From the 'networking news' files:

Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP)has completed its acquisition of Nokia's security appliance business, nearly four months after the deal was first announced in December of 2008.

Nokia and Check Point had been partners in the security appliance business for the past 12 years. With the deal complete it means that Check Point now has a bigger appliance story to tell and can sell Nokia appliances running Check Point's firewall and security software.

Check Point has also indicated that it plans to expand the Nokia business and its own with a new line of all inclusive IP security appliances.



"Check Point now leads the security appliance market with an unprecedented variety of security solutions," said Through the acquisition, we'll be able to better meet customers' needs and preferences with the latest security software on the leading hardware platforms," Gil Shwed, chairman and chief executive officer at Check Point said in a statement. "Our unique Software Blade architecture allows customers to select the exact security protections they need for a given environment, and our comprehensive line of appliances lets customers deploy their custom gateway on the hardware of their choice."



Check Point has claimed that Nokia had some 220,000 security appliance installations that will now become part of Check Point's customer base.

In my view, this is a good thing for Check Point and may well be the catalyst that helps to propel their share and market stature forward. Check Point has long been though off as mostly a software vendor in the enterprise space with its security application able to run on hardware from various vendors. I don't see that changing with the Nokia deal, but the mix could change with more deployments on Check Point branded hardware as time progresses.