Fortinet ‘changes’ security landscape

Fortinet says that it is setting a new standard for large scale enterprises and carriers with the release of the FortiGate-3810D, thought to be the first and only firewall appliance with 100GbE interfaces and 300+ Gbps throughput to meet the stringent performance and connectivity demands of next generation high-speed data centers. Using Fortinet's FortiASIC Network Processor 6 technology, a solution that in the past required chassis-based systems, can now be successfully achieved in an impressive appliance form factor. The FortiGate-3810D's 3U appliance form factor saves space and power and includes unique features such as Virtual Domain and transparent mode, allowing networks to be segmented, without having to make major modifications to your network.

Future-Proofing the Next Generation Data Center
Enterprise organizations are upgrading their data centers or campus networks to support higher speeds, driven by initiatives such as public and private cloud infrastructure, Internet2, software defined networks (SDN), virtualization and mobile platforms. In light of increased reliance on these technologies for day-to-day business, many enterprise organizations are preparing for higher network speeds with 40G/100G ports to accommodate an anticipated explosion of network traffic and prepare for future infrastructure build-outs without compromising existing performance or disrupting operations.

Designed for large-scale enterprise data centers, carriers, service and cloud providers, the FortiGate-3810D touts scalable NP6 ASIC architecture that delivers 10x Data Center and 5x Next Generation performance for any enterprise office. The latest FortiASIC network processors triplethe typical range of top-end appliances previously only achievable with costly chassis solutions while also eliminating traffic bottlenecks that cause latency and slow productivity. In addition, the custom ASIC architecture also enables FortiGate network security appliances to reduce power consumption and TCO.

“Enterprise organizations are continually demanding increased throughput performance and high-speed interfaces to accommodate complex, multi-platform environments that help them stay competitive,” said Jeff Wilson, principle analyst for security at Infonetics Research. "In preparation for impending infrastructure build-outs, many organizations are looking for platforms with more than 100 Gbps throughput. That demand for additional performance is likely going to grow in the near future. With its FortiGate-3810D, Fortinet is helping businesses seamlessly enter into this new era.”

The FortiGate-3810D: Setting a New Performance Standard
Fortinet's FortiGate-3810D is the only security appliance capable of delivering an unprecedented 300+Gbps throughput, while also featuring 100 GbE interface ports and IPv4 to IPv6 performance parity integral in supporting next-generation fabric. With enhanced throughput capabilities, the FortiGate-3810D shatters records previously achieved by costlier solutions while meeting demands for high-speed connectivity -- all without adding the complexity and cost of a carrier-grade chassis-filled solution consisting of numerous security blades.

In addition, flexible and easy-to-use software options enable advanced security functions such as intrusion prevention, application control, advanced threat protection and web filtering to be switched on, providing integrated security and additional protection.

“The data center spent 10 years moving from 1G to 10G -- the move to 100G will happen much faster. Firewalls have traditionally been bottlenecks slowing down the move to larger, next generation data centers,” said John Maddison, vice president of marketing products for Fortinet. “The FortiGate-3810D allows customers to build 100G data centers without worrying about high speed connectivity or throughput of the core firewall.”

Validating 100GbE Security with Ixia for Extreme Internet2 Requirement
The Internet2 Consortium, led by members from the U.S. research and education community, industry, and government, and with more than 60 international partnerships, connects participants with an advanced fiber optic network for deploying networking technologies expected to drive the future of the Internet. Fortinet and Ixia -- a firm that offers network testing, monitoring, security enhancements and optimization -- have teamed up to validate firewall performance for some of the world’s most demanding networks.

“100G over Internet2 allows us to transfer information that would not be possible at 10 Gig because of the large data size,” said Robert Lau, director of Information Systems Security, University of Southern California. “Securing USC’s Internet2 is critical to ensuring against loss or theft of irreplaceable research data, sensitive health and personal information, and other valuable intellectual property.”

Up until now, many university campus networks could not maintain the extreme performance of high-speed Internet2 network flows through enterprise-grade campus firewall deployments, forcing many to bypass best practice security efforts.

“When building and testing 100G networks like Internet2, raw performance is often top of mind,” said Fred Kost, Ixia vice president of enterprise marketing. “But to get a true test environment for validating network performance and security, it’s necessary to simulate the mix of real-world application traffic and the security attacks found on production networks. The Ixia PerfectStorm application and security test platform allow Fortinet to test and validate their next-gen firewalls with 100GbE support to deliver the highest levels of performance for their customers."