SAN FRANCISCO - In response to the increasing sophistication of cybersecurity threats, Fortinet (NASDAQ:FTNT) and IBM (NYSE:IBM) Cloud have announced the launch of the Fortinet Virtual FortiGate Security Appliance (vFSA) on IBM Cloud. This collaboration aims to bolster the protection of workloads against the backdrop of rising security challenges.
The global average cost of a data breach has escalated to $4.45 million in 2023, a 15 percent increase over the past three years, according to the 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report sponsored by IBM. Additionally, detection and escalation costs have surged by 42 percent during the same period. As network and application threats evolve, the need for a robust ecosystem of technology partners becomes critical for mitigating risk.
Fortinet’s vFSA integrates the features of its FortiGate hardware firewall with the flexibility of virtual appliances, offering next-generation firewall capabilities across IBM Cloud's network. This service is designed to secure sensitive traffic and data, ensuring high availability for clients' networks.
The vFSA is available through FortiFlex, a flexible usage-based licensing program from Fortinet, which allows organizations to dynamically adjust their services and spending while securing cloud and hybrid environments. IBM Cloud customers can scale their security as needed with FortiFlex.
The virtual security appliance is deployed on dedicated IBM Cloud infrastructure, providing automated deployments, simple migrations, on-demand upgrades, and root access for clients to manage their security environments. The vFSA is intended to support various industries, including financial services, retail, and manufacturing, by maintaining security controls, visibility, and compliance with industry standards.
Clients in the financial sector can use vFSA to monitor and filter network traffic to meet compliance goals, such as SOC 2. Retailers can maintain security controls across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, while manufacturers can monitor network traffic for remote access and visibility into IoT devices.
The Fortinet Virtual FortiGate Security Appliance is part of Fortinet's Open Ecosystem, which includes managed security services and technology solutions for comprehensive protection. The product is currently available across all 31 IBM Cloud Data Centers.
This initiative is based on a press release statement and provides clients with a solution to protect their physical and virtual security environments amid a landscape of increasing cybersecurity threats.
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