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Network security specialist Fortinet announced an expansion to the FortiGate Unified Threat Management (UTM) product line that is designed for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), distributed enterprises, retail networks and branch/home offices.
The rollout features 10 appliances, including the FortiGate-200D series, the FortiGate-100D series, which includes the FortiGate-140D, FortiGate-140D-POE, FortiGate-140D-POE-T1 and FortiGate-100D, FortiGate-90D/FortiWiFi-90D and FortiGate-30D/FortiWiFi-30D. The appliances run on FortiOS, a security-hardened operating system that is the foundation of all FortiGate network security platforms.
“Fortinet continues to drive the network security industry forward with improved performance and innovative new features for small or highly distributed networks,” Jeff Wilson, principal analyst at IT research firm Infonetics, said in a statement. “By integrating Ethernet switching into a security appliance, they’re extending the definition of a UTM and reducing equipment and operational costs.”
The FortiGate-200D series delivers up to 42 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) ports and up to 4G bps firewall throughput and 1G bps of IPSec VPN performance. Featuring up to 42 GE ports, including two small form-factor pluggable (SFP) slots, the FortiGate-140D also serves as a firewall with advanced threat protection (ATP) capabilities.
In addition, the appliance provides onboard storage for wide area network (WAN) optimization and visibility along with an integrated WiFi and switch controller. The 140D-POE offers a Power-over-Ethernet variant to connect network devices such as access points and IP phones, while the 140D-POE-T1 features a built-in T1 interface.
The FortiGate-100D is a third-generation network security appliance that also serves as a high-speed next-generation firewall with ATP security features. Like the FortiGate-140D series, the FortiGate-100D delivers onboard storage for WAN optimization and an integrated WiFi and switch controller, and includes up to 20 GE ports.
On the security side, FortiOS 5 includes an anti-modern malware detection system for identifying and mitigating Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). The multi-layered approach includes FortiGuard Antivirus Engine, which identifies standard threats and uses heuristics and sandboxing to determine malicious behavior, FortiGuard Analytics, which identifies zero-day wares for further analysis in the cloud, and FortiGuard Botnet Database, which contains updated information about IP reputations and prevents remote command and control communications.
“The traditional definition of UTM is continually evolving as customers consolidate more functionality within their Network Security Platform. Fortinet pioneered the integrated wireless access point controller and has now redefined UTM again with fully integrated switching capability,” John Maddison, vice president of marketing for Fortinet, said in a statement. “With no less than 10 new or upgraded FortiGate products being introduced today, we’re providing the most scalable platform to meet every customer deployment need.”
