Fortinet Signs Distributor Agreement with Tech Pacific, Expands Reach Into SAARC Region

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April. 19, 2004 — Fortinet – the only provider of ASIC-powered, network-based antivirus firewall systems for real-time network protection -- today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Tech Pacific, the largest distributor of technology products and services in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Tech Pacific will distribute Fortinet’s FortiGate™ Antivirus Firewall systems in the SAARC region, which includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

This distribution partnership enables Fortinet to broaden its regional reach and immediately capitalize on the significant market opportunity for integrated network security solutions in the SAARC region. Fortinet will gain access to Tech Pacific’s more than 6,000 regional resellers, as well as its team of in-house security experts who will help drive market development and demand for the company’s solutions. The partnership also allows Tech Pacific to expand its security business – a key growth driver for the company – with the addition of Fortinet’s FortiGate Antivirus Firewall products to its portfolio of premier network security solutions.

Addressing Market Demand for Integrated Security
IT consulting firm Frost and Sullivan estimates the network security market in APAC is expected to be worth $US994 million in 2006, up from $US753.6 million this year, with some of the largest regional growth coming from India. Additionally, the increase in content-based network attacks, combined with the cost and complexity of managing multiple point products, is driving high market adoption of integrated security solutions that combine functions such as firewall, virtual private network (VPN), intrusion detection, anti-virus and anti-spam into a single solution offering. The demand for increasing network speeds makes performance of products the key differentiator in this market.

FortiGate Antivirus Firewalls are the industry’s only ASIC-based integrated security platforms which detect and eliminate the most damaging, content-based threats from email and Web traffic such as viruses, worms, intrusions, inappropriate Web content and more in real time — without degrading network performance. In addition to providing application level protection, the FortiGate systems deliver a full range of network-level services — firewall, VPN, intrusion detection and traffic shaping — delivering a complete network protection services in dedicated, easily managed platforms.

“As Fortinet continues its rapid growth and expansion in APAC and around the world, it is important that we continue to find the right channel partners who understand our business, can drive demand for our solutions, and can scale with our growth,” said
Matthew Young, Fortinet’s vice president of sales and general manager for Asia-Pacific. “Tech Pacific’s industry recognition, extensive reach across the region, superior logistical capabilities, and demonstrated commitment to security makes them an ideal partner for Fortinet. We look forward to working together to penetrate the security market in India.”

For more information on Fortinet’s FortiGate Antivirus Firewalls and other Fortinet products, please visit: http://www.fortinet.com/products/

About Tech Pacific
Tech Pacific India is part of the Tech Pacific Group, the largest and most successful IT distributor in the Asia Pacific region. Tech Pacific India, with sales in excess of Rs.2000 crones in 2003, is one of the fastest growing IT companies in the country. It is widely acknowledged as a professionally managed, systems driven, IT distribution company with a two-tier, focused distribution model.

About Fortinet (www.fortinet.com)
Fortinet's award-winning FortiGate™ series of ASIC-accelerated antivirus firewalls, winner of the 2004 Security Product of the Year Award from Network Computing Magazine and the 2003 Networking Industry Awards Firewall Product of the Year, are the new generation of real-time network protection systems. They detect and eliminate the most damaging, content-based threats from e-mail and Web traffic such as viruses, worms, intrusions, inappropriate Web content and more in real time - without degrading network performance. FortiGate systems are the only security products that are quadruple-certified by the ICSA (antivirus, firewall, IPSec, NIDS), and deliver a full range of network-level and application-level services in integrated, easily managed platforms. Named to the Red Herring Top 100 Private Companies, Fortinet is privately held and based in Sunnyvale, California.