SUNNYVALE, Calif., February 21, 2014 ― Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) − a world leader in high-performance network security – today announced that at this year’s RSA Conference the company plans to perform real-world, high-performance data center firewall benchmark tests at Fortinet’s booth (#1317), which is located in the South Exhibit Hall of San Francisco’s Moscone Center. As follow on to the demonstration, Fortinet is participating in a breakout session titled “Analyst Quadrants, Third-Party Tests, Vendor Data Sheets and YOU,” which will be held in the North Hall, in room 132, on Tuesday, February 25th at 2:40 p.m. PT.
John Maddison, Fortinet’s vice president of marketing, will be part of the four-person panel, clarifying the confusing performance definitions that exist today between what analyst reports say, third-party benchmark tests reveal and what appears in vendor data sheets. Other panelists include John Kindervaq, vice president and principal analyst for Forrester Research, Ryan Liles, director of testing services for NSS Labs and Shakir Khan, senior business leader, global security for Visa.
“As enterprise performance requirements and competition between network security vendors increase, it becomes paramount for customers to be able to discern the differences between analyst report hype, real-world, third-party benchmarking scores and what vendors ultimately claim in their data sheets. This panel discussion will help identify the performance numbers enterprises should be evaluating when selecting an enterprise firewall and how to safely maneuver around analyst and vendor hype,” said Maddison.
Real-World Tests: No Smoke and Mirrors
To illustrate the importance of real-world benchmark testing, using the enterprise-class FortiGate 3700D and Ixia PerfectStorm, Fortinet will conduct live performance tests under heavy traffic load at Fortinet’s booth (#1317) throughout the show during Expo Hall hours. Live demos will include world’s fastest throughput for a compact firewall appliance at over 150 Gbps (TCP), as well as benchmarks of maximum concurrent sessions and connections per second.
“Organizations making product decisions are faced with a barrage of information from vendors, test labs and analysts,” said Fred Kost, vice president security solution marketing for Ixia. “It can be difficult to make well informed decisions especially when relying on guesswork, which is why more organizations turn to solutions like Ixia’s to perform security assessment and validation as part of the initial product selection and ongoing change management process.”
In addition to the benchmark performance test and panel discussions, on Monday, February 24, Fortinet is expected to make three significant announcements.
Fortinet Extends Next-Generation Firewall
The first announcement will unveil new software and hardware releases that are intended to extend the company’s next-generation firewall (NGFW) platform. These releases include:
FortiGuard Threat Landscape Report
The second announcement summarizes the key data points found in the company’s newest Threat Landscape report, which reveals that 96.5% of all mobile malware tracked in 2013 were Android based. Symbian is distant second at 3.45%, while iOS, BlackBerry, PalmOS, and Windows together represent less than 1%. The full report can be downloaded here on Monday morning from: http://www.fortinet.com/resource_center/whitepapers/threat-landscape-rep…
The report also reveals:
The Top 10 Mobile Malware Families
The Top 10 Botnets
The Top 10 Countries Responsible for the Majority of the World’s Spam
The Top 10 PC Malware Families
And an Update on the Team’s Zero-Day Research
Privacy Survey Results
The third announcement features result of an independently-conducted privacy survey the company recently conducted that reveals Gen-X and Millennial attitudes surrounding passwords, personal data, email snooping and online marketing practices. The U.S.-based survey is based on responses from 150 Gen X (ages 33-48) and 150 Millennials (ages 18-32) with a 50/50 male/female split. Among the most significant findings was that 41% of both Millennials and Gen-X never change their online password or only change it when prompted. Gen-X is more trusting when it comes to mobile device passwords, with 49% saying they do not use a mobile device password, while a fewer number of Millennials (37%) admitted to not having a password on their device.
Fortinet Party
In addition the flurry of news announcements and partner activities happening at the show, Fortinet will be hosting a party that’s just a short walk from the Moscone convention center.
Location: Restaurant Lulu at 816 Folsom St., San Francisco
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014
Time: 5:30 – 9:30 PM
Get Your Invitation: Visit us at Booth 1317, Moscone South Hall
Meet and mingle with your peers, chat with Fortinet executives and partners over our high octane signature cocktail – the Fortini – imbibe in the premium open bar, enjoy outstanding charcuterie and great music. Restaurant Lulu is an architectural gem, originally a 1910 warehouse that has been dramatically transformed by architect Cass Calder Smith into a San Francisco favorite.
