The need for an open security fabric

The following is a guest post by a 2017 Secure360 Twin Cities Diamond Sponsor Fortinet.

Fortinet is proud to be a Diamond Sponsor at this year’s Secure360 Twin Cities event being held May 15-17 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. We will be showcasing our family of security technologies designed to support the new Fortinet Security Fabric.

What is Security Fabric?

The Security Fabric is an open security framework that enables collaboration between traditionally isolated security devices through integration and centralized management to enable enhanced visibility and control across the distributed enterprise.

An “open” strategy that allows disparate and widely distributed devices to communicate and collaborate together is essential as security evolves to address the challenges of dynamically changing networked environments. We cannot keep relying on larger appliances and VMs to be enough without providing deep integration into the underlay (Cisco ACI, for example) and the overlay (VXLAN VTEP Support) network, as well as support for other cloud/SDN enabling technologies (Nuage, Plumgrid, etc.).

Today’s organizations adopting the new digital business model demanding security flexibility, interoperability and customization to protect their need to build and rely on automated solutions that span a distributed network architecture. Fortinet continues to expand our support for today’s emerging networks through our open API infrastructure and Fabric-Ready Partner program.

As organizations continue to transition to SDN/NFV for the development of private cloud environments, for example, an open security strategy that is able to adapt into that framework is critical, regardless of whether you’re talking about hardware or software. At the same time, there is a need to drive an integrated fabric framework into the public cloud to providers such as Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure. Even more critical is the need for a unified security strategy across all of these ecosystems that can centralize and unify security policy deployment, orchestration and visibility.

This is why, as networks become more complex, partners and customers alike are demanding robust API support and documentation, formal vendor partner agreements, and proven, integrated solutions. Organizations have already invested in an infrastructure of networking and security tools and platforms. These products are an essential part of their existing security strategy and defense capability. Tying the functionality and intelligence of the Fortinet Security Fabric together with leading third-party solutions allows these enterprises to maximize their existing investment in security technologies even further by bringing them together in a cohesive, integrated strategy.

While the security component is a small percentage of any overall datacenter build, it is also one of the more complex pieces. The easier and more “open” security solutions are to implement as part of the larger solution, the more freedom organizations will have to build the network they need.

Fortinet’s uniqueness is in our fabric message as a holistic “security provider,” and not just as a firewall vendor. On the technology side of the “open” question, our ongoing Fabric-Ready Partner Program announcements are unique, and we are excited to see that continue to grow. The Security Fabric is a great message that is resonating with the market, partners, and customers.

That’s only the beginning. Building off that framework and creating even more ‘open’ interoperability will be key for our partners and customers going forward. Less bespoke solutions and more common API language and interfaces for automation is essential to secure the networks of today and tomorrow.

Learn more at Secure360 Twin Cities by visiting Fortinet at their booth #D301 and be sure to check out their 18-wheeler display that will be on the street out in front of the Minneapolis Convention Center during the conference!