How do Fortinet devices work?

What Fortinet Does

Fortinet’s award-winning FortiGate™ series of ASIC-accelerated Antivirus Firewalls are the new generation of real-time network protection systems. They detect and eliminate the most damaging, content-based threats from email and Web traffic such as viruses, worms, intrusions, inappropriate Web content and more in real time — without degrading network performance. The FortiGate systems deliver a full range of network-level services — firewall, VPN, intrusion detection and traffic shaping — as well as application-level services such as antivirus and content filtering, in dedicated, easily managed platforms.

The Problem We Address: Real-Time Network Protection

A growing percentage of so-called "content-based" network attacks, such as viruses, worms and Trojans, are being introduced into organizations via seemingly innocuous activities such as Web browsing. This trend is expected to continue as organizations turn increasingly to real-time communications, like Web applications and instant messaging, as the means to remain responsive and competitive. Unfortunately, conventional network protection systems, such as firewalls and host-based antivirus software, lack the dedicated hardware required to perform the deep packet analysis, content reassembly, and application-level screening necessary to detect these threats without imposing unacceptable delays on real-time network applications. As a result, most organizations are dangerously exposed to content-based attacks from real-time traffic. Fortinet’s FortiGate series of Antivirus Firewalls for the first time provides cost-effective systems that deliver complete network-level and content-level protection at the network edge with real-time performance. Each member of the scalable, flexible FortiGate family is a dedicated, easily managed device that delivers a full suite of capabilities, which include ICSA-certified virus protection and content filtering, along with network-level services including firewall, intrusion detection, intrusion prevention, VPN and traffic shaping functions.

How We Do It

With 11 patents pending, FortiGate Antivirus Firewalls employ Fortinet’s Accelerated Behavior and Content Analysis System (ABACAS™) technology, which leverages breakthroughs in chip design, networking, security and content analysis. The unique, ASIC-based architecture analyzes network content and behavior in real-time, enabling all key network services — including real-time Web applications — be screened for both network and content-level threats without impacting network performance.

All FortiGate Antivirus Firewalls employ Fortinet’s unique FortiASIC™ content processing chip and the powerful, secure, FortiOS™ operating system to achieve breakthrough price/performance. The unique, ASIC-based architecture analyzes content and behavior in real time, enabling key applications to be deployed right at the network edge, where they are most effective at protecting enterprise networks. As the only systems in the world that are certified by the ICSA for antivirus, IPSec, firewall and intrusion detection functionality, FortiGate systems deliver the highest level of security available. They add a critical layer of real-time, network-based antivirus protection that complements host-based antivirus software and supports "defense-in-depth" strategies without performance or cost. They can be deployed for antivirus protection and content filtering alone in conjunction with exisiting firewall, VPN, and related devices, or as complete network protection systems with just a simple configuration change.