With the new push, Check Point will start selling network appliances designed to keep out hackers and allow secure communications between a company's far-flung sites for as low as $399, a far cry from its current low-end price of about $1,200.
"We believe that success in this market requires developing a simple, secure and affordable solution," Chip Schooler, senior product evangelist for Check Point, said Monday.
Along those lines, the company intends to release a version of its VPN-1/Firewall-1 software for the small and midsize business and remote offices. In addition, through its subsidiary SofaWare, Check Point will also offer appliances for small offices and home broadband users.
The move comes as new rivals carve out shares of markets that Check Point has largely ignored. In October, security-software maker Symantec announced products aimed at small and midsize businesses as well as home and remote offices and priced at $499 to $1,199.
Check Point's Schooler preferred to look at the bright side of competition. "Having competitors like that really validates the market for us," he said, adding that more challengers will mean the message of security will reach a wider audience.
The primary challenge for small businesses and home offices is making such products easy to use, he said.
The products will include automatic security updates and are designed to be installed in 10 minutes.
Facebook wants to show it's a force for good amid scandals: At Facebook's Communities Summit, the social network unveils updates to tools for blood donations, nonprofits and mentorships.
Qualcomm-FTC lawsuit: Everything you need to know: The antitrust case could decide how smartphones get made in the future -- and what they cost.
Discuss: Check Point targets small businesses
Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.