Our Evolution of Firewall Solutions

Firewalls might not be the most interesting topic when it comes to business discussions, yet they stand among the most crucial components for protecting your company’s digital infrastructure. Here at Lighthouse Labs, we’ve embarked on a journey to explore and adapt the best firewall solutions for our needs. In this blog post, we dive deep into our experience with various firewall vendors, from the early days of DrayTek to our current partnership with Check Point, showcasing the evolution of our approach to network security.

In the early stages of our firewall journey, we sought a vendor that was both cost-effective and feature-rich. DrayTek, a brand lesser-known in the United States but renowned for its superior performance, emerged as our initial choice. With features like a custom operating system, rapid boot-up times, and multi-WAN support, DrayTek offered an impressive package at an affordable price. However, as we scaled, the challenge of managing these devices at a larger scale became a significant concern, prompting us to explore other options.

As our needs evolved, Meraki’s cloud-managed devices, backed by Google in their early days, caught our attention. The ability to manage devices remotely, with minimal on-site expertise, was a game-changer. Despite Meraki’s strong feature set and simplicity, the annual subscription costs and increasingly cluttered licensing environment—known colloquially as the “Meraki tax”—posed challenges for our varied clientele.

Our next venture led us to Untangle, a company offering firewalls built on open-source software. Untangle’s devices provided extensive reporting capabilities and a high degree of customization, presenting us with an appealing alternative. Nonetheless, as Untangle evolved under its new parent company, Arista, we noticed the pricing and strategic shifts that called for yet another reevaluation of our firewall strategy.

Enter Check Point, a name pivotal in enterprise security since the 1990s, and a promising candidate for our small to medium business market. Their holistic approach to security, coupled with their innovative ThreatCloud AI, offered the perfect solution for Lighthouse Labs. Check Point’s Quantum Spark series combines robust hardware and a highly customizable operating system, striking the perfect balance between enterprise-level security and affordability.

Getting hands-on with the Check Point system revealed an incredibly powerful and user-friendly firewall experience. With centralized management dashboards, lab environments facilitating seamless client oversight, and advanced features such as threat prevention and SD-WAN capabilities, the Check Point systems have proven to be both efficient and effective.

Our attraction to Check Point goes beyond just the features. As a provider emphasizing security-first solutions, Check Point excels in delivering on their promises. Their platform integrates seamlessly with existing tools, like Avanan’s AI-enhanced email security, to ensure comprehensive protection across all digital touchpoints.

The Check Point Quantum Spark series represents the culmination of our extensive search for a versatile, reliable, and secure firewall solution. As we continue to roll these devices out across our client base, we eagerly anticipate setting a new standard for network security in the SMB space. If you’re interested in robust network protection, don’t hesitate to reach out and learn more about how Check Point can safeguard your business.

Join us in transforming your network security with Check Point’s state-of-the-art solutions, and stay tuned for more insights from Lighthouse Labs. Your digital safety is our top priority.