SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 19, 2004 - Fortinet - the only provider of ASIC-powered, network-based antivirus firewall systems for real-time network protection –today announced that Growthink esearch, a leading venture capital research firm, has named Fortinet as one of its "Top Emerging Companies of 2004". Growthink esearch evaluated private companies with the greatest potential for future success, and named Fortinet a "Top Emerging Company" in the Networking Security sector based on its experienced management team, unique technology and track record of success.

"After evaluating over 2,000 companies that received funding from January 2003 to the present, Fortinet stood out as a company that we believe represents the qualities for not only leading, but defining, the network security market through its ASIC-based high-performance security technology that is quickly being recognized as an essential element for real-time network protection," said Corey Lavinsky, president of Growthink esearch. "Given the experience of its management team, uniqueness and critical nature of its technology, as well as its impressive track record, we expect Fortinet to continue to experience significant success in this market."
Fortinet's award from Growthink esearch comes on the heels of a number of recent company milestones, including:

• Financial Growth — Fortinet grew its 2003 revenues and raised significant capital to continue aggressive growth — recently closing a $50 million mezzanine financing in March 2004 on top of a $30 million financing in August 2003.
• Sales Momentum — More than 50,000 FortiGate™ Antivirus Firewall systems have shipped to customers worldwide, demonstrating the significant and growing momentum for the companys ASIC-based, integrated security platforms.
• "Product of the Year" Accolades — Fortinet's FortiGate solutions have received numerous accolades, most recently beating out all other products in the market to win Network Computing Magazine's coveted "Security Product of the Year" and "Firewall Product of the Year" awards.

"We are pleased that Growthink esearch has recognized Fortinet as a leader in the network security space based on our security innovation, significant growth and successful execution," said Ken Xie, founder, president and CEO of Fortinet. "This award is a testament to the traction were experiencing in the market -- fueled by the need for more effective solutions that enable organizations to take full advantage of their high performance networks while minimizing their exposure to security threats."

Fortinet's award-winning FortiGate series of ASIC-accelerated Antivirus Firewalls detect and eliminate the most damaging and dangerous content-based threats at the network edges without degrading network performance. The products?ASIC-powered antivirus protection strips harmful, content-based attacks - including viruses, worms and Trojans - from real-time Web traffic as well as email messages at the network edge, even from within encrypted VPN tunnels, before these threats can reach vital servers and desktops.

Growthink esearch's list of "Top Emerging Companies of 2004" for the Networking Security sector can be reviewed at: http://www.growthinkresearch.com/10security.html.

About Growthink esearch (www.growthinkresearch.com)
Growthink esearch is an independent venture capital research firm. Its proprietary database has detailed information regarding thousands of venture capital funding transactions. Companies raising capital, venture capital firms, large corporations and service providers rely on their reports to raise funding, identify and secure highly-qualified new clients, and gain competitive intelligence. For additional information, please call 310-823-8346, or visit the company's website at www.growthinkresearch.com.