GAiA provides a Web user interface for provisioning and management. Additionally, the GAiA system delivers automatic software updates and role based software administration. Existing users of Check Point’s IPSO and SPLAT powered appliances can migrate to GAiA using a documented process with scripts that can help maintain current rules and policies.
Historically, Check Point has run two operating systems (OSes), the Nokia IPSO OS and the SecurePlatform (SPLAT) that was on its own appliances. But Check Point acquired Nokia’s network security appliance business in 2009, and has now, at long last, merged the two OSes into a new unified OS release.
“Today, we’re finally integrating the two and creating the next generation unified secure OS, called GAiA,” Check Point CEO, Gil Shwed said during an event announcing the new release. “GAiA is basically the best of IPS and the Secure Platform with a lot more things. It’s got IPv6 and is fully 64-bit so it can take advantage of more performance and capacity to story more connections.”
The bare-metal OS sitting underneath GAiA is Linux.
Read the full story at EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet:
Check Point Consolidates Security OSes
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.