FortiGate Unified Threat Management Overview

Limitations with current standalone network security technologies
Maintaining a secure network environment using existing network security technologies is a significant challenge due to a number of reasons: 

• Increasingly sophisticated and rapidly evolving cyber threats, driven by profit rather than notoriety, evade one or more standalone security technologies
• The costs and complexities associated with managing an increasingly distributed network with no clear perimeter adds strain to already taxed resources
• The performance and processing power required to provide complete content level protection is difficult to achieve without purpose-built hardware

Most standalone network security offerings generally consist of single-purpose security software deployed onto PC-based hardware platforms, and provide basic network security functions like firewall and VPN services. These standalone network security products, however, fail to provide the comprehensive security, network deployment flexibility and the performance necessary to combat complex network-level and content-level IT Security threats.

The Unified Threat Management market has emerged to address complex security challenges
In order to solve the security problems for businesses and service providers, the Unified Threat Management (UTM) market has emerged. UTM devices incorporate firewall, intrusion prevention and gateway anti-virus, at a minimum. Many vendors have attempted to provide UTM capabilities through various implementations on the theme of UTM. Some vendors have re-packaged existing firewall and VPN offerings with antivirus and intrusion detection and/or prevention technologies from other vendors. Others have simply relabeled their existing network security products, which offer limited threat management capabilities across all three technology areas. More importantly, the act of simply cobbling together a UTM product that can provide essential security services while maintaining performance ratings that meet the needs of business networks is insufficient and simply does not work. In order to address these challenges, an effective UTM solution must deliver a network security platform comprised of robust and fully integrated security and networking functions. Protection must be provided against next generation application layer threats and offer centralized management from a single console, all without impairing the performance of the network.

The Fortinet Solution: Purpose-Built UTM Network Security Systems
Fortinet is a leading worldwide provider of Unified Threat Management (UTM) network security solutions. Fortinet supplies a comprehensive UTM solution comprised of the FortiGate™ network security platform, the FortiGuard™ security subscription services and an integrated suite of management, reporting and analysis products. Fortinet UTM solutions enable customers to cost-effectively defend against current and next generation network and application layer threats without slowing down their networks. Fortinet UTM solutions are built from the ground up by Fortinet and offer truly integrated hardware, software and services for the best security and performance possible. All FortiGate hardware platforms feature FortiASIC™ processors, which provide hardware acceleration and dedicated processing power specifically for security services. FortiGate platforms also leverage the FortiOS™ security operating system to tightly integrate with the FortiASIC processors and other hardware to provide a comprehensive and high-performance array of fully integrated and proprietary security and networking functions including:

• Firewall, VPN and Traffic Optimization
• Antivirus / Antispyware / Antimalware
• Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
• Web Filtering
• Anti-Spam
• Router

The FortiGate UTM Network Security Product Portfolio
From the FortiGate-50 Series for small businesses to the FortiGate-5000 Series for large enterprises, service providers and carriers, all FortiGate appliances are powered by the FortiOS operating system and the FortiASIC content security processor. Whether it is one or many, FortiGate platforms can be managed by a single FortiManager™ management console. FortiGate platforms incorporate sophisticated networking features, such as high availability for maximum network uptime and virtual domain capabilities to separate various networks requiring different security policies.

FortiGate relies on the dedicated Fortinet Global Threat Research Team that researches and develops protection against known and unknown security threats. This dynamic protection forms the basis of the FortiGuard security subscription services, which results in continuous updates for antivirus, intrusion prevention, Web filtering and antispam services.

FortiGate platforms in the network environment
FortiGate networking and security functionalities empower administrators with powerful deployment and configuration options. By leveraging the FortiGate purpose built network security UTM platform, administrators can comprehensively protect against network level and content level threats, complement legacy point product security technologies and cost effectively manage multiple network and security functionalities from a unified console without degrading network availability and uptime.

 
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