One of the early entries into the content inspection space was Fortinet, a worldwide provider of network security appliances. In fact, seven and a half years ago the company unveiled its FortiGate system, which was designed to offer customer ICSA-certified SSL and IPSec VPN technologies integrated with complete content inspection and other essential security features, a press release issued by the company in May 2005 announced.
Content inspection such as Fortinet offers is a highly intelligent web filtering functionality that might at first glance appear to be merely a traditional URL blocker. And although the solution does provide blocking lists, it expands upon the methods that one is accustomed to. More specifically, it enables a wide variety of actions to inspect, rate, and control perimeter web traffic at the granular level, where they can be dealt with early and swiftly before they can cause problems.
This is a complete content inspection’s key differentiator. By deploying the technology at the network gateway, users can scan all VPN traffic that comes their way and cut off harmful and malicious content at its source. In so doing, they prevent it from ever reaching their critical internal resources where it might otherwise debilitate their business.
In addition, a complete inspection that incorporates SSL virtual private network (VPN) functionality ensures that the integrity of the user’s VPN traffic is maintained at all times. As a result, it offers an additional level of protection that traditional URL blocking cannot.
What’s more, it also affords users the ability to customize SSL VPN into their other network security measures like their antivirus protection, their firewall, their intrusion detection and prevention (IDP) systems, their content and traffic filtering initiatives and even their anti-spam tactics. As such, they can oversee these traditionally disbursed activities under a single unified threat management security appliance. This enables them to spend less time battling network threats and more time devoted to their bottom line.
Fortinet management takes great pride in the capabilities it offers its customers. The bolstering of its security offerings that it’s content inspection technology provides has led the company to be recognized by the network security industry as the provider of one of widest and deepest network security platforms.
“Customers can benefit from complete content inspection within their VPN traffic as well as the tight integration with our additional essential security features to secure remote users from unwanted and malicious network traffic,” a company spokesperson said when FortiGate was unveiled.