Check Point hails prevention focus as Q1 sales rise

CEO Gil Shwed claims prevention is better than detection on Q1 conference call

Check Point CEO Gil Shwed claimed the security vendor's rivals are too focused on detection as it posted healthy profit and revenue growth for Q1.

In the three months to 31 March 2016, Check Point saw revenues rise nine per cent year on year to $404m (£281m), with revenue from its software blades expanding 19 per cent. GAAP net profit rose four per cent to $167m.

This year, Check Point has launched a range of appliances it claims are optimised for threat prevention.

While a lot has been made of the need for the security industry to shift from a mindset of protection to one of detection and defence, Shwed said his firm is focusing its efforts on preventing attacks before they can do damage.

"Customers today deploy a large number of point solutions from many security vendors, mostly focusing on the detection of attacks," Shwed said on a Q1 conference call.

"Unfortunately, detection doesn't solve the problem and it's very clear that cybersecurity has to be dealt with differently than with traditional detection methods."

Check Point's new 1400, 3000, 5000, 15000 and 23000 series of appliances are bundled with the next-generation threat prevention package as a default, Shwed said.

Software blades contributed 22 per cent of total revenues in Q1, he added.

Although Check Point beat profit expectations for Q1, concerns over the IT spending backdrop led the vendor to issue a Q2 guidance that left Wall Street underwhelmed.

"While we see a healthy buying environment for cybersecurity, we are slightly cautious in regards to the overall IT industry spending," Shwed said. "We haven't seen a big effect on our business so far, but with our large dependence on an existing installed base, any changes in spending can have an impact on anticipated growth rates."