How Fortinet Firewalls Are Gearing Up Businesses For IoT and Edge Computing Security

Introduction

The digital era has seen businesses from industries turning to the Internet of Things (IoT) and Edge Computing. With all of the benefits that these technologies are bringing to digital services, they also introduce some brand-new security challenges. Since more objects are being connected, so is the number of things that could be exploited by a cyber threat. Accordingly, managing and protecting these environments is incredibly important. Fortinet is among the industry leaders providing cybersecurity solutions and has introduced an advanced firewall solution to secure IoT and edge computing environments. This blog will investigate what Fortinet has been doing to ready the enterprise for a modern network security scenario and bring out their firewalls as services offering.

IoT and Edge Security Hiccups

The ability to process and act on data in real-time, which are benefits provided by IoT and edge computing technologies, can help enterprises operate more efficiently. But, they came along with a long list of security loopholes. Some of the greatest challenges are:

• Higher Attack Surface: More devices connected to networks mean larger the number of potential entry points for cyber attacks. Which makes each device a prospective loophole waiting to be abused by malicious hackers.
• Diverse Devices and Protocols: The IoT devices itself uses diverse communication protocols, making standard interconnection of such devices harder. This diversity adds another layer of complexity to securing a network as a whole.
• Limited Device Security: Some IoT devices are manufactured with limited built-in security. These devices are typically limited in terms of processing power and storage space, restricting the use of traditional security implementations.
• Decentralized Data: Edge processing is all about doing the data handling near where it was generated, rather than moving to a central data center. Unfortunately, this decentralization actually makes it a bit more difficult to keep the data proper and private.
• Scalability and Management: As more IoT devices are deployed to ever larger scales, the ability to secure and manage those same number of things is much harder. Businesses require solutions that are able to adapt in a very dynamic environment.

Fortinet’s Innovations

As the industry leader in securing IoT and edge computing, Fortinet is driving research to protect security-sensitive commercial deployments of these systems. So, here are 6 of the biggest innovations which they provide:

1. FortiGate Network Firewalls

Using IoT with Fortinet’s third-generation network firewalls: FortiGate full security for the Internet of Things. They offer features such as:

• Advanced Threat Protection: Identify and respond to threats real-time with the FortiGate firewall by leveraging proven advanced threat intelligence. This means they are able to bodyguard networks from zero-day vulnerabilities and known exploits.
• Security Fabric Integration: FortiGate firewalls are a part of the broader security fabric developed by Fortinet, which is an orchestrated system that allows different components of your cybersecurity infrastructure to communicate with each other and work together for unified protection.
• High Performance: These firewalls use purpose-built high-performance security processors to provide the continuous throughput performance with low-latency that is required for handling IoT workloads in data-intensive environments.

2. Secure Segmentation

One such use case Fortinet encourages is secure segmentation, as an effective way to deal with IoT and edge-computing risks. Through network segmentation, businesses struggle to separate their IoT devices from core assets and minimize the impact of potential breaches. Through the use cases provided by Fortinet, we address this challenge and enable granular control on network traffic leading to a better security posture in distributed environments.

3. FortiNAC Network Access Control

FortiNAC provides visibility and control of IoT devices that are connecting to the network. Key features include:

• Identify Devices: Auto-discovers and categorizes IoT devices upon connection – continuous monitoring in real time; assesses risk.
• Automated Response: FortiNAC can automatically apply access control, such as containment of unqualified devices to stop later-animation based on risk profiles.

4. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

As part of taking security to the next level, Fortinet uses Zero Trust principles so that no device or user is ever trusted by design. Through ZTNA only authenticated and authorized identities are allowed to access services on the basis of its policy, reducing possibilities for unauthorized entry.

Implementation Tips

Solid planning and strategy are imperative if you want to deploy Fortinet’s firewall solutions for IoT, edge computing. Tips for businesses to implement it:

• Evaluate and Plan: Assess your IoT, as well as edge environments to discover potential risks while establishing security standards. Then create a full plan to fulfill those needs.
• Scalable Solutions: Choose to lease Fortinet firewalls to be able to scale up as your network grows. Rent capacity according to demand and do not tie-up in initial investments.
• Training and Awareness: Provide the relevant training to your IT team so that they are able on their own. Continuous training ensures the best cyber practices are used by your team at all times.
• Monitor and Update Regularly: Routinely monitor network traffic, behavior of the individual devices would help to identify any aberrations at an earlier stage. Fortinet Firewalls should be kept updated with the current security patches and threat intelligence to assure optimal protection.
• Advisory Services — Engaging with Experts: Partner with Fortinet security architects, or through an authorized Fortinet transactor for tailored strategic advisory to determine the specific requirements of your business. What they say could help you to make the most of Fortinet’s breakthroughs.

Conclusion

With IoT (Internet of Things) and edge computing leading the way for business digital transformation, organizations now have an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on efficiency gains with new growth. Unfortunately, they introduce a number of security problems that cannot be overlooked. This shifting landscape has been made more complex by some firewall inferiorities, but thankfully Fortinet’s unique way of providing firewalls is enabling businesses to face it confidently. With better practices in place, such as those facilitated by these advanced technologies and services, organizations can defend their IoT/edge infrastructures.

Renting Fortinet firewalls can save a lot and at the same time provide more scalable security solutions. Renting helps your business scale, it allows you to rent as needed and the costs of these upfront investments do not lie heavy on you. By prioritizing innovation and putting a significant emphasis on IoT and edge security, businesses that are looking to integrate forward-looking concepts have the tools they need to not only comply with but also spearhead cybersecurity needs of the future.