Check Point Joins Security Software Fray

Check Point Software(CHKP - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) is trying to crash the consumer security party.

The company will start testing its ZoneAlarm Internet security product publicly beginning Friday, with a final release planned next month.

The ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7.0, which combines antivirus, antispyware and firewall technologies into a single box, is squarely up against Symantec(SYMC - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), Microsoft(MSFT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and McAfee(MFE - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) in a hotly contested market.

In June, Microsoft entered the segment with Windows OneCare, its antivirus and PC backup tool. McAfee followed that with Falcon, its answer to OneCare, and last month, Trend Micro(TMIC - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) launched its own upgraded consumer Internet security product.

Symantec, however, is still testing its version called Norton 360 and will ship it at the end of March next year.

"The industry is in a significant state of flux now," says Laura Yecies, vice president and general manager of Check Point's consumer division. "With the release of Microsoft's Vista operating system, we expect the level of hacking to go up greatly and see more security threats for the PC."

Check Point, whose ZoneAlarm product has been around for two years, currently ranks No. 6 in the market, says research firm NPD Group, behind Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, CA(CA - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and even six-month-old entrant Microsoft.

Shares of Check Point closed at $22.40, up 21 cents, on Thursday. The Ramat Gan, Israel, company's stock has been up 18.5% in six months.