SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 18, 2006 - Fortinet - the pioneer and leading provider of unified threat management (UTM) solutions- today announced that it has been named a Tier 1 vendor by Current Analysis, a leading independent research firm. The report also shows that Fortinet is the only Tier 1 vendor rated as very positive, crediting the company's focus on developing an impressive set of homegrown UTM systems and services that provide enterprises with a strong security posture without the complexity of point security solutions.

Current Analysis defines Tier 1 vendors as market leaders, at or near the top of market share, who shape the direction of their respective market. Other Tier 1 enterprise security vendors include Cisco, Juniper, Check Point, Nokia and others.

"Fortinet's offering, which includes the high-end FortiGate™-5000 Series systems as well as its branch office appliances, is putting pressure on competitors across the board," said Steven Schuchart, senior analyst, enterprise infrastructure, for Current Analysis. "Combined with good channel tactics, Fortinet has found a sustainable business model that can challenge security incumbents."

Fortinet has established strong momentum around the world. The company is continuing to grow its market share and win significant deals from industry competitors - among them being recently announced wins or deployments with General Motors, Nintendo, Swisscom Mobile, Charter Business and others.

Fortinet's compelling solutions offering includes its flagship FortiGate family of multi-threat security systems. The systems deliver comprehensive network and content protection to enterprises and service providers of all sizes through the integration of eight essential security applications and services - including antivirus, firewall, VPN, intrusion prevention (IPS), anti-spam, anti-spyware, Web filtering and traffic shaping. FortiGate systems are kept up to date automatically by Fortinet's FortiGuard subscription services, which provide continuous updates to ensure protection against the latest viruses, worms, Trojans, and other threats - around the clock, and around the world.

To view Current Analysis' Fortinet assessment, please visit: http://www.fortinet.com/doc/CurrentAnalysis-Fortinet-CA4147.pdf. For more information on Fortinet solutions, please visit: http://www.fortinet.com/products.