Check Point Software Technologies has announced the launch of Firewall-as-a-Subscription, a new offering designed to make advanced AI-powered network security more accessible to organisations without requiring a significant upfront hardware investment.
The new subscription model gives businesses access to Check Point Force Firewalls, AI-powered threat prevention and agentic security management through predictable monthly or annual payments. The offering is designed to help organisations modernise their network defences while managing increasingly constrained cybersecurity budgets.
The announcement comes as businesses face growing financial pressures, with inflation and higher borrowing costs forcing many to delay infrastructure upgrades. According to the IANS Research and Artico Search 2026 Security Budget Benchmark, the median cybersecurity budget remained unchanged this year, with 55% of CISOs reporting flat or declining budgets. Although 64% requested additional funding, just 45% received an increase.
These financial constraints are emerging at a time when AI adoption is introducing new challenges for network security, including the need to inspect AI-generated traffic, protect AI applications and monitor autonomous agents.
Check Point’s Firewall-as-a-Subscription aims to address these challenges by removing the need for large capital investments, allowing organisations to access advanced security capabilities through a subscription-based model.
The offering builds on Check Point’s R82.20 release, introduced in July 2026, which brought AI Network Firewall capabilities designed to inspect AI traffic, protect AI applications and help govern AI agents at the network layer.
The subscription includes Check Point Force Firewalls, with capacity and pricing based on the threat prevention throughput required by each organisation. Customers also receive AI-powered threat prevention, including SandBlast technology, which Check Point claims achieves a 99.9% block rate against zero-day attacks.
Additional features include Live Updates, which enable security updates without reboots or downtime, and Smart-1 cloud-based agentic management. The package also includes 24/7 premium support and professional services credits to assist with activities such as migrating firewall policies from other vendors.
Under the three-year subscription, organisations can increase their firewall throughput as their requirements evolve, with the option to move to new hardware after 36 months.
Pete Finalle, Research Manager, Security and Trust at IDC, commented on the growing demand for more flexible security purchasing models.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
The subscription model could also provide opportunities for channel partners to help customers progress firewall refresh projects that have been delayed by capital expenditure restrictions.
Avi Rembaum, President Global Technical Sales at Check Point Software Technologies, said: “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.”
Check Point Firewall-as-a-Subscription will be available from 1 November 2026 through Check Point’s partner network, with monthly and annual payment options.
