IBM, Fortinet expand cloud security protection

IBM Cloud and Fortinet have rolled out a virtual appliance that promises to protect enterprise traffic and data traversing cloud networks.

The Fortinet Virtual FortiGate Security Appliance (vFSA) on IBM Cloud extends the security capabilities of FortiGate next-generation firewalls (NGFW) across the IBM Cloud network, the companies wrote in a blog outlining the news. 

The vFSA includes advanced threat protection capabilities that enable it to inspect application traffic across the network and block threats or suspicious traffic. It also features AI-based inline malware prevention and advanced sandboxing to analyze and block unknown and zero-day threats. It can also monitor and filter network traffic for remote access and visibility into new devices that are added, such as IoT devices, the companies wrote.

The vFSA on IBM Cloud is a virtual security appliance and is available through Fortiflex, Fortinet’s a flexible usage-based licensing program. In addition, the product is available now across all 31 IBM Cloud data centers. The virtual package supports SSL and IPSec VPN connections, and it supports site-to-site VPNs between virtual private clouds (VPC) and on-premises hybrid cloud networks, the companies stated. A client-managed security appliance with administrative root access is also available.

Support for automated deployments is included, along with support for migrations between virtual and physical form factors with on-demand and automated upgrade capabilities built into the user interface.

IBM and Fortinet have been working together since 2008 and offer a variety of cloud security packages as part of the Fortinet Open Ecosystem to provide managed security services. For example, Fortinet FortiGate virtual machines can be deployed as part of IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions, providing firewall and gateway services integrated with VMware environments, the companies stated.