Future-Proof Your Business with Fortinet Firewalls: Preparing for Next Generation Threats

Introduction

The digital world is evolving every second and the business industry has become very vulnerable to advanced cyber-attacks. Looking ahead, it is clear that if 2020 taught us anything, they are going to be more frequent and no doubt bigger in scale. To avoid this, businesses must deploy strong cybersecurity protections that make it far too high of a hurdle for anyone to overcome while also addressing potential future risks. It is best described as throwing up firewalls to bypass this. This blog will delve deeper into how Fortinet firewalls can make your business ready for the future to handle growing cyber threats, providing durability and security measures in place. In this post, we will first inform about the future threat landscape; what Fortinet is doing proactively to handle new and evolving threats, where you can deploy them then decide whether renting out a firewall from Fortinet would be ideal or not.

Future Threat Landscape

We see the future threat landscape defined by a series of key trends, which will change how organisations consider security going forward:

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Long-term, directed cyber attacks in which an intruder gains access to a network and remains undetected for a prolonged period. Unlike most other forms of cyber attacks, APTs are typically designed to extract data rather than creating any damage on the network or within an organization.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Attacks: These are the cyber threats that use AI and machine learning to launch more complex attacks. Despite longstanding and likely overstated fears of hacker AIs, these technologies can actually find vulnerabilities faster than human would-be adversaries.

Internet of Things (IoT) Vulnerabilities: With the rise in popularity and use of IoT devices, new vulnerabilities are created. Frequently, these IoT devices do not offer strong security protections out of the box and therefore can be low hanging fruit for malicious users.

Ransomware Evolution: Ransomware is well optimized and highly targeted in recent attacks. Cybercriminals are already encrypting data and demanding a ransom; not only that, they also blackmail using sensitive information.

Cloud Security Risks: As business processes are moving to the cloud, it becomes a challenge to secure those environments. Cloud misconfiguration plays a part in many data breaches and unsolicited access feeds.

It is important to understand these new threats when designing a cyber security strategy that will effectively safeguard against any of the ever-evolving current and future risks.

Fortinet’s Proactive Steps

One of many features that create an envelope to protect business networks from the new challenges as a result of external threats is Fortinet firewalls. Essential proactive measures contain:

AI-driven Threat Intelligence

Utilizing AI and ML poised as today’s next-generation solution to secure enterprises called ‘Threat Intelligence-based Defense.’ This integrates advanced threat prevention with Fortinet Security Fabric using an external database of global signatures. This way Fortinet firewalls can identify and block threats without any delay, ultimately helping to manage risks before they could lead your organization into ruins.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

Fortinet firewalls are based on Zero Trust principles, in which nothing is trusted by default. Checking with every access request that the person is who they say they are can help businesses mitigate unauthorized logins and data losses.

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)

Fortinet ATP employs a wide range of detection techniques such as sandboxing, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and antivirus capabilities to detect and block new threats. This double layer of security offers complete protection from a variety of cyber threats.

Secure SD-WAN

With hybrid work models on the rise in businesses, secure connectivity is more important than ever. Secure SD-WAN organizes networking and security functions in a single solution that delivers secure connectivity across multiple locations, from headquarters to remote users.

Endpoint Security

These firewalls are supplemented by the endpoint security solutions of Fortinet which allow for advanced threat protection on devices. Endpoint protection combined with network security provides a comprehensive cybersecurity posture for organizations.

Implementation Strategies

The correct way to future-proof your business by implementing Fortinet firewalls are:

Risk Assessment

First, perform a comprehensive risk assessment to determine vulnerable areas and your current security status. This will help you know what risks to prioritize and where resources should be directed.

Custom Security Rules

Utilize Fortinet’s advanced policy management features to find and acquire the exact set of security policies that your business requires. Configure fine-grained access controls according to user roles and the confidential nature of data.

Continuous Monitoring and Management

Leverage Fortinet’s global threat intelligence with integrated management tools to continuously monitor your network for security threats. Vivid, automated alerts and reports allow your IT team to clearly see any potential security incidents they need to know about.

Employee Training

Teach your employees cyber security best practices. The largest risk is human error, and your best defense against a cyber attack is an educated team.

Renting vs. Buying

Businesses can rent Fortinet firewalls to minimize costs and increase agility. There is no expenditure for clients to buy hardware, and you get to keep up with the latest technology. It also provides flexibility to scale your security apparatus as per evolving business requirements.

Vendor Support

Collaborate with a reputable vendor specializing in post-purchase support and maintenance. This way, your Fortinet firewalls are always updated with the recent security configurations and patches.

Conclusion

Cyber threats are an ever-evolving challenge, and therefore businesses must take a proactive stance for their cybersecurity. The firewalls with Fortinet provide a strong defense that covers both current and future threats, without worrying about the seamless operation. Specifically, Fortinet firewalls leverage advanced threat intelligence data required to enable Zero Trust principles lock down security profiles and provide an entirely integrated fabric thereby helping businesses strengthen their cybersecurity infrastructure.

By building an implementation plan that includes conducting a risk assessment, employee training, and thinking critically about the benefits of renting over buying Fortinet firewalls, you will be able to secure your business now while remaining nimble as your organization develops. By investing in the latest advancements from Fortinet, you not only protect your business against current threats but secure it into future-proof protection for those unknown challenges yet to appear.

Fortinet firewalls have so many benefits that in this generation of information technology and cyber-security, they can prepare any online business for years-long security.