Today's focus: Fortinet develops its own VPN client

By Tim Greene

Fortinet is making its own VPN client after ending a relationship with SSH and its parent company SafeNet. Called FortiClient Host Security, the software performs many security functions including firewalling, virus-scanning, intrusion detection and integrity checking of the remote machine. These features will roll out over the course of the year, the company says.

These clients are used on remote computers that connect over the Internet with FortiGate security gateways.

Available now, the first version of the software includes just the IPSec-compatible VPN client. The next version will add anti-virus and a personal firewall. This version will also include a registry check to make sure the registry of the machine has not changed, which might indicate a virus or worm is at work.

The second version will include management features that enable downloading policy changes as users log on to the VPN and for the remote machines to periodically request anti-virus updates. The software will also enable setting different policies on one machine for different users.

By year-end, a third version will add the ability to define acceptable configurations for remote machines. This will enable customers to define those applications that are authorized on remote machines and to deny access to machines that have unauthorized applications loaded.

Current customers using the SSH/SafeNet client can upgrade for free to FortiClient Host Security. For new customers, the client costs $15 each, and the price drops below $5 each if customers buy in large quantities.