SUNNYVALE, CA and MENLO PARK, CA--(Marketwired - Dec 9, 2013) - Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT) -- a global leader in high-performance network security -- and SRI International, an independent, non-profit research and innovation center (www.sri.com), today announced that they have entered a strategic alliance agreement to collaborate on research relating to differentiated network security for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems.
SCADA systems are specialized computer networks and devices that work in concert to monitor and control key processes involved in the management of machinery, equipment, and facilities, particularly in large enterprises and industrial sector companies, such as nuclear power plants, electrical distribution stations, water pumping and waste treatment plants, oil processing facilities, chemical plants and other critical infrastructure.
Security for critical infrastructure and SCADA systems is a national priority, so much so that earlier this year President Obama issued a Presidential Executive Order on the importance of improving critical infrastructure cybersecurity (see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/executive-order-improving-critical-infrastructure-cybersecurity). For example, SCADA systems may be used to operate cooling systems required for critical machinery in large industrial plants and to initiate emergency shutdowns of nuclear power plants. Security breaches related to these systems could result in severe physical damage, disruption and financial loss.
Fortinet's award-winning FortiGate Network Security Platform delivers unmatched performance and protection while simplifying the network, and FortiGates, when combined with Fortinet's FortiGuard security services, provide defense-in-depth capabilities that "virtually patch" vulnerable systems to help protect them from security breaches and help prevent disruption to industrial facilities. Fortinet offers models for any deployment requirement, from the desktop FortiGate-20 series for small offices and retail networks to the chassis-based FortiGate-5000 series for large enterprises, service providers, data centers and carriers. The FortiGate platform leverages FortiOS 5, the industry's most advanced network security operating system. FortiOS is a security-hardened, purpose-built operating system that allows for flexible deployment models within the network such as core firewall, which provides very high performance firewall with ultra low latency or edge firewall, which can be used to serve internal or external communities with varying trust levels using different firewall personalities, including firewall + VPN, firewall + IPS, Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), advanced threat protection and more.
"Security threats are dynamic and, to be effective, security defenses have to be dynamic too. We believe that collaborating with Fortinet can help further the development of scaleable solutions to real-world security problems involving SCADA networks and systems," said Dr. Ulf Lindqvist, the SRI Program Director who manages research and development projects in infrastructure security and leads SRI's support for the Cyber Security R&D Center of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "We look forward to working together with Fortinet to help protect our nation's critical infrastructure."
SRI is a nationally recognized leader in SCADA systems research and provides technical, managerial, and administrative support for the Cyber Security Research and Development Center established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate.
"We are enthusiastic to partner with a world-class research organization like SRI on this important initiative," said Pete Brant, Fortinet's VP of Americas Sales. "The expertise of the SRI team related to industrial security is significant, and the alliance with SRI is designed to advance the technology in this important area to better protect SCADA and other critical networks."
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About Fortinet
Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) protects networks, users and data from continually evolving threats. As a global leader in high-performance network security, we enable businesses and governments to consolidate and integrate stand-alone technologies without suffering performance penalties. Unlike costly, inflexible and low-performance alternatives, Fortinet solutions empower customers to embrace new technologies and business opportunities while protecting essential systems and content. Learn more at www.fortinet.com.
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