Fortinet announces FortiNAC, a new Network Access Control Solution

Fortinet has launched its new network access controller, FortiNAC. This diminishes the security risks associated with unsecured devices accessing the network by giving organizations total visibility of endpoints, users, trusted and untrusted devices and applications. Once visibility has been achieved, FortiNAC establishes dynamic controls that ensure that all devices, whether wired or wirelessly connected, are authenticated or authorized, and are subject to a context-driven policy that defines who, what, when and where connectivity is permitted. This ensures that only the appropriate people and devices can connect to and access appropriate applications, infrastructure and assets. Additionally, FortiNAC can enforce the company’s policies on device patching and firmware version. FortiNAC also contains powerful network orchestration capabilities for delivering automated responses to identified threats and can perform threat containment in seconds, where a manual process could take days or weeks.

The use of IoT devices is growing at a tremendous rate as organizations embrace digital transformation to enable better operational efficiency. According to Gartner, “Internet of Things endpoints will grow at a 32% CAGR from 2016 through 2021, reaching an installed base of 25.1 billion units.” The sheer volume of devices – including IoT, corporate, and BYOD – seeking wired and wireless network access are exponentially enlarging the attack surface and raising internal provisioning, management and compliance costs.

Networks are in a constant flux, with new devices connecting and disconnecting; controlling the network by controlling access to any device seeking access is a key part for ensuring the integrity of a network. Such an approach – where no unknown devices ever gain access to the corporate infrastructure, permitted devices are automatically segmented based on policies and roles and connected devices that begin to violate profiles are immediately quarantined from the network – becomes the foundation for a comprehensive security posture. Furthermore, the FortiNAC network access control solution is cost-effective and highly scalable, extending visibility and protection to an unlimited number of devices and eliminating the need for deployment at every location of a multi-site installation.

Fortinet strengthens its Security Fabric by extending its ability to engage network devices beyond the Fabric-Ready Partner Program to a wider multi-vendor environment, including third-party firewalls, switches, wireless access points and endpoints. FortiNAC is also integrated with the FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall, FortiSwitch, FortiWLC Wireless Controllers, FortiSIEM and FortiAP to minimize the risk and impact of cyberthreats and provide broader visibility and security for complex networks.

Rajesh Maurya, Regional Vice-President, India & SAARC, Fortinet, says, “Digital transformation brings a proliferation of unsecure IoT devices accessing the network, and with it, the increased risk of a security breach. FortiNAC allows organizations to identify every single device on the network and enables segmentation, giving each device access only to approved items. This functionality is delivered all within a solution that works with multi-vendor environments and an unlimited number of devices. FortiNAC strengthens the Fortinet Security Fabric for IoT deployments, delivering broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions across the entire attack surface.”

In the world of IoT, FortiNAC answers the question: “What’s on your network” and then enables you to protect it.