Fortinet Extends Multi-Threat Security to Enterprise IM Applications & Advances Network Security Management

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 6, 2006 - Fortinet - the pioneer and market leader of Unified Threat Management and only provider of ASIC-accelerated, network-based multi-threat security systems for real-time network protection - today announced a major firmware upgrade for its family of FortiGate and FortiManager systems that enhance customers' security posture and ease the means by which they deploy and manage network security.

Through an extensive array of new features, FortiOS 3.0 and FortiManager 3.0 bring significant new capabilities that enable more granular security for online applications, including complete content protection for instant messaging and enhanced security for peer-to-peer traffic. Additionally, tighter integration between Fortinet's FortiGate, FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer systems enables more robust centralized network security management, reporting and analysis for enterprises and MSSPs.

Multi-Threat Security for a Multi-Dimensional Problem
Instant messaging (IM) applications have become increasingly popular business communications tools, and favored targets for attackers. In 2005 attacks on IM applications rose significantly, with attackers using sophisticated social engineering to trick computer users into downloading fast-propagating worms, opening virus-infected files or URLs, or unknowingly installing malicious code.

Until now, addressing the IM security problem required that enterprises either purchase and manage separate "point" solutions or settle for weak security processes like simply blocking or allowing the traffic. Fortinet is the first vendor to integrate complete content protection - including full antivirus (AV) scanning, blocking and quarantining of IM traffic and file attachments, intrusion prevention (IPS) signature updates, and URL filtering -- for IM applications into an existing multi-threat security system. FortiOS 3.0 also provides instant messaging access control, and logging and reporting statistics to deliver administrators increased control over and their IM applications. The firmware supports popular enterprise IM protocols, including AIM, ICQ, MSN and Yahoo.

"The rapid adoption of instant messaging and other peer-to-peer applications has created new opportunities for attackers and additional challenges for enterprises faced with maintaining security and compliance," said Michael Xie, Fortinet founder, CTO and vice president of engineering. "Enabling customers to solve these and other challenges, Fortinet's FortiOS 3.0 firmware enhances and extends the multi-threat security capabilities of our FortiGate and FortiManager systems and helps take the cost and complexity out of managing complex enterprise networks."

Tight Integration Enables an Intelligent and Advanced Security Platform
Fortinet's FortiOS 3.0 firmware within its family of FortiGate security appliances delivers an advanced security and management platform through the integration with its FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager systems -- providing increased network protection with advanced provisioning, reporting, logging, alerts and event correlation for all of Fortinet's security products. The integration with FortiManager enables centralized management for all FortiGate security appliances and FortiAnalyzer systems for intelligent security analysis, event correlation, logging and reporting.

Fortinet's FortiOS 3.0 firmware also adds the following key enhancements to its family of market-leading FortiGate network security appliances:

• Peer to Peer Application Support: Supports the ability to detect, block and control the amount of bandwidth allocated to P2P protocols.
• Windows Active Directory Integration: Single sign-on allows user group based protection profiles, per-user reporting and useful forensic analysis.
• New and Improved GUI: A more graphically-intensive dashboard with useful system statistics and account license information makes it easier for users to centrally view and manage their Fortinet network security environment.
• Update Manager (Available in FortiManager 3.0) - Enterprises, government organizations and MSSPs can retrieve AV, IPS, anti-spam and web filtering updates from Fortinet's FortiGuard Distribution Network and locally distribute them to their FortiGate devices automatically, to enable complete control of their network environments. MSSPs can extend tailored update services to their customer-base.

Fortinet's FortiGate systems are ASIC-accelerated security appliances that integrate essential security applications such as antivirus, firewall, VPN, intrusion prevention, Web filtering, antispam and traffic shaping. All FortiGate systems are kept up to date automatically by Fortinet's FortiGuard™ Network, which provides continuous updates that ensure protection against the most damaging, content-based threats from email and Web traffic such as viruses, worms, intrusions, other unwanted network traffic and more around the clock and around the world.

Fortinet's FortiManager systems are integrated management and monitoring devices that enable enterprises and service providers to easily manage large numbers of FortiGate security appliances. The systems minimize the administrative effort required to deploy, configure, monitor, and maintain the full range of network protection services available on multiple dispersed FortiGate devices.

For more information on Fortinet products, please visit: www.fortinet.com/products/

Pricing and Availability
FortiOS 3.0 and FortiManager 3.0 will be available free of charge to existing customers in March 2006.

About Fortinet (www.fortinet.com)
Fortinet is the confirmed leader of Unified Threat Management market. The company's award-winning FortiGate™ series of ASIC-accelerated multi-threat security systems, 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. Fortinet's solutions are the only security products that are certified seven times over by the ICSA (firewall, antivirus, IPSec, SSL, IDS, client antivirus detection and cleaning), and deliver a full range of network-level and application-level services in integrated, easily managed platforms. Named a Light Reading Top 10 Private Company and #4 on Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal's "Fast 50" list, Fortinet is privately held and based in Sunnyvale, California.