FortiGate network security platform helps teacher training facility cope with new attacks as more applications move online
SINGAPORE, September 21, 2015 ― Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT) − a global leader in high-performance cyber security solutions − today announced that Singapore’s National Institute of Education (NIE), an institute of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the country’s largest teacher training facility, has deployed Fortinet’s FortiGate® network security platform, and the FortiManager® and FortiAnalyzer® central management and reporting appliances to upgrade the organisation’s defence against increasingly sophisticated online threats. NIE/NTU Singapore deployed Fortinet’s solutions for their consolidated security functionality, stability and scalability.
Ranked as one of the world’s top 10 in education programmes, NIE/NTU Singapore provides all levels of teacher education — from initial teacher education programmes to professional development programmes for in-service teachers, and executive leadership programmes for principals, departmental heads and other school leaders. The Institute also offers postgraduate programmes that lead to higher degrees in Arts, Education, Physical Education and Science. NIE/NTU Singapore has been lauded internationally for its programmes such as Management and Leadership in Schools (MLS) and its Leaders in Education (International) (LEPI) through NIE International.
With the fast-changing landscape of information technology and the quest for a global perspective on teacher education, NIE/NTU has seen more online inquiries and applications in the last few years on an institute-wide scale. NIE thus needed to upgrade its existing IT security infrastructure − which comprises primarily of a traditional stateful firewall − to protect against Web-based and other advanced threats, such as zero-day attacks.
After evaluating solutions from major security vendors, NIE/NTU Singapore chose Fortinet for its appliances’ breadth of security functionality, ease of implementation and use, and cost effectiveness. Fortinet also had the highest number of 3rd party certifications among security technology providers, including recognitions from Gartner, NSS Labs and ICSA Labs.
Mr Tan Hoon Chiang, NIE Chief Information Officer, said: “As the National Institute of Education Singapore increased productivity and accessibility by putting more applications online in the recent years; we have also become more vulnerable. We have implemented a defence-in-depth architecture and put in place policies to enforce good security practices at every level of the organisation. In this environment, Fortinet provides us with one of the best technologies to reliably detect, block, mitigate and remediate threats.”
Fortinet has a proven record of enabling a zero trust security model in educational institutions by providing secure segmentation of the network, inspection and logging of all traffic. Secure network connectivity is provided to users regardless of their location, using the user identification and authentication features of the FortiGate network security appliances.
With FortiGate and associated FortiGuard subscription services, NIE/NTU Singapore benefits from a full range of security functionalities, including firewall, antispam, antivirus, IPS, web filtering and application control. The appliances’ latest FortiOS 5 operating system, which features a new deep flow advanced malware engine, enhanced client behavioural analysis and easier configuration of firewall policies, is also helping the firm ward off zero-day attacks, advanced persistent threats (APTs) and other sophisticated malware.
The user-friendliness and effectiveness of FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer in central management, log analysis and troubleshooting also enabled NIE/NTU Singapore to free up most of its IT manpower for strategic tasks.
“The appliances’ interfaces were intuitive and displayed all the vital information succinctly. My IT staff found operation quick and easy. The knowledgeable support teams from Fortinet and its partners also made security management a breeze,” said Mr Tan.
George Chang, Fortinet’s VP for Southeast Asia & Hong Kong, said: “Advanced malware has become an integral part of the threat landscape, and no institutions or enterprises should assume they are safe from them. Fortinet, with its growing team of business and technical consultants in the region, helps organisations tackle such threats head-on without losing sight of their business objectives.”
