SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 17, 2004 – Fortinet - the only provider of ASIC-powered, network-based antivirus firewall systems for real-time network protection – today announced Japan Business Computer Corp. (JBCC), the number one solution provider in Japan for the IBM Business Partner program, is leveraging FortiGate™ Antivirus Firewall platforms as a key component of a managed security service targeted to corporate customers. The managed security service provides 24/7/365 remote monitoring and management of FortiGate Antivirus Firewall systems, and provides companies and organizations of all sizes with gateway
antivirus protection along with a full suite of network-level and content-level protection capabilities against intrusions, viruses, worms, malicious Web and mail content, and more.

“Often, customers become more concerned about security issues when they turn responsibility over to a third party than if they managed the systems themselves,” said Kazuyoshi Ishiguro, president, JBCC. “With this heightened scrutiny, we have to have security platforms in place that operate with the highest performance, are easy to manage, and address the broadest cross section of security threats. Fortinet provides our customers with that solution.”

In Japan, the issue of performance is always a factor when companies look at network-based security solutions. Many organizations have become used to the high-speed broadband Internet connections available in Japan, which routinely deliver between 8-12 Megabits per second, and are unwilling to compromise on performance in order to have adequate security. At the same time, the cost of procuring, integrating, and managing conventional security products is prohibitive for organizations of all types and sizes, given today’s limited financial and personnel resources. JBCC’s managed service named “ental SEKISHO-KUN (entable Mr. Barrier)”, based on Fortinet’s products, provides customers with a headache-free, cost effective solution that delivers the best available security without compromising performance.

Leading The Managed Security Services Wave
According to information published by CET (www.cert.org) from Gartner, an IT research firm, managed security services is one of the fastest growing market segments in the security marketplace. Gartner reports that by 2005, 60 percent of enterprises will outsource the monitoring of at least one network boundary security technology. The META Group, also a
research and IT consulting company, expects to see maturity first in the managed VPN and firewall arenas. According to IDC, a division of the research and technology company International Data Group (IDG), by 2004 security services are expected to become a $16.5B industry with a 35 percent compound annual growth rate. The Fortinet-powered managed security service provided by JBCC/SMAC (Solution Management and Access Center) includes firewall monitoring, real time antivirus and intrusion threat prevention updates, rule maintenance and attack log analysis, and hardware support and maintenance, all key components of managed services highlighted by leading industry research.

“Managed security services holds the promise of helping companies of all sizes more effectively combat today’s most complicated Internet-born attacks, without requiring significant IT staffing,” said ichard Kagan, vice president of marketing at Fortinet. “Fortinet’s solutions provide managed security service provides with a unique ability to deliver differentiated offerings that are profitable and meet customer needs.”