AWS Shield vs Check Point DDoS Protector

AWS Shield helps AWS customers identify network security configuration issues and defend applications against web exploitation and distributed denial of service events. Shield Standard is automatically configured for AWS customers and provides common network- and transport-layer DDoS protection at no charge. Shield Advanced adds detection and automatic inline mitigation for sophisticated events across network, transport, and application layers. It monitors traffic patterns for anomalies such as HTTP and DNS query floods and supports EC2, Elastic Load Balancing, CloudFront, Global Accelerator, and Route 53. Advanced integrates with AWS WAF and AWS Firewall Manager, with event visibility through Amazon CloudWatch. It includes DDoS cost protection for qualifying usage spikes and up to 50 billion AWS WAF requests per subscribed payer account per calendar month for protected resources. The Advanced plan costs $3,000/mo, requires a one-year subscription commitment, and usage fees may apply. Network security director is in preview and is not included with either listed plan.

Check Point DDoS Protector is a perimeter device for mitigating network and application attacks in real time. Its behavioral AI/ML algorithms provide automated protection against known and zero-day attacks, including DNS amplification, IoT botnet floods, SSL/TLS floods, and attacks across Layers 3–7. Check Point says real-time signatures detect attacks and protect in less than 10 seconds.

Deployment choices include inline, SPAN-port and copy-port monitoring, and out-of-path mitigation. The product is offered in cloud-based, hardware-based, and hybrid configurations, with a virtual appliance for software-defined data centers. A management dashboard supports detection-event review, policy application, and configuration refinement. The X Series integrates with Check Point’s Hybrid Cloud DDoS Protection Service. Maximum programmable mitigation throughput is listed as up to 800 Gbps, depending on model, and the datasheet lists latency below 60 microseconds. Pricing is available on request; Check Point offers a free demo through a request form.