As a followup to my previous post about the Check Point purchase of Nokia’s security unit, here is the customer and partner email that was sent out by Amnon Bar-Lev, VP WW Field Operations and Technical Services, at Check Point:

It’s my pleasure to share with you that Check Point signed an agreement to acquire the Nokia security appliance business.

As many of you already know, Check Point and the Nokia security appliance business have collaborated over the past decade to deliver industry-leading enterprise security solutions. We believe that through this acquisition we will build upon our successful partnership to provide you with a deeper security appliance portfolio.

Nokia has been a leader in the security appliance market and a strategic partner to us for the last 12 years. We feel adding Nokia’s security appliance experience into Check Point’s broad range of security solutions is the natural progression of our long alliance and will assure a smooth path forward for our mutual customers.

With this acquisition, we are taking our partnership to the next level. We will continue to sell and support both Check Point and Nokia’s existing product lines and will work to enhance and create an even better line of security appliances – building upon the expertise and innovation of Check Point and Nokia.

Furthermore, our shared channel partners, another party in our long-standing collaboration, will be able to deliver our joint solutions quickly and with increased ease. As a result, you’ll interact with the same channel you have dealt with all along but in a much simpler way.

The agreement between Check Point and Nokia is expected to close in the first quarter of 2009 subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Until the transaction is closed both companies will conduct business as usual, operating as two separate entities.

As the deal advances towards closure we will be sure to update you with more details of our integration plans.

A Frequently Asked Questions page has also been created here.

Here is the Nokia email from Greg Podshadley, Vice President and General Manager, Nokia Security Appliance Business Unit:

I am pleased to share with you a significant milestone for our business. Nokia announced today that it has signed an agreement for Check Point Software Technologies to acquire Nokia’s security appliance business unit.

As you know, the two businesses have collaborated for over a decade to deliver industry-leading enterprise security solutions. This agreement is the natural culmination of that long-standing collaboration. We also believe that this transaction will provide the best path forward for you – our valued customers and partners.

I want to assure you that a primary focus is to ensure a smooth transition for our customers and partners. We strongly believe the many synergies between the two companies will bring strengthened products and services to our customers and partners for years to come.

Thank you for your patience during our evolution. We look forward to our exciting path forward!

You knew it was bound to happen at some point. When Nokia announced that they were getting out of the security business a lot of people, myself included, figured that another vendor would be buying them. Nortel doesn’t have the money or financial stability to pick up a division of this size, Juniper is too focused on their switching business right now and is still trying to justify the money they dropped on the NetScreen acquisition, Enterasys wasn’t in the running, and Cisco didn’t care.

That leaves Nokia’s number one competitor for appliance based Check Point installations – Check Point. Check Point has the money, the support organization, and the know how to easily integrate the Nokia brand name of appliances into their current price list.

From the Check Point press release:

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Nokia’s security appliance business. The two businesses have collaborated over the past decade to deliver industry-leading enterprise security solutions. Building on this collaboration, Check Point will provide an extended security appliance portfolio developed, manufactured and supported by Check Point.

“As a pioneer in security appliances, the Nokia security appliance business has been an important strategic partner for Check Point and has helped us achieve early leadership in the security appliance market,” said Gil Shwed, Chairman and CEO at Check Point. “Adding Nokia’s security appliance portfolio into Check Point’s broad range of security solutions is the natural conclusion of our long collaboration, and will assure a smooth path forward for our mutual customers.”

I think this is a good move for Check Point. I hope, however, that they didn’t purchase the company just to bury it’s product line in favor of their own SecurePlatform appliance line. I’m also glad that my book will continue to be valid 🙂