Cloud computing could be a
security disaster waiting to happen, according to top
international security professionals, but not all security
firms see cloud as a priority.
Nearly a third of the world's businesses have some enterprise
applications in the cloud, but two-thirds have no strategy for
securing them, an
IDC survey has revealed.
IT security companies could not be faulted for making cloud
security a key part of their growth strategy, but Check Point
Software Technologies has other ideas.
Gill Shwed, the firm's co-founder, chairman and chief executive,
says cloud computing is important, but will complement rather than
replace traditional IT.
Businesses are not ready to surrender control of their data to
the cloud, he says, and in the face of increasingly sophisticated
cyber threats they want control, simplicity and flexibility.
This is the foundation for Check Point's strategy for helping
businesses deal with rapidly changing threats across an
increasingly broad number of attack points.
"There is no single factor driving security innovation," says
Shwed, who is betting on his firm's
Software Blade architecture to enable businesses to add
security functions in a plug-in modular way as required.
This approach, he says, satisfies the need for businesses of all
sizes to continually update security quickly, easily,
cost-effectively and with minimum disruption.
"A single platform that can accommodate all functionality means
it can be tailored while remaining universal, which is a better way
to deploy new technology," he says.
Check Point's acquisitions have all been aimed at broadening the
type of functionality that can now be added to a single integrated
architecture and management console.
"With each acquisition we have added scalable technologies that
can be deployed easily by any size of business," says Shwed.
Businesses want technologies they can roll out quickly on site
from as few suppliers as possible, he says, which is why Check
Point is continually broadening its portfolio.
Data leakage prevention (DLP) is the next piece of functionality
Check Point is planning to add, but this time there will be no
acquisition involved.
"DLP is a universal problem as organisations share more data,
but no one has a reliable and simple technology that can be pushed
out to thousands of customers quickly and cost-effectively," says
Shwed.
With no clear leader in DLP to acquire, he says Check Point is
working on its own DLP concept to be unveiled later this year.
"Businesses want to consolidate suppliers, but they also want
the best of breed to meet their needs. They will not compromise,"
says Shwed.
It is this pragmatic approach that informs Check Point's
acquisitions and innovation aimed at offering the broadest range of
technology to every size of organisation.