Check Point's not afraid of Juniper.

(From Israel Business Arena)

Byline: Ofer Levi

Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP) has been very busy over the past year, launching many security solutions in the market. The company has realized its vision of complete security, resting on three bases: internal enterprise security, network security, and perimeter security. During the year, Check Point also paid $205 million in cash and shares for the acquisition of US company Zone Labs, which specializes in firewalls for home users and internal enterprise defense systems. Check Point also discovered that an old rival, Juniper Networks (Nasdaq: JNPR), had re-entered the field.

Six months ago, Juniper acquired NetScreen Technologies, Check Point's main competitor, for $4 billion in shares, thereby becoming the chief threat to Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), which combines information security and hardware solutions. "Right now, I don't see that Juniper's acquisition has had any effect," says Check Point Middle East regional manager Naftali Keren. "This may change with time. Juniper is not an information security company; it's a company that makes sophisticated switches. The acquisition puts it in the same category as Cisco. Check Point is the only company that promised to …