For more information on the Microsoft IP Validation vulnerability, please see advisory CPAI-2005-78 at www.checkpoint.com/defense/advisories/public/2005/cpai-2005-78.html.
About SmartDefense
The Check Point SmartDefense(TM) Service maintains the most current preemptive security by providing real-time updates and configuration advice for security defenses and policies. The SmartDefense Service is available with VPN-1® Pro(TM), VPN-1 Express(TM), InterSpect(TM), Connectra(TM), and Integrity(TM) (via the SmartDefense Program Advisor Service).
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050413/135981.html?.v=1
Midas
Check Point's cash balance is becoming an embarassment
Shlomo Greenberg
Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP) was under pressure on Monday, because CE Unterberg, Towbin feared something. The company's share rose strongly yesterday (strongly for Check Point, that is) because Piper Jaffray and Jeffries & Co. did not fear something. So, should you buy or sell Check Point?
The Wall Street Transcript Online related a tale about what was going on in the software protection industry. "The Wall Street Transcript" spoke with leading analysts in the field, interviewed 13 CEOs of companies in the business, and examined 20 companies. Check Point was one of them, but its CEO was not interviewed. Why? On the basis of the interview list, it seems to me that "The Wall Street Transcript" didn’t want to interview the leading companies, but the specialized ones.
Check Point's edge over its competitors and colleagues is in Israeli start-ups, which we have in abundance, but we're again beginning to hear comments about Check Point's cash reserves. "If they're really concentrating on start ups and small investments," the brokers tell us, "how come they're sitting on a mountain of cash? Let them distribute it." The pressure on Check Point to distribute a dividend will grow with time.
For those who write to me that I personally want a dividend, my answer is simple: I don't care about the dividend at all. As an investor, what interests me is that the value of the asset I hold, in this case Check Point, should rise. With all due respect, Check Point has failed to generate value for its shareholders, in comparison with other technology companies, whose business situation is inferior. I simply believe that dividends add value for shareholders, especially when the money is just sitting in a company's till. On second thoughts, I really want a dividend, and why not?
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 13, 2005
The above recommendations were made by a person/s working in the investment industry who may hold positions in securities mentioned in the column. This column should not be taken as advice to buy, sell or continue to hold any securities, and anyone acting on the advice of this column does so at his or her own risk
Midas
Check Point gains on upgrade
By Susan Lerner, MarketWatch
Last Update: 2:26 PM ET April 12, 2005
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. rose Tuesday after Jefferies & Co. upgraded the security software provider.
A series of channel checks indicated that the company's first-quarter results could come in above the broker's target.
Shares of the Ramat Gan, Israel, company (CHKP: news, chart, profile) were up 60 cents, or 2.7%, to $22.63 in afternoon trade.
"We believe 2005 could be a breakout year for Check Point, based on continued sales of its core products to existing customers and upside from sales of emerging products," analyst Katherine Egbert told clients as she raised her rating on the shares to buy from hold.
Her price target rose to $26 from $23.
After a "spotty" performance in 2003, Egbert said, the company gained momentum in second-half 2004 with an array of new products and took advantage of the buyout of Netscreen - its closest competitor.
"We believe both the near- and longer-term fundamentals at Check Point are improving as the company's gradual evolution from a point FW/VPN (firewall/virtual private network) vendor into a broader end-to-end security provider is gaining momentum and market acceptance," Egbert said.
Meanwhile, she added, the company appears to be rising to the challenge competitively.
"We still hear some reports of Juniper [Networks] and Cisco [Systems] winning new deals in the mid-market, but it is much more difficult to dislodge Check Point from existing accounts in the enterprise and carrier space," Ebgert said.
Given the "upbeat" channel checks, she believes Check Point is poised to meet or beat her first-quarter estimate for earnings of 28 cents a share and revenue of $138 million
Against that backdrop Egbert raised her 2005 forecast to earnings of $1.21 on revenue of $590.8 million from earnings of $1.18 on revenue of $587.5 million. Her 2006 outlook is earnings of $1.32 a share on revenue of $665.2 million against her previous estimate of earnings of $1.24 on revenue of $662.6 million.
Check Point is scheduled to report first-quarter numbers April 18. The average forecast of analysts polled by Thomson First Call is earnings of 29 cents a share on revenue of $138.8 million.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo&gui...
Midas
Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP) will publish its results next Monday before trading. Yesterday, the company announced that it was launching a line of VPN/firewall wireless products for ranges of up to 300 meters within offices, based on hardware developed by Check Point. The www.news.com website cited Check Point product marketing director Dave Burton as saying that while Check Point was not the first to sell wireless security appliances, the company's devices, unlike others, offered customers the ability to manage and set policy for thousands of devices from one central location. Prices will vary from $800 to $2,200, according to the number of users.
April 20 will be a particularly busy reporting day among Israeli companies. Both large companies Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), Mercury Interactive Corporation (Nasdaq: MERQ), and DSP Group (Nasdaq: DSPG) and small companies Attunity (Nasdaq: ATTU) (which, under new US management, is fulfilling its promise of reporting discipline), and Mind CTI (Nasdaq: MNDO; TASE: MNDO) (which issued a warning for the first quarter) will report on that date.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on April 12, 2005
Midas
Piper Jaffray sees upside for Check Point
"Checks with domestic resellers indicate sales were up 5% sequentially in the March quarter."
Globes correspondent 12 Apr 05 15:34
Investment house Piper Jaffray has issued an upbeat preview of network security company Check Point's (Nasdaq: CHKP) first quarter results. Check Point is due to report on April 18 before the market opens.
"Based on conversations with 9 resellers (7 domestic and 2 U.K.), we believe there is upside to the March quarter Check Point product numbers (53% revenue)," analysts Gene Munster and Joshua Labs write.
"We expect product sales to be flat sequentially, while the Street is modeling for sales to be down 4%. We note investor concern regarding European sales; however, our limited checks in this geography suggest European sales are stable.
"Checks with domestic resellers indicate sales were up 5% sequentially in the March quarter. Importantly, all vendors (including those in the U.K.) suggested flat to positive trends in sequential product sales. The positive sales trends were primarily attributed to perimeter upgrades as opposed to new product sales.
"While we've only completed checks with two European resellers (both in the U.K.), these checks suggest sales to be flat or slightly up from the December quarter. Sales in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region accounted for 40% of sales in 2004 (sales in the Americas accounted for 43%).As a reminder, the company reported strong sales into the EMEA region during the March quarter of 2004. Channel comments suggest this may be a result of seasonal spending trends in government sales.
"In line with previous quarters, success in sales of new products remains mixed. While feedback was positive regarding the Integrity line, results continue to be mixed in regards to InterSpect. We now believe success in the InterSpect product line will hinge on Check Point's ability to sell end-to-end security solutions marketed under its Total Access Protection architecture and its ability to leverage near-term success with Integrity.
For the March quarter we are going to $0.30 on $142.1 million from $0.29 on $139.0 million. The Street is currently looking for $0.29 on $138.8 million.
"We maintain our Outperform rating on CHKP.
"CHKP shares are highly volatile and will likely be sensitive to volatility in the IT spending environment. Currently, visibility in the IT spending environment remains difficult as the overall economy continues to experience fluctuations."
In contrast to Piper Jaffray, C.E. Unterberg, Towbin has cut its revenue estimates for Check Point on the basis of its own checks with resellers. Unterberg has revised its first quarter estimates to $0.29 EPS on revenue of $138.7 million, while for 2005 as a whole, Unterberg sees EPS of $1.21 on revenue of $588.9 million. Both investment houses have a $26 target price for Check Point, whose shares closed at $22.03 yesterday.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 12, 2005
Midas
7:53am 04/12/05
Check Point Software rises on upgrade (CHKP) By Susan Lerner
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Check Point Software (CHKP) climbed 3% to $22.70 in premarket trade Tuesday after Jefferies & Co. boosted its recommendation on the stock to buy from hold and lifted its price target to $26 from $23. "We believe both the near- and longer-term fundamentals at Check Point are improving as the company's evolution from a point FW (firewall) vendor into a broader security provider is gaining momentum and market acceptance," analyst Katherine Egbert told clients. She expects the Israeli provider of Internet security products will meet or beat her first quarter forecast for earnings of 28c a share. The company is scheduled to report its results April 23.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/newsfinder/pulseone.asp?siteid=mktw&dist=nbs&guid={E2B27EAB-...
Midas
CHKP: Reit Oupterform - Based on conversations with 9 resellers (7
domestic and 2 U.K.), believe there is upside to the March quarter Check
Point product numbers (53% revenue). Expect product sales to be flat
sequentially, while the Street is modeling for sales to be down 4%. Note
investor concern regarding European sales; however, limited checks in
this geography suggest European sales are stable.
http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=48302758
Midas
7:05am 04/12/05 [CHKP] CHECK POINT SOFTWARE UPPED TO BUY AT JEFFERIES & CO.
FWIW
Midas
Unterberg cuts Check Point estimates
Analyst Vikram Kaura maintains a "Buy" rating, but nevertheless recommends "trimming positions" ahead of the first quarter results.
Globes correspondent 12 Apr 05 13:11
Following checks that revealed price cuts for network security company Check Point's (Nasdaq: CHKP) Integrity and Integrity SecureClient products, investment house C.E. Unterberg, Towbin has cut its revenue estimates for the company.
In somewhat contradictory advice, analyst Vikram Kaura maintains a "Buy" rating for the stock, but nevertheless recommends "trimming positions". Kaura's price target for Check Point is $26. This compares with a closing price yesterday of $22.03, at which price Check Point has a market cap of $5.47 billion.
"Our recent channel checks have revealed that Check Point cut prices of its key end-point security products Integrity and Integrity SecureClient from 2% to 30% starting April 3rd," Kaura writes.
"In our March 18th note on CHKP, we had specifically identified larger-than-typical channel discounts for these products. While we don’t know if the cuts were pre-scheduled, we do know that the original prices were scheduled to continue through late April.
" Taken together, these data suggest that demand for Integrity and Integrity SecureClient was likely weak in mid-March and continued as such entering April. In our opinion, this puts our 1Q05 estimates of $139.8 million at risk and increases the probability that guidance for 2Q05 may come-in below our expectations of $146.7 million. Consequently, we are reducing our estimates ahead of the 1Q05 results.
Unterberg has revised its first quarter estimates to $0.29 EPS on revenue of $138.7 million. The EPS estimate is in line with the analysts' consensus, while the revenue estimate just below the current consensus of $138.87 million.
For 2005 as a whole, Unterberg sees EPS of $1.21 on revenue of $588.9 million. The analysts' consensus EPS estimate is the same, while the consensus revenue estimate for 2005 is $589.42 million.
"We believe CHKP shares offer an estimated 5%-8% upside following good results (in-line numbers, guidance at or slightly above consensus) vs.10-15% downside on weak results and guidance," Unterberg's report continues. "Consequently, we are recommending caution (particularly for short-term investors) and suggesting trimming positions at current and higher levels ahead of 1Q05 results.
"For longer term investors, we’d recommend waiting until after 1Q05 results to modify positions.
"Given the strength in CHKP’s core business, a favorable competitive environment (please see our notes on CHKP dated 3/17 and 3/28), and several new products expected over the coming days, our revised estimates may eventually prove to be conservative. However, with the specific information in front of us, disproportionately higher investor focus on Zone/Integrity products, and mixed macro results so far from security and non-security vendors (end quarter business drop-off, scarcity of larger deals etc.), near term risk/reward has become incrementally unfavorable in our opinion.
"Since we initiated coverage on CHKP in late November 2004, the forward P/E valuation gap between CHKP and its peer group has narrowed. At Friday’s closing price of $22.09, CHKP traded at 2005 P/E of 18.2x (vs.sector at 21.6x, a 15% discount) and 2006 P/E of 16.9x (vs. sector at 18.4x, an 8% discount).
"Historically, CHKP has traded at 10-15% discount off forward year sector P/E. Given the current 15% discount, we are keeping Buy rating and $26 price target. However, as explained above, we believe near term risk has incrementally increased. Our price target is based on 10% discount to forward sector multiple of approximately 22x on our FY06 EPS estimate of $1.31."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 12, 2005
Midas
Check Point Adds Antivirus Protection to Integrated Security Solution for Mid-Sized Businesses
Monday April 11, 8:31 am ET
Check Point Express CI Reduces IT Security Cost and Complexity for Mid-Sized Businesses
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2005--Check Point® Software Technologies (Nasdaq:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced Check Point Express CI(TM), an enhanced version of its integrated security solution for mid-sized businesses that now includes antivirus protection. Check Point Express CI boasts an easy to deploy and manage platform that comprises every vital security feature a mid-sized business needs, including: firewall, VPN, intrusion prevention, and integrated antivirus protection.
All businesses face security threats from worms, viruses and other attacks, but medium businesses demand an easy to deploy and manage security solution tailored specifically to their needs. In addition to built-in firewall, VPN and intrusion prevention capabilities, Check Point Express CI includes network-based antivirus protection to ensure that inbound and outbound traffic is free of worms and viruses. With this added protection, users can perform real-time scans of email (SMTP), Web (HTTP), and FTP traffic for possible threats disguised within legitimate content.
"Customers can't afford to lose productivity and revenue due to network downtime caused by an inadequate or unmanageable security implementation," said James Oryszczyn president, JSO Technology LLC, a value-added reseller focused on providing best of breed data security, network infrastructure, and network operating systems/application solutions and services. "Check Point Express CI offers unmatched protection against increasingly sophisticated worms and viruses and includes every essential security element in one convenient, easy to purchase, install and manage solution."
Check Point Express CI provides mid-sized businesses with the industry's most advanced technologies, including:
Integrated Antivirus: Simplifies antivirus deployment and updating by being integrated into the security gateway, shielding corporations from viruses contained in files, executables, and attachments.
Market-Leading VPN and Firewall: Includes VPN-1 and FireWall-1, enabling mid-sized businesses to rely on the same security protecting 100% of the Fortune 100 corporations.
Integrated Intrusion Prevention: Keeps networks running when faced with worms and other application layer attacks.
Easy Deployment: Check Point Express CI uses Check Point SecurePlatform(TM) to turn any Intel- or AMD-based server into a pre-hardened security appliance in less than 5 minutes.
Simple Management: Includes SmartCenter(TM) for centrally deploying and managing all aspects of a comprehensive security infrastructure from a single management console.
"Check Point's trusted security technology has kept the entire Fortune 100 landscape safe even in worst-case scenarios like the Blaster and Sobig worm outbreaks," said Gonen Fink, vice president of solutions and strategy, Check Point Software. "With Express CI, medium business customers enjoy the same level of confidence in their security deployment as the world's largest organizations."
Check Point Express CI is backed by SmartDefense(TM) Service which provides real-time updates and new attack protection capabilities for antivirus and intrusion prevention capabilities. The Check Point Express product line provides worry-free security for mid-sized businesses by integrating enterprise-class security products into one easy-to-deploy solution.
Pricing, System Requirements and Availability
Check Point Express CI is available this month worldwide and can be purchased through Check Point channel partners, with prices starting at US $4,000. For more information please visit http://www.checkpoint.com/products.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050411/115385.html?.v=1
Midas
9:43AM Check Point Sftwr - - 50 Day Alert (CHKP) 22.50 +0.11:- - Technical - - The stock trades above yesterday's high of 22.48 to test its 50-day simple moving average at 22.58.
Midas
No Safety in RSA Security Numbers
By W.D. Crotty
April 6, 2005
Computer security firm RSA Security (Nasdaq: RSAS) had a surprise for investors last night when it released preliminary first-quarter results. After the company guided in January for first-quarter sales of up to $84 million and earnings of up to $0.15 a share, few expected it to say that sales would not exceed $76 million and earnings would fall between $0.08 and $0.10 per share due to the slower-than-expected uptake on software products for the last month of the quarter.
Why the slower-than-expected uptake? It seems that RSA Security's product improvements have either substantially lagged competitors' (given competitors' positive earnings outlook), or its current technology solution does not offer significant improvements to existing software packages -- in other words, giving customers no need to upgrade.
Multiple brokerage firms used the news to downgrade the stock, which fell to a new low, 18% below its previous 52-week one, to $11.60 a share on Tuesday. In the up-and-down trading life of this company, the trend is down once again.
How bad is it? The company says, "This slowdown occurred across the company's software product lines in both the Americas and Europe." That's not particularly encouraging when competitors Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP), VeriSign (Nasdaq: VRSN), and Symantec (NYSE: SYMC) are all expected to reporting earnings increases.
The news for the hot authentication software business was not as dire, with RSA Security saying, "... the volume of authentication credentials licensed during the first quarter was similar to the prior quarter and increased year-over-year. In addition, pricing of authentication credentials remained consistent with prior periods."
It was only last December that the company released a consumer study that said consumers were afraid to conduct business online because of security concerns. The message: You need RSA Security's software.
RSA Security has a beautiful balance sheet, with no debt and $290 million in cash. Its authentication product is a critical piece of the company's future, but, for now, it looks like product sales have hit a plateau, if only a temporary one. Until the company re-establishes sales and earnings growth, the stock's price, at 24 times trailing earnings, looks fairly valued to me.
Are you looking for stocks selling at bargain prices? Why not try a free trial to the Motley Fool Inside Value newsletter and capitalize on these investments?
Fool contributor W.D. Crotty does not own stock in any of the companies mentioned. Click here to see The Motley Fool's disclosure policy.
Midas
Merrill said it expects "solid results" from Check Point Software (nasdaq: CHKP - news - people ) as the company prepares for a major product upgrade later this year,
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/04/06/0406automarketscan10.html?partner=yahoo&referrer=
Midas
Merrill Lynch sees Check Point meeting or beating first quarter forecasts
06.4.2005 / 16:31
Shirley Yom Tov
The first quarter of 2005 ended a week ago and on April 18, Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ:CHKP) will be opening the financial statements season among the Israeli companies listed on Wall Street. Merrill Lynch today released its projections for the data security company, predicting that Check Point will meet or beat its forecasts.
Merrill Lynch is predicting $139 million revenue and a pro forma profit of $71.2 million or 28 cents per share for Check Point, which is the Wall Street consensus. Check Point itself guided investors to expect revenues in the range of $137-140 million, and a pro forma profit of 29 cents per share.
Turnover of $139 million would be 3% down from the fourth quarter of 2004, which is a seasonally strong one as enterprises spend ahead of the year's end. Against the parallel quarter, Check Point would be making 20% more.
Merrill Lynch expects Check Point's product sales to drop 5-10% based on surveys of distributors, the investment bank explains, but believes demand for Check Point's core products, VPN (virtual private network) and firewalls, remained steady.
The investment bank notes a range of opinions about the Israeli company's competitive status vis a vis Netscreen, which is an aggressive rival over the biggest deals. Check Point does proffer advantages in certain areas, the analyst adds.
Check Point has a healthy backlog of orders for its new products, and is exposed to bigger deals for systems to protect end points, namely against hacker attacks from the outside, says the analyst.
The consensus forecast for the current second quarter is $144 million revenue and earnings of 30 cents per share, but Merrill Lynch is aiming a bit higher: $145 million sales, but sees lower earnings of 29 cents per share.
Check Point is trading at a market capitalization of $5.4 billion, after its stock dropped 11% this year. Tech in general has been in the doghouse, but Merrill Lynch believes investors are hesitantly eyeing software again.
http://www.themarker.com/eng/article.jhtml?ElementId=%2Fibo%2Frepositories%2Fstories%2Fm1_2000%2Fsy2...
Midas
But the foreign investors' attitude to Israeli companies is intriguing, he says, and for one thing, other emerging markets don't have companies in the class of Teva Pharmaceuticals (TASE, Nasdaq:TEVA), Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ:CHKP), Agis Industries (TASE: AGIS), Mercury Interactive (Nasdaq:MERQ) or Lipman Electronic Engineering (Nasdaq, TASE: LPMA ). "These are exporters affected more by the global economy than developments in the domestic one," Inbar clarifies. "The Israeli market incorporates geopolitical risks but past experience shows that changes on the geopolitical front affect the big Israeli companies only on the margins."
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=5951674
Midas
Check Point Software Technologies - Ranking 2.0
Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ: CHKP) provides security software for corporate networks and service providers, spanning firewalls, intranets, and extranets. The company's software verifies remote users, controls access, and blocks viruses. The company also offers products that enable companies to set up virtual private networks for secure internal and remote communications, as well as bandwidth management and network performance. While the shares have clambered back above their short-term trendlines, CHKP is hitting resistance at its 10-week moving average. The security is also facing staunch resistance in the 25 region, which has stopped the stock's rally attempts on two separate occasions. CHKP is also poised to suffer its second consecutive monthly close below its 10-month moving average. Meanwhile, the stock is blanketed in optimism. The equity's SOIR of 0.53 is lower than 85 percent of all those taken over the past 52 weeks. Furthermore, the number of CHKP shares sold short dropped by 12 percent in March to 5.5 million, or just three percent of the equity's total float. With an Equity Scorecard ranking of 2.0 out of 10, CHKP could see additional downside as these bulls unload their optimistic positions.
Click on the following link to see the Weekly Chart of CHKP since December 2002 with 10-Week and 20-Week Moving Averages: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=12844
Procter & Gamble - Ranking 2.5
Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) remains a favorite among traders. The equity's SOIR checks in at 0.57, as calls nearly double puts in the front three months of options. This reading is lower than 74 percent of all those taken over the past 52 weeks. And while short interest shot 32 percent higher, these bearish bets account for less than one percent of the stock's float and can be covered in roughly three days of trading. Wall Street is also enamored of PG, as nine of the 13 analysts following the company rate it a "buy" or better. From a technical perspective, the shares have been halted by resistance at their 10-week moving average as they cling to support at the 52 level. A breach of this level could result in a sharp decline in the equity has traders make a run for the exits. PG currently has an Equity Scorecard ranking of 2.5 out of 10.
Click on the following link to see the Weekly Chart of PG since July 2003 with 10-Week and 20-Week Moving Averages: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=12844
For a complete list of the stocks on our High/Low Schaeffer's Equity Scorecard Filter, sign up for an unlimited access free trial to Schaeffer's Gold: http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PRGLD2M&PAGE=1
About Schaeffer's Investment Research (www.SchaeffersResearch.com)
Schaeffer's Investment Research, founded by Bernie Schaeffer in 1981, is a financial information and trading resources company. It publishes Bernie Schaeffer's Option Advisor, the nation's leading options subscription newsletter. The firm's contrarian approach focuses on stocks with technical and fundamental trends that run counter to investor expectations. The firm's website, http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com, is recognized as one of the leading information sources for stock and options traders and was cited as the top options website by both Forbes and Barron's. Click here for more details about Schaeffer's trading methodology: http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com/method
SOURCE: Schaeffer's Investment Research
Schaeffer's Jocelynn Drake, 513-589-3800 releases@sir-inc.com
Copyright Business Wire 2005
Midas
Wed: Comverse vs Check Point
Analysts favor Comverse over Check Point because they say that the former is growing, but what about value? Perhaps the real difference lies in the difference between the Wall Street smarts of the two companies’ CEOs.
Shlomo Greenberg
I read yesterday that CE Unterberg, Towbin, after a first-hand look at things, retained its “Buy” recommendation for the Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP) share. The study noted that the recommendation was based on the fact that inquiry revealed that Juniper Networks (Nasdaq: JNPR) was losing its sales power in the security field. Juniper (which yesterday acquired Kagoor) previously acquired NetScreen Technologies, which analysts once predicted would wipe out Check Point. In essence, however, the recommendation is based on value.
CE Unterberg, Towbin believes that the Check Point share has the potential to rise by 20%, because of the economic value that it offers. Incidentally, Credit Suisse’s upgrading of its recommendation for Check Point on Monday was also based on the value offered by the share. What’s really going on here is a psychological game between the value that analysts find in the share every time it goes down, and the panic that sets in every time the share tries to go up a little.
This sequence of events, so typical of the analysts covering Check Point, no longer applies to Comverse Technology (Nasdaq: CMVT). If you remember, it wasn’t so long ago that most analysts agreed that Comverse had lost its market, and that the share should therefore be sold, or at best, held. The share was between $7 and $13 at that time. Two years have passed, and Comverse has become the darling of the analysts, most of whom have upgraded their recommendations for the share to “Buy”. 15 of the 20 analysts covering Comverse recommend “Buy”. In March alone, three more highly respected investment houses Oppenheimer, UBS, and Merrill Lynch (two days ago) - hopped on the “Buy” recommendation bandwagon.
Why did analysts formerly recommend selling the share? Because of precisely the same worries that assail them concerning Check Point. The problem with the old Comverse was that it had lost its sparkle. True, it was all dressed up in wonderfully professional and confident terms and jargon that only analysts use, but it all boiled down to the feeling that the company would have a hard time escaping its predicament.
For all those who sold the Comverse share at $6-7, it is now recommended to buy it at $24, and I’m not being cynical. I simply must explain this phenomenon to people on Main Street unversed in the Wall Street mentality. The explanation is simple times have changed. I only hope that, whether the recession returns, or whether economies continue to grow, analysts include Main Street’s considerations in their own very sophisticated calculations.
According to Merrill Lynch, for example, Comverse will earn $0.51 per share this year, and $0.73 per share next year (2006). Comverse is currently traded at $25, so the forecast reflects multiples of 49 for 2005 and 34 for 2006. Check Point is traded at multiples of 17.8 for 2005 and 16.3 for 2006. The difference is due to the analysts’ concept that Comverse is now growing far more rapidly than Check Point.
The real difference, however, is between Comverse CEO Kobi Alexander and Check Point CEO Gil Shwed. Alexander grew up on Wall Street, and knows its customs and behavior patterns. In the troubled Wall Street waters, he swims like a shark. Shwed also swims in the same waters, but like a sardine. That’s the difference, and anyone who doesn’t understand should go and spend 10-12 years on US stock exchanges.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on March 30, 2005
Midas
Check Point Expands Renowned OPSEC Partner Program to Address Evolving Security Issues
Wednesday March 30, 8:30 am ET
New Solutions Focus for OPSEC Enables Customers to Achieve Security Goals Through Best-of-Breed Framework
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 2005-- Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced a new solutions focus for its highly regarded OPSEC(TM) (Open Platform for Security) partner alliance program that centers on helping customers overcome today's emerging network security threats through a comprehensive security architecture. The new initiative evolved from customer demand in six critical OPSEC solution areas -- internal security, Web security, content security, Total Access Protection (TAP), Voice over IP (VoIP) and regulatory compliance.
Check Point's expanded OPSEC program makes it simpler than ever for customers and solution providers to combat today's security issues by creating a complete security architecture where industry-leading OPSEC solutions seamlessly interoperate with Check Point's intelligent Perimeter, Internal, Web and Endpoint security solutions. In addition, this new solutions focus provides the following benefits:
Simple Security Solution Identification -- Customers and solutions providers can easily identify appropriate OPSEC solutions that address their unique security needs.
Continued Reliability Through Certified Solutions -- OPSEC solutions undergo rigorous tests to address today's complex security requirements and to provide customers with peace of mind through seamless integration.
Dynamic Knowledge Base -- IT administrators and decision-makers have access to OPSEC's enhanced Web portal, a continually updated repository of educational information that helps them to effectively deal with today's security hot buttons.
"This new solutions focus for our OPSEC program ensures that our customers will achieve the highest levels of security by deploying a best-of-breed solution set," said Paul Weinstein, vice president, business development for Check Point Software Technologies. "Customers demand best-of-breed products and technologies when building a complete security framework, and they have come to rely on our OPSEC program and OPSEC partners for nearly 10 years to set the standard for integration and interoperability."
First introduced in 1996, Check Point's OPSEC program was created with the vision of delivering the industry's best multi-vendor security framework. Today's distinguished OPSEC program has grown to include more than 350 partners, offering customers the broadest choice of best-of-breed integrated applications and deployment platforms that support Check Point's market-leading security solutions. For more information on Check Point's OPSEC partner program, please visit http://www.opsec.com.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050330/305252.html?.v=1
Midas
Up until now, there have not been many profit warnings in technology shares. If these also fail to materialize in the next two weeks, it is a near certainty that first quarter results will be a pleasant surprise. At the end of last week, the figures for short positions in Nasdaq shares up to mid-March were published. The figures showed that the level of short positions in shares that have dropped steeply had not increased; the fall in the shares should therefore not be attributed to concern about the quarter. In Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP), for example, which lost 12.5% between mid-February and mid-March, the level of short positions dropped by 12.5%. It can therefore be assumed that holders of short positions in Check Point, at least, do not believe that the company will issue a profit warning.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on March 29, 2005
Midas
Crossbeam Systems and Check Point Announce Significant Market Momentum with Telecommunications and Managed Service Providers for Virtual Security Systems
Monday March 28, 9:30 am ET
- Integrated Security Pioneer also Announces Availability of Check Point VPN-1(R) VSX(TM) with Next Generation Application Intelligence on its X-Series Security Services Switches
CONCORD, Mass., March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Crossbeam Systems®, Inc., the leader in protecting the world's largest networks, and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced significant customer traction with major telecommunications and managed security service providers (MSSPs) worldwide for Check Point VPN-1® VSX(TM) running on Crossbeam X-Series security services switches. The two companies also announced that the latest version of Check Point's VPN-1 VSX Next Generation with Application Intelligence(TM), is now available on Crossbeam's X-Series products.
As the leading solution for offering managed security services, Crossbeam X-Series security services switches running Check Point VPN-1 VSX, a solution known as VSX on X, has been deployed to protect the networks and offer managed security services by major service providers and MSSPs worldwide, including:
* Czech Telecom -- the largest provider of telecommunications services in
the Czech Republic and one of the most prominent telecommunications
companies in Central Europe.
* Fujitsu -- one of Europe's leading providers of managed services for IT
infrastructure.
* Telefonica Empresas -- a company that provides advanced communications,
broadband and network application solutions to more than 2,000 large
enterprises and multi-national corporations. It is part of the
Telefonica Group, a global telecommunications company.
The traditional way to offer managed firewalls or other security services has been to place a firewall at each enterprise customer location. For service providers and MSSPs, this process is both expensive and time- intensive, requiring a separate security appliance and software license to manage, patch and update for each customer. With VSX on X, service providers and MSSPs can provide managed security services to up to 500 customers from a single device, dramatically reducing licensing, maintenance and equipment costs and complexity.
"We've captured the security business of so many services providers and MSSPs because our X-Series products uniquely address their demanding network requirements -- the ability to deliver Check Point's leading virtualized security software with carrier-grade reliability and multi-gigabit performance," said Peter George, president and CEO of Crossbeam Systems. "More importantly, VSX on X delivers tremendous ROI because it turns the investment to protect a service provider's own network into a revenue engine for multiple managed security services, from firewalls to anti-virus."
"Check Point was the first to deliver virtualized security software specifically designed to replace complex security infrastructures and power managed security services," said Paul Weinstein, vice president of business development, Check Point Software Technologies. "Based on their performance and scalability, Crossbeam's platforms are an ideal choice to run our VSX software and the strong customer traction to our combined managed security services solution will only help to extend Check Point's overall VPN and firewall market leadership."
The largest service providers and MSSPs in the world rely on VSX on X for their managed firewall offerings based on its carrier-grade capacity, performance, integration and reliability. In addition, VSX on X benefits customers because it provides revenue-generating managed security services and also protects the service provider's own network. Key VSX on X benefits include:
* Managed Service Capacity -- support for up to 500 virtual systems in one
chassis, the most in the industry.
* Carrier-Grade Performance & Reliability -- up to eight gigabits per
second of throughput in a single chassis that features rate limiting
and multi-link trunking, and a hot-swappable, self-healing blade
architecture.
* Simple, Centralized Management -- global policy management and access to
Check Point's SmartDefense® service for real-time security updates
and protection from emerging network attacks.
Check Point VPN-1 VSX Next Generation with Application Intelligence is now available on Crossbeam's X45(TM), X40® and X80(TM) security services switches.
About Crossbeam Systems
Crossbeam Systems is a global growth company that pioneered the integrated security device market and is a leading developer of total security solutions required for safer, simpler networks. The company has tailored security solutions for global corporations, carrier networks and small to medium-sized enterprises. Founded in early 2000 and led by senior executives from Bay Networks, Cisco, Nortel/Wellfleet and Alcatel, Crossbeam is headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, USA, and has offices in Europe and Asia Pacific. The company is backed by top-tier investors including Tudor Ventures, Matrix Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, Commonwealth Capital Venture Partners, Intel Capital and Charles River Ventures. More information is available at http://www.crossbeamsystems.com.
Crossbeam Systems, Crossbeam and X40 are registered trademarks and X45 and X80 are trademarks of Crossbeam Systems, Inc. All other company, product or service names not owned by Crossbeam mentioned in this press release are the property of their respective owners.
Contact: Throop Wilder Doug Broad
Vice President of Marketing SparkSource, Inc.
Crossbeam Systems (781) 274-6061 ext. 215
(978) 318-7524 dbroad@sparksource.com
throop@crossbeamsys.com
Source: Crossbeam Systems, Inc.
Midas
Bluesocket Joins Check Point's Partner Alliance Program Partnership Delivers OPSEC Certified Integration with Clientless End Point Security
Monday March 28, 9:00 am ET
BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 28, 2005--In an effort to increase end-point security compliance, Bluesocket, Inc. (www.bluesocket.com), the leader in open wireless security and management solutions, today announced that it has received OPSEC (Open Platform for Security) certification from Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP - News), the world leader in securing the Internet.
With OPSEC partner certification, Bluesocket's new version 4.1 will now interoperate with the Check Point Integrity(TM) Clientless Security, a non-intrusive, maintenance-free way to protect wireless devices against viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, spyware/malware and other threats and anomalies before users are allowed to log-on and gain access to the network. Administrators can also easily customize instructions or links that provide the user with self-remediation instructions.
"Ensuring endpoint compliance with corporate security standards is essential to protecting wireless networks," said Paul Weinstein, vice president of Business Development at Check Point Software. "BlueSocket's integration with Integrity Clientless Security provides customers with unparalleled ease-of-deployment, leveraging our clientless agents to detect and disable malware before infected machines can connect to the network."
Without requiring installation of client software and taking advantage of automated Web-based scanning, the combined Bluesocket version 4.1 and Integrity Clientless Security solution is unique in providing network access control. This ensures that the user's device is free from viruses and worms, and has the latest required security patches. As a result, this new level of enterprise-class security mitigates the risks posed by employees and guests accessing enterprise resources via wireless connections.
"The power to invoke Check Point's Integrity Clientless Security from within our Wireless Gateways signals a huge leap forward in fulfilling security compliance by preemptive means," said Ralph Calistri, Bluesocket CEO. With this industry-best certification, we are ensuring that our customers reach the highest level of security with the lowest amount of risk and management pain."
Working with Check Point and the OPSEC partner alliance allows Bluesocket customers to receive the latest patches, updates and virus definitions, elevating wireless security to the next level where end-point compliance is achieved through automated, non-intrusive, and preventative means which protect users' machines before they can do harm to the network.
Availability
Version v4.1 is shipping now on all new Bluesocket Wireless Gateways and is available for download to all current users with a support contract.
About Check Point's OPSEC
OPSEC (Open Platform for Security) is the industry's open, multi-vendor security framework. With over 350 partners, OPSEC guarantees customers the broadest choice of best-of-breed integrated applications and deployment platforms that support Check Point's Perimeter, Internal and Web security solutions. Products that carry the OPSEC Certified seal have been tested to guarantee integration and interoperability, ensuring maximum protection for business communications and resources for corporate networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and partner extranets. For complete OPSEC Alliance program information, including partner and product listings, the freely available OPSEC SDK (software development kit) and evaluation versions of OPSEC Certified products, visit http://www.opsec.com.
About Bluesocket, Inc.
Founded in 1999, Bluesocket is the leader in open wireless security and management solutions that simplify the complexities of mobile enterprises. Thousands of Bluesocket Wireless Gateways are deployed by leading enterprises including Harvard University, Honeywell, Universal Health Services, Toyota, Parker Hannifin and others who require policy-based, open-systems solutions to secure, manage, and profit from their wireless networks. (www.bluesocket.com)
Secure Mobility, BlueSecure and BlueView are trademarks or registered trademarks of Bluesocket, Inc. All other trademarks, trade names and company names referenced herein are used for identification only and are the property of their respective companies.
©2004-2005 Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.
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