Fortinet’s new Connected UTM looks to simplify distributed wireless networks

小股民

Security hardware maker Forinet released a dozen new products today as part of its Connected UTM solution. The products all work together as part of the same UTM (Unified Threat Management) platform, with the aim of increasing connectivity and helping deliver more robust and secure wireless networks.


It sounds seriously complicated but Fortinet’s goal is actually to help simplify networks, replacing multiple pieces of hardware with single boxes.

Fortinet has a few use cases for its Connected UTM platform but the most interesting is in a distributed enterprise environment — those are businesses with lots of branch locations — think major retail or chain restaurants.

The FortiGate UTM hardware replaces multiple single-task boxes like firewalls and routers.

For example, have you ever wondered what’s powering your free Wi-Fi at your local coffee shop or how secure the connection is on that mobile payment system? Connectivity for these type of branch locations is a big deal for enterprises and its not as simple as connecting your home Wi-Fi network. Guest and private networks in public locations like restaurants and retail stores need to be highly secure but easy to manage all while being able to manage a constant workload.

Where a typical small business setup network setup might include separate hardware for routers, firewalls, switches, Wi-Fi adapters, and even web filtering, small shops don’t have to space for all that gear. Instead, Fortinet has offered a single box to do most of these tasks called a Unified Threat Management system. The single piece of hardware cuts down on the complexity, space and management needed to keep a small branch location connected.

Today’s announcement takes that a step further with new pieces that can extend the power of the current systems.

The foundation of these systems comes from the new FortiGate/FortiWi-Fi 30D, 60D and 90D and 280D POE devices. These are the unified threat management systems that replace separate boxes for switching, routing, Wi-Fi, and other tasks. This new set of FortiGate UTMs are all equipped with power-over-Ethernet (POE), which can be used to power devices like phones and security cameras without the need for a separate power supply.

But rarely are these branch locations constrained by wires. Most need extensive Wi-Fi options, either for customers to access a guest network (like in the case of a restaurant offering free Wi-Fi) or a private network for employees or transactional equipment like point-of-sale systems. Either way, these networks need to be secure and available — otherwise the retailer might not be able to operate. As part of Connected UTM, Forinet is launching the FortiAP 221C and 320C indoor Wi-Fi access points, which offer 802.11ac speeds (think Gigabit Wi-Fi) for extending the range of wireless networks. These types of access points might be found in warehouses and hospitals, where the network needs to be extended over large areas.

Fortinet even has a new 3G/4G wireless network extender that can be placed up to 100 meters away from the host to extend a cellular data network.
Connected UTM has other pieces, like new switches, to scale these platforms, but what retailers will find most interesting is the company’s partnership with analytics provider Kiana. Using the networks powered by its access points and FortiGate platform, retailers can tap deeper into analytics, capturing anonymous customer data to get a better idea of how to best reach their customers. Look for more businesses to explore these types of products as big data continues to gain popular momentum and recognition.

All of Fortinet’s new equipment is launching today with immediate availability.



by Christopher Rogers •                 January 13, 2014