Question

Packeteer vs. CheckPoint Floodgate for bandwidth management

Bandwidth, Check Point

I'd like your opinions, please, on the preferability of using the Packeteer solution for bandwidth management over CheckPoint's Floodgate product.

Current network uses Internet VPN's over frac T1s to connect 15 remote offices worldwide to all servers and resources at my US HQ. Software is CP VP-1 NG AI, running on mostly Nokia IP120 or similar hardware. From 10-50 users at each remote site use VPN for Exchange 2k3, Oracle Financials and Portal, and a few minor applications. Utilization is very variable but long periods of maximum throughput occur often in remote offices.

Recently, a consultant (and Packeteer reseller) completed a network performance analysis and recommended installing Packeteer equipment in every office to manage bandwidth available to business critical apps. My local Checkpoint SE strongly recommends their solution as cheaper and better integrated.

Thanks for any insight you can offer on either or both of these solutions.

Floodgate is not worth its price in money. While it does feel good, being able to control the traffic at the firewall level, Floodgate fails in reporting. If you refer the brochure, you can see, it can do a lot of stuff about reporting. However, Floodgate only provides limited reporting functionality (top 10/20 whatever). However, if that is not your requirement, and you feel controlling the traffic through rules is a better option, Floodgate is better than Packeteer. Also remember, another Checkpoint product will mean upgraded hardware configuration.
Packeteer on the other hand has different products to chose from, and unless you want to be cost-beneficial, you can actually design your network to give you fantastic control over traffic. Yes, Packeteer can prove to be a bottleneck too, if your design is not done properly.