Check Point Software Announces Next Generation Security Performance Architecture.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 2001

Teams with Nokia, Broadcom, Intel, Compaq, Intrusion.com

and RapidStream to deliver gigabit and multi-gigabit

Internet security solutions

Check Point Software Technologies (Nasdaq:CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced a ground-breaking new performance architecture that will enable a 10-fold increase in VPN and firewall performance to support the business demands and meet the next-generation security requirements of customers. Check Point will deliver these solutions to customers through collaboration with industry-leading silicon, appliance and computer systems manufacturers, resulting in gigabit and multi-gigabit security solutions. Initial companies include: Nokia (NYSE:NOK), Broadcom (Nasdaq:BRCM), Intel, Compaq (NYSE:CPQ), Intrusion.com (Nasdaq:INTZ), and RapidStream. Nokia is the first partner to incorporate elements of Check Point's new performance architecture, enhancing its new, highest performing security appliance to date, the IP530 security appliance.

"Business Internet traffic is more than doubling each year and Internet security solutions must continue to meet demanding performance requirements," said Gil Shwed, chief executive officer and founder of Check Point Software Technologies. "Check Point's new performance architecture represents a significant advancement in our technology and enables scalable security solutions that will exceed customer performance requirements for years to come."

Revolutionary, Open Design

Check Point's new performance architecture is an essential element of the next major version of the company's flagship security software, Check Point Next Generation. Unique to this architecture is the offloading of computationally intensive security processes to a variety of specialized third-party hardware. This is achieved through the following architectural advancements:

-- New Stateful Inspection Architecture: Check Point has significantly
redesigned its patented Stateful Inspection technology, making it more modular
and optimized for performance. Computationally-intensive operations -- such as
firewall, encryption, compression, and public key operations

-- can be offloaded to third-party hardware for the highest levels of
performance.

-- SecureXL: Check Point is making APIs available to partners to integrate
third-party network processors that accelerate firewall, public key operations
and encryption.

"Enterprises require high-performance, scalable security to fully leverage communications over the Internet, said Mark Bouchard, program director, Global Networking Strategies, Meta Group. "Check Point's open, partner-based approach provides customers with this scalable security through access to the latest silicon technology and a choice of best-of-breed appliance products."

Delivering Next Generation Security Solutions

Initially, Check Point will work with the following companies to offer customers a choice of innovative security acceleration solutions that will incorporate Check Point's new high-performance acceleration architecture into:

-- Broadcom - its industry-leading family of high-speed

processors for integration into servers and security

appliances.

-- Intel - its application services and network processors within

the Intel(R) Internet Exchange Architecture family of hardware

and software building blocks, designed to meet the growing

performance requirements of today's networks.

-- Nokia - its market-leading family of purpose-built network

security appliances engineered for high reliability,

performance, and rapid deployment that help corporations and

managed service providers ensure the protection of their

critical network resources.

-- Compaq - its industry-leading ProLiant ML330 and DL320 server

SolutionPaqs targeted at medium to large enterprises and

service providers.

-- Intrusion.com - its high-performance, cost-effective PDS

security appliance family, targeted at small-to-medium

enterprises and managed service providers.

-- RapidStream - its family of high-performance VPN/firewall

security appliances that use RapidStream's programmable

security processor, RapidCore(R), targeted at small to large

enterprises, service providers and data centers.

With the introduction of its next generation performance architecture, Check Point is revolutionizing VPN and firewall performance to meet the bandwidth-intensive needs of customers today and into the future.

Mr. Shwed continued: "We are pleased to advance our performance and scalability leadership and, together with our partners, provide assurance to our customers that their Check Point security solutions continue to perform to the highest possible standards."

About Check Point Software Technologies

Check Point Software Technologies is the worldwide leader in securing the Internet. The company's Secure Virtual Network (SVN) architecture provides the infrastructure that enables secure and reliable Internet communications. SVN secures business-to-business (B2B) communications between networks, systems, applications and users across the Internet, Intranets and extranets. Check Point's Open Platform for Security (OPSEC) provides the framework for integration and interoperability with "best-of-breed" solutions from over 270 leading industry partners. Check Point solutions are sold, integrated and serviced by a network of over 1500 certified partners. For more information, please call us at [phone] or [phone] or visit us on the Web at http://www.checkpoint.com or at http://www.opsec.com.

(c)2001 Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Check Point, the Check Point logo, FireWall-1, FireWall-1 SecureServer, FloodGate-1, INSPECT, IQ Engine, MetaInfo, Meta IP, Open Security Extension, OPSEC, Provider-1, SecureKnowledge, SiteManager, SVN, UAM, UserAuthority, VPN-1, VPN-1 Accelerator Card, VPN-1 Appliance, VPN-1 Certificate Manager, VPN-1 Gateway, VPN-1 SecureClient, VPN-1 SecuRemote, VPN-1 SecureServer and ConnectControl are trademarks or registered trademarks of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. or its affiliates. All other product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The products described in this document are protected by U.S. Patent No. 5,606,668 and 5,835,726 and may be protected by other U.S. Patents, foreign patents, or pending applications.

Broadcom(R) and CryptoNET(TM) are trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries.