SUNNYVALE, Calif. - June 16, 2009 - Fortinet^® - a market-leading network security provider and worldwide leader of unified threat management (UTM) solutions - today announced the company has developed a strong base of support among U.S. federal government customers, growing its federal sales by more than 70 percent from 2007 to 2008.

Fortinet has increased its focus to better serve this customer segment and the associated value-added resellers (VAs) by launching a separate and specific Fortinet Federal FortiPartner™ Program (FFPP); gaining numerous federal certifications for its flagship FortiGate® multi-threat security product line; increasing the federal-focused sales force by more than 100 percent; and opening a dedicated federal sales office in Herndon, VA. These developments, combined with the strength and cost-effectiveness of Fortinet's consolidated security approach, have created a groundswell of support from many U.S. federal government customers including the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force, civilian agencies and the intelligence community.

"The U.S. federal customer segment has a unique set of requirements and must follow stringent guidelines in their technology information assurance certifications and procurement processes; it's been Fortinet's knowledge of and ability to cater to these requirements - through our own resources and those of our channel partners - that have been key to the success of our program," said Jeff Lake, vice president of federal operations, Fortinet. "Perhaps more than any other segments, federal customers have a critical requirement for broad and robust security, and, in this economy, a very high bar for expense justification and OI. Fortinet has been able to meet these criteria with a proven consolidated security platform that offers capital and operational savings and a strong command of the government procurement process."

Apollo Information Systems is a federal and commercial VA who has partnered successfully with Fortinet for the past six years. "Fortinet's continued success with the federal segment is a tribute to their singularly dedicated team serving this customer set and the extensive knowledge they possess about the inner workings of the federal environment," said Jim Wallworth, president and founder, Apollo Information Systems. "Moreover, the proven and highly certified FortiGate network security product line instills great confidence among federal customers and simplifies the purchase/guideline approval process."

Together with Fortinet, Apollo Information Systems addresses customers' information security requirements from the network core to the perimeter and beyond, helping them stay ahead of evolving risks.

Fortinet Federal FortiPartner Program
Launching this month, the Fortinet Federal FortiPartner Program includes three levels of partner classifications - Statesman, Dignitary and Ambassador. The program is further customized to protect partners working in the Federal Acquisition egulations landscape with federal-specific renewal/deal registration and GSA price adjustments. This is an important benefit for registered partners as the federal procurement process typically requires three competitive quotes.

• Statesman - Statesman FortiPartners are organizations committed to delivering superior security solutions to their customers. They are interested in enhancing their partnership with Fortinet and taking initial steps toward a successful relationship. Statesman FortiPartners have a working familiarity with Fortinet's low-to-mid range multi-threat security solutions and can deliver the solutions that best fit small-to-medium business security concerns.
• Dignitary - Dignitary FortiPartners have achieved proven success with Fortinet solutions and are committed to the continued adoption of Fortinet technologies in the marketplace. They deliver the full spectrum of Fortinet's solution set and they have both a certified Fortinet Certified Network Security Administrator (FCNSA) and Fortinet Certified Network Security Professional (FCNSP) on staff to assist with any variety of implementation needs, whether a small branch solution or a core headquarter deployment.
• Ambassador - Ambassador FortiPartners are experts in delivering Fortinet's superior, next generation multi-threat security solution to their customers and have demonstrated success across all Fortinet technologies. They have full access to Fortinet's solution set and they have two FCNSAs and two FCNSPs on staff to suit any complex deployment requirements and deliver exceptional levels of support and service.

Federal Certifications
The success that Fortinet's FortiGate multi-threat security appliances have experienced with federal customers can be attributed to the numerous federal certifications the products have received. FortiGate appliances have the following certifications: JITC IPv6, Common Criteria EAL4+, Common Criteria Medium obustness (in process), FIPS 140-2 Level 2, and FDCC SCAP. These certifications help to assure that Fortinet products have met the guidelines mandated by NIAP, NIST and the Department of Defense and expedite the purchase approval process for federal agencies.

Federal Sales Team
In 2008, Fortinet doubled its team of federally focused sales and engineering resources and opened a dedicated office in Herndon, VA. The team, some of whom hold Top Secret or Secret clearances, is comprised of professionals with numerous years of experience servicing the U.S. federal segment.

Information on the Fortinet offerings for U.S. federal customers can be found at http://www.fortinet.com/industries/federal.html. Additional information on Fortinet products can be found at http://www.fortinet.com/products/.

Fortinet Solutions
Delivered via its flagship family of FortiGate appliances, Fortinet provides a flexible platform that enables enterprises, service providers and government agencies of all sizes to consolidate critical security technology and services to maximize network protection and reduce total cost of ownership. The company's extensive solution set also includes FortiMail™ e-mail security appliances, FortiDB database security appliances and software, FortiWeb Web application/XML firewall appliances, FortiManager™ security management appliances, FortiAnalyzer™ analysis and logging appliances, FortiScan vulnerability management appliances, and FortiClient and FortiClient™ Mobile end-point security software. FortiGate and FortiMail systems are kept up to date automatically by Fortinet's FortiGuard® subscription services, which provide updates to help protect against the latest viruses, worms, Trojans and other threats - around the clock and around the world.