Fortinet rolls out new network security OS

Fortinet has launched FortiOS 5.0 which is an advanced security operating system that is the foundation for all Fortinet FortiGate integrated security platforms
The new FortiOS5.0 provides more security, intelligence and control to help enterprises be better protected against today’s advanced threats and enable more secure “Bring-Your-Own-Device” (BYOD) environments, Fortinet announced in its press release.
It said the new OS will support organisations’ efforts to establish the right BYOD policy for environment, network and information security by allowing themto be able to identify different types of devices (ex iOS vs Android vs Windows) and apply different security policies accordingly.
In addition to the new FortiOS 5.0 operating system for FortiGate devices, Fortinet announced FortiManager 5.0, FortiAnalyzer 5.0 and FortiClient 5.0 to address the need for increasingly sophisticated management and analysis of the network infrastructure and endpoint devices in enterprise, carrier, MSP and SMB environments alike.
“Fortinet is adding more than 150 features and enhancements to FortiOS 5.0. As a result, enterprises of all sizes will be better equipped to defend themselves against new advanced threats and manage and protect their network against an influx of new types of mobile devices and applications,” the press release quoted. Peerapong Jongviboon , Thailand Country Manager at Fortinet, as saying.
Key benefits include:
- More Security to fight advanced threats. A client reputation feature gives enterprises a cumulative security ranking of each device based on a range of behaviors and provides specific, actionable information that enables organizations to identity compromised systems and potential zero-day attacks in real time. The new advanced anti-malware detection system adds an on-device behavior-based heuristic engine and cloud-based AV services that includes an operating system sandbox and botnet IP reputation database. Together with superior industry-validated AV signatures, FortiOS 5.0 delivers unbeatable multi-layered protection against today’s sophisticated malware
- More Control to secure mobile devices and BYOD environments by identifying devices and applying specific access policies as well as security profiles, according to the device type or device group, location and usage
- More Intelligence with automatic adjustment of role-based policies for users and guests based on location, data and application profile. Enhanced reporting and analysis also provides administrators with more intelligence on the behavior of their network, users, devices, applications and threats
“We are excited about the advancements in FortiOS 5.0,” the press statement quoted Ken Xie, founder, president and CEO for Fortinet, as saying.
“Looking back over the last ten years, each FortiOS release delivered innovation that helped change the market. With FortiOS 5.0, Fortinet is continuing to lead and define the network security space. We are providing our customers with the best and broadest functionality that is fully integrated with our high-performance FortiASICs and FortiGate system. This combination leads to our customers having the most superior network security, performance, management and analysis.”