Fortinet, a global cybersecurity entity, has announced an expansion in its Universal Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) offerings.
This development is aimed at addressing the requirements of the current hybrid workforce through the application of FortiOS across a variety of deployments, according to the company.
Ken Xie, Founder, Chairman of the Board, and CEO at Fortinet, provided insights on FortiOS capabilities:
“The Fortinet operating system, FortiOS, is the industry’s only enterprise-grade converged operating system able to support all SASE functions... This approach enables over 30 converged networking and security functions to be managed through a single console.”
Addressing Challenges in Multi-Vendor Environments
Enterprises currently tend to depend on various vendors for different SASE functions, creating complexities due to the diversity in operating system functionalities and management consoles, according to Fortinet.
The company’s Universal SASE offering is designed to address these challenges, providing consistent policies, controls, and seamless integration across all functions and deployments. This, according to Fortinet, supports the hybrid workforce and aims to reduce IT overhead.
FortiOS includes a complete SASE stack, such as a bi-directional firewall, SD-WAN, secure web gateway, encryption/decryption, CASB, DLP, and ZTNA. It is designed to run both on an appliance in accelerated mode and in the FortiSASE cloud, ensuring consistent networking, security, and policy management across all edges.
Global Coverage and Performance Enhancements
Fortinet has broadened its network of FortiSASE cloud locations to over 100 globally, aiming to enhance user experience and service availability. The FortiGate 120G SASE appliance is a new addition to the company’s offerings, intended to bring accelerated SASE capabilities to campus and branch locations.
This appliance is powered by Fortinet’s patented SP5 (Security Processor 5) custom ASIC, which the company states delivers performance metrics significantly above industry averages, especially in SSL inspection.
Flexible Consumption with FortiFlex
Fortinet’s flexible consumption program, FortiFlex, has now been extended to include Universal SASE solutions.
This allows for usage-based licensing across various deployment options, providing IT teams with the flexibility to adjust their deployments as needed, according to Fortinet. This extension aims to simplify the deployment and provisioning of new services, and optimize budget utilization and return on investment, the company said.
