Singapore – Check Point Software Technologies has launched Firewall-as-a-Subscription, a programme that bundles its AI Network Firewall, AI-powered threat prevention and agentic management into a single subscription with no upfront hardware purchase. The cyber security vendor announced the programme on 27 October 2026.
The subscription includes Check Point Force Firewalls, which are sized and priced on the threat prevention throughput an organisation needs. It also adds Live Updates, which the company says apply security updates without reboots or downtime.
The AI Network Firewall capabilities come from R82.20, the release of Check Point introduced in July 2026. According to the company, they inspect AI traffic, protect AI applications and help govern AI agents at the network layer.
Beyond the firewall itself, the package carries AI-powered threat prevention, including SandBlast, which Check Point says delivers a 99.9% block rate against zero-day attacks. It also includes the Smart-1 Agentic Management package, a cloud-based security management service that needs no additional on-premises infrastructure.
Support and services are part of the bundle as well. Customers receive 24×7 premium support with direct or collaborative options, alongside Check Point Global Services Flex Credits that cover policy migration from another vendor’s firewall or other Check Point services.
On pricing, organisations pay a monthly or annual subscription rather than buying hardware outright. They can upgrade throughput at any time during the three-year term and move to new hardware after 36 months, Check Point says.
The launch comes as budget pressure squeezes security teams. According to the IANS Research and Artico Search 2026 Security Budget Benchmark, the median security budget did not grow this year, and 55% of chief information security officers (CISOs) saw their budgets stay flat or fall.
While 64% of CISOs asked for an increase, only 45% received one, the benchmark found. Check Point argues that inflation and rising interest rates are lifting borrowing costs and shrinking capital budgets, which can push firewall refreshes down the priority list.
Meanwhile, AI is increasing the volume of traffic that networks must inspect, the company says. As a result, organisations that delay upgrades may be left running hardware that was not designed for AI-driven traffic and attacks, it adds.
Analysts see a role for consumption-based models in that environment. Pete Finalle, Research Manager, Security and Trust at IDC, commented on the pressures facing buyers.
“Organizations of all sizes face the same AI-driven threats, but for many, capital budget cycles often force them to delay firewall refreshes or buy more capacity than they need,” said Pete Finalle, Research Manager, Security and Trust of IDC.
“Consumption models that turn on-premises security hardware into a predictable operating expense, and let organizations scale protection as their needs grow, can help close that gap. We expect demand for this kind of flexibility to rise as AI adoption increases the traffic and risk networks must handle,” Finale added.
Check Point positions the programme as the next step in its mission to secure AI transformation. Avi Rembaum, President Global Technical Sales of Check Point Software Technologies, outlined the company’s reasoning.
“Every organization is adopting AI, and every organization deserves the same level of protection, whatever its size or budget. With Firewall-as-a-Subscription, we are making our most advanced AI security, threat prevention and agentic management available through one simple subscription, so organizations can secure their AI transformation today,” Rembaum concluded.
