Why Check Point ATCs Are Moving On from Legacy Lab Delivery Systems
For most Check Point Authorized Training Centers (ATCs), hands-on labs are the heart of certification training. They bridge the gap between theory and practice, allowing learners to build real-world skills in a secure environment.
But somewhere along the way, these labs have become less of a learning asset — and more of an operational burden.
The issue isn’t with the quality of training content. The real challenge lies in how those labs are being delivered. Outdated infrastructure, endless provisioning cycles, support escalations during live sessions, and ballooning cloud costs are slowing down even the best training programs. Over time, these issues become more than just technical—they turn into operational roadblocks that hinder growth, drain resources, and impact learner experience.
The Lab Burden That Just Won’t Go Away
Running Check Point certification programs today often means dealing with the following issues:
Manual Setup Overload
For every course, there’s a mountain of behind-the-scenes effort. Provisioning machines, configuring firewalls, installing Check Point software, and making sure it’s all accessible—it’s time-consuming, error-prone, and requires skilled personnel. This constant cycle becomes overwhelming when trying to scale up to meet growing demand.
Instructors Left in the Dark
When something breaks in the middle of a session, trainers often lack the tools to diagnose and fix it in real-time. They can’t view what the learner is seeing, reset a faulty lab, or intervene without raising support tickets. This disempowers instructors and disrupts the flow of learning.
Scaling Feels Like Reinventing the Wheel
Onboarding more learners should be a sign of success, but for many ATCs, it creates anxiety. More learners mean more infrastructure, more provisioning, and more chances for failure. Every new batch feels like starting from scratch.
Cloud Bills That Keep Climbing
Idle resources, labs left running, underutilized VMs—without automation, cloud bills can skyrocket. And as training grows, so do the hidden costs. Without a clear way to manage this, budget overruns become the norm.
What Smart ATCs Did Differently
Training centers like CLICO, Arrow ECS, and Layer8 recognized that maintaining labs internally was draining valuable time and money. Their engineering teams were bogged down in manual tasks. Instructors were frustrated by the lack of control. Learners were occasionally left with broken or inaccessible environments.
So, they made a change.
“The cloud training system relieved us a lot — both in terms of engineering workload and cost. The labs run smoothly, and the support team is fast and responsive.” — CLICO Team
By moving away from legacy setups and embracing platforms built for hands-on training, they freed up resources, improved training quality, and scaled without friction.
Why CloudLabs Was the Obvious Choice
CloudLabs is the official lab hoster for Check Point certifications. It’s not a plug-in or workaround — it’s the core delivery engine for modern ATC environments. And it’s designed with the realities of today’s training challenges in mind.
Prebuilt Labs for Every Major Certification
Whether you’re delivering CCSA, CCSE, or CCTE, CloudLabs provides fully packaged, cloud-based labs that are aligned to Check Point’s latest curriculum. No setup required.
100% Browser-Based Experience
There’s no software to install, no local requirements, and no dependencies that complicate access. If your learner has a browser, they’re good to go.
Full Control for Trainers
Instructors have a live console to monitor learner sessions, shadow them, reset environments instantly, and provide real-time feedback. It puts control back in the trainer’s hands and removes dependency on IT teams during critical training moments.
Built-in Cost Optimization
Labs automatically shut down when idle, and unused resources are deallocated. Built-in analytics track usage and help you forecast costs — so you only pay for what you actually use.
Security and Compliance at the Core
CloudLabs is SOC 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001 certified, making it safe for global delivery. Whether you’re running programs across regions or managing sensitive enterprise data, CloudLabs is enterprise-ready.
The Results Speak for Themselves
What happens when you switch to CloudLabs?
- Lab setup time drops by 90%
- Support tickets go down significantly
- Trainers become self-sufficient
- Learner satisfaction increases
- Costs become predictable — and lower
And perhaps most importantly: you unlock the ability to grow your training programs without growing your headaches.
Don’t Stack More Tools — Remove the Barriers
ATCs trying to “fix” their legacy delivery often patch together different systems: one for provisioning, another for access management, a third for monitoring. But this only adds complexity.
CloudLabs replaces all that with a single, integrated platform.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about removing what’s slowing you down. You don’t have to rebuild your curriculum, change your course delivery, or overhaul your staff. You just need a better way to run labs.
Getting Started Is Easier Than You Think
You don’t have to make a big investment to see what CloudLabs can do. Most ATCs start small — one lab, one course, one instructor. And within days, the benefits become clear.
Ready to stop firefighting and start focusing on growth?
Let the labs take care of themselves — so your team can focus on delivering exceptional learning experiences.
Amit Malik is the COO at Spektra Systems, known for his expertise in Microsoft Cloud and digital transformation. He drives strategic planning and operational initiatives, reshaping the cloud landscape to deliver superior business outcomes. He is a recognized thought leader and speaker on Cloud, AI, and IoT, and holds a position among the Leaders Excellence at Harvard Square.
