TSA and Fortinet Federal leaders on the journey to zero trust

Zero-trust security architecture is the new norm for safeguarding federal agencies and their data. However, challenges loom large in aligning with the Administration’s zero-trust mandates, especially as it sets ambitious targets for 2024.

Dan Daly, deputy director for information assurance and cybersecurity for the Transportation Security Administration, and Felipe Fernandez, CTO for Fortinet Federal, recently joined FedScoop to share their insights on the government’s zero trust journey.

One of the primary obstacles Daly highlighted is the intricate process of transitioning from existing legacy environments to the new zero-trust architecture. The federal government’s budgeting process, spanning over five years, poses a significant hurdle, making it challenging to swiftly adjust security postures and budgets to align with the comprehensive zero-trust framework. Despite the executive order allowing a few years for compliance, the practicality of executing this transition within budgetary constraints remains a substantial concern for agencies.

Fernandez emphasized the importance of a cultural shift within federal agencies to ensure successful zero-trust implementation. Executive adoption of zero-trust principles and a collective commitment at all levels are crucial for overcoming inertia and achieving a unified approach to security. The complexity of agency networks, characterized by multiple enclaves with varying degrees of intricacy, further complicates the implementation of a centralized zero-trust approach.

“There’s not just one technical solution for an entire zero-trust principle or set of principles. At times, you’re going to have to get two different solutions, three different solutions, or accept risk in various elements. And that’s just the challenge of where we are,” Fernandez said.

Daly highlighted how TSA has made significant strides in zero-trust initiatives. “Fortunately, our administrator was fully supportive from the beginning, allowing us to secure approval for a resource allocation…This approval gave us the necessary resources to dedicate a team to zero trust, unlike many other agencies that had to divert existing personnel from ongoing cybersecurity responsibilities to adopt this new paradigm.”

Learn more about evolving government security architectures.

This video panel discussion was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop and underwritten by Fortinet Federal.

Fortinet Advances the Industry’s Most Comprehensive Operational Technology Security Platform

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortinet ® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the latest release of new, integrated operational technology (OT) security solutions and services. These additions further distance Fortinet’s industry-leading OT Security Platform from the rest of the market.

“We understand that OT differs significantly from traditional IT systems, and that’s why our OT Security Platform was purpose-built to provide integrated protection and risk management specific to industrial environments,” said John Maddison, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP, Product Strategy at Fortinet. “Rising attacks on critical infrastructure have made OT security more important than ever before. With today’s news, Fortinet continues to empower customers with the most sophisticated OT solutions and intelligence in the industry.”

The Need for Integrated OT-Specific Security

The number of industrial devices connected beyond their network boundaries is rapidly increasing, and CISOs now face skyrocketing risks across their OT environments. In fact, Fortinet found that three-fourths of OT organizations reported at least one intrusion in the last year, and nearly one-third reported being victims of a ransomware attack. To solve this challenge, organizations need an integrated security approach designed specifically for industrial solutions that enables policy enforcement across the entire attack surface, consolidates point products, and reduces operational overhead.

Bolstering the Fortinet OT Security Platform with New and Enhanced Offerings

The Fortinet OT Security Platform is an integrated portfolio of cybersecurity products, solutions, and security services designed specifically for industrial networks and powered by real-time OT threat intelligence. Because the OT Security Platform is a part of the Fortinet Security Fabric, it empowers customers with deep visibility across their entire environment and securely facilitates IT/OT convergence. The platform also gives organizations the ability to implement a zero-trust model within OT environments, including secure remote access to OT assets and systems for remote employees and contractors.

OT Security Platform updates announced today, which build on improvements unveiled earlier this year, span two key pillars of the Security Fabric:

Secure Networking for OT

Security Operations and Services for OT

"IT and OT are converging and these colliding environments are increasing overall risk. Our clients require robust OT solutions and services without extensive deployments that complicate administration and place additional strain on IT and security teams. Through the Fortinet OT Security Platform, we can provide clients with a unified approach of safeguarding both the carpeted side of a business as well as the concrete side of the business. We eagerly anticipate introducing these updated and novel offerings to our customer community." – Dan Sanderson, VP of Strategy, Cyber Advisors

Additional Resources

About Fortinet

Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere you need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet's solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

FTNT-O

Copyright © 2023 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet’s trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, the Fortinet logo, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiASIC, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, FortiADC, FortiAI, FortiAIOps, FortiAntenna, FortiAP, FortiAPCam, FortiAuthenticator, FortiCache, FortiCall, FortiCam, FortiCamera, FortiCarrier, FortiCASB, FortiCentral, FortiConnect, FortiController, FortiConverter, FortiCWP, FortiDB, FortiDDoS, FortiDeceptor, FortiDeploy, FortiDevSec, FortiEdge, FortiEDR, FortiExplorer, FortiExtender, FortiFirewall, FortiFone, FortiGSLB, FortiHypervisor, FortiInsight, FortiIsolator, FortiLAN, FortiLink, FortiMoM, FortiMonitor, FortiNAC, FortiNDR, FortiPenTest, FortiPhish, FortiPlanner, FortiPolicy, FortiPortal, FortiPresence, FortiProxy, FortiRecon, FortiRecorder, FortiSASE, FortiSDNConnector, FortiSIEM, FortiSMS, FortiSOAR, FortiSwitch, FortiTester, FortiToken, FortiTrust, FortiVoice, FortiWAN, FortiWeb, FortiWiFi, FortiWLC, FortiWLM and FortiXDR. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.

Fortinet, Inc.: Fortinet Looks to Grow as a Security Behemoth Larger Than Just Network Firewalls

Summary

Fortinet is a platform-based cybersecurity vendor with product offerings covering network security, cloud security, zero-trust access, and security operations. The firm derives a majority of its revenue through sales of its subscriptions and support-based business. The California-based firm has more than 700,000 customers across the world.

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