March 21, 1997 11:00 AM ET
3Com to Bundle Check Point's Firewall
By Renee Deger

This summer, 3Com Corp. will release a new NetBuilder router with a trial version of the firewall manager made by Check Point Software Technologies Inc. The companies plan to announce on Monday that 3Com's next release of the NetBuilder router software will include Check Point's firewall management console, OPSEC (Open Platform for Secure Enterprise Connectivity). The OPSEC console is free for 30 days. Users who want to purchase the program, which costs from $2,000 to $39,000, can contact Check Point and buy the key to the software already on the router, a Check Point spokeswoman said. The marriage will give 3Com a time-to-market advantage and Check Point deeper market penetration, said Therese Murphy, an analyst at New York-based Smith Barney. "It makes more sense to go outside," Murphy said. Check Point, based in Redwood City, Calif., is extending OPSEC's capabilities so a user can manage it from one place, regardless of where on the system the firewall is managing traffic. OPSEC will manage security features on any node of a network, a company spokeswoman said. The management program is easier to use than many standard router programs, and Check Point is counting on the trials to access new customers while 3Com is trying to tap new markets, said a 3Com spokesman in Santa Clara, Calif. Copyright(c) 1997 Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company is prohibited. PC Week and the PC Week logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. PC Week Online and the PC Week Online logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Send mail to PC Week