Until recently, networking and security teams were seen as completely separate. They rarely worked together, and networking and security products coming together in a converged solution was unimaginable to most. As a global cybersecurity leader, Fortinet was at the forefront of recognizing the importance of converging networking and security. Fortinet engineers anticipated how security, networks, and threats were changing. It was clear to us that the only way to address the challenges brought by digital transformation, distributed networks, and the constantly evolving threat landscape would be with tightly coupled networking and security-specifically, through AI-powered security for both on-prem and SASE and AI-powered network operations, made possible through a single operating system and management console.

Today, organizations are breaking down the silos between networking and security internally. In my conversations with CIOs and CISOs from around the globe, I see they agree that a unified platform approach is needed to secure their networks while delivering the performance and user experience required.

We believe that this shift in the view of the relationship between the network and what secures it is one of the reasons why Fortinet has been named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner?Magic Quadrant? for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure. In fact, Fortinet has also been named a Leader in the latest Gartner^?Magic Quadrant? for SD-WAN and latest Magic Quadrant? for Network Firewalls for solutions that all run on the same FortiOS operating system.

Networking and Security Belong Together

Fortinet Secure Connectivity solutions include switches and access points as a native part of the overall security architecture. Security and networking are intertwined from the start, rather than bolting on security after network design is done. In addition to delivering high-performance security, the FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall acts as a switch and a Wi-Fi controller.

Our advanced wired and wireless LAN solutions uniquely converge networking and security to deliver:

• Secure, easy-to-manage LAN for any size organization, from a large enterprise to a branch office to a thin edge, using a FortiAP to serve as an endpoint for SASE
• Streamlined management, including zero-touch deployment with network and security management in one console
• AI-driven operations to assist with performance monitoring and remediating issues
• Integrated network access control (NAC), which is key for visibility and control of IoT and other devices not associated with user accounts

We are dedicated to simplifying operations and lowering TCO. Therefore, we do not require licenses for basic NAC, LAN controllers, switches, or APs.

True integration across the Fortinet Security Fabric is achieved by running our entire security and networking platform on a single operating system, FortiOS. This approach, the only one like it in the industry, enables traditionally isolated systems to operate as one unified system with a single configuration. It also allows intelligence to be gathered consistently across multiple pieces of the network, so FortiAIOps, our advanced AI/ML network operations engine, can centrally correlate and analyze it in real time. This ensures quick data collection and identification of network anomalies. Fortinet network devices (FortiAPs, FortiSwitches, FortiGates) across the network feed the FortiAIOps dataset, enabling insights and event correlation for the network operations center (NOC).

Making Every Deployment Simpler

Fortinet offers flexible, scalable solutions to fit the needs of any organization. With a single management console for networking and security, we can enable end-to-end visibility across even the largest and most complex campus deployments. For distributed branches, we offer zero-touch deployment and visibility tools such as FortiLink NAC to let central IT staff deploy and manage equipment without being on-site, saving time and resources.

The emergence of thin-edge deployments without devices that can support security requires an innovative solution. The integration of our LAN and SASE offerings makes it simple to protect these thin environments, even if there are devices that can't deploy a SASE client. Fortinet rejects the "one-size-fits-all" approach that many vendors take in favor of delivering flexible solutions that can be overlaid with AI-based insights when desired.

Shifting to a Converged Approach Addresses Today's Challenges

Fortinet has been committed to organically converging networking and security since our company's founding. We have a strong LAN offering that is designed with security in mind, grounded in AI, and reduces total cost of ownership. Organizations that recognize the benefits of a converged approach can build a more secure network while streamlining operations.

Read the2024 Gartner^? Magic Quadrant? for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructurefor more information.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure, By Tim Zimmerman, Christian Canales, Nauman Raja, Mike Leibovitz, 6 March 2024.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for SD-WAN, By Jonathan Forest, Naresh Singh, Andrew Lerner, Karen Brown, 27 September 2023.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Network Firewalls, By Rajpreet Kaur, Adam Hils, Thomas Lintemuth, 19 December 2022.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from Fortinet.