Fortinet Unveils a New Weapon

Fortinet -- a market-leading network security provider and worldwide leader of unified threat management (UTM) solutions -- today announced a new FortiGate multi-threat security appliance with integrated internet protocol private branch exchange (IP-PBX) functionality, consolidating data and voice over IP (VoIP) security management into a single device.

Aimed at medium and large enterprises with remote and branch offices, the new FortiGate Voice-80C offers organizations easier management of UTM security and PBX functionality by consolidating the two traditionally separate devices into one platform. The FortiGate Voice-80C supports Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), which lowers costs by enabling organizations to use VoIP inside and outside of the local area network (LAN). Additionally, as a complement to the new FortiGate Voice solution, Fortinet will be offering a SIP-compatible handset. The FortiGate Voice-80C is also compatible with most VoIP SIP handsets on the market.

VOIP has been a recent trend in the corporate world. Just as touch tone replaced rotary, slowly VOIP are replacing normal land lines. VOIP systems give offices the ability to seamlessly record calls, bind their office phone to mobile devices, and keep track of voicemails and call records via email. VOIP also allows for seamless text communication that keep employees off sites like Gmail and Facebook and keeps office communication to solely the issues relevant to the office. The only drawback of the VOIP systems is they become vulnerable to outside intrusion and provide a gateway into business servers.

Enter FortiGate:

With Fortinet's new FortiGate Voice-80C, remote and branch offices that are utilizing an analog PBX phone system can now tackle network and VoIP security management simultaneously without the additional investments required for individual hardware devices. For large enterprises that are supporting a growing mobile workforce with multiple voice and data clients, Fortinet's integrated UTM and SIP-compatible IP-PBX solution offers multiple points of protection, while also offering a reduction in the overall operating expenses (OPEX) and capital expenditures (CAPEX) associated with managing multiple devices and maintaining separate voice and data services. SIP permits businesses that have a PBX installed to use VoIP also outside the enterprise network by using the same connection as the Internet connection. It also enables remote offices to communicate with headquarters via VoIP, thus reducing costs by eliminating the need for separate voice and data lines.

In a PR newsletter, founder of Fortinet Michael Xie said the following regarding VOIP security. "Organizations of all sizes have been migrating to a Voice over IP architecture for years and while the benefits of both voice and data transmitting over IP have been proven in the reduction of cost as compared to legacy systems, the management of VoIP and security has historically been approached separately, leading to unnecessary expenses and unwanted security surprises.

Fortinet has been revolutionizing network security and privacy for years, and will continue to do so with the release of Fortigate.

To learn more about Fortinet, and how it can make your business more secure, contact me:

jcarretta@thetnsgroup.com