Unveiling New Unified SASE Innovations at Accelerate 2024

In cybersecurity, staying ahead of the curve isn't just an aspiration—it's a necessity. As technologies evolve and threats become more sophisticated, the need for innovative solutions has never been more critical. Enter Unified SASE, a groundbreaking approach to security that's reshaping the landscape of digital protection. Fortinet is continuously enhancing its Unified SASE solution to bring more flexibility and simplicity to users, and the innovations we have just announced are no exception. Read on to learn more about our latest advancements around digital experience monitoring (DEM), remote browser isolation, enhanced flexible connectivity, increased AI capabilities, and more.

What Is Fortinet Unified SASE?

Unified SASE is a comprehensive architecture that expands on the single-vendor SASE approach. It encompasses security service edge (SSE), which is our FortiSASE service, Universal ZTNA (zero-trust network access), and Secure SD-WAN to deliver secure access for today’s hybrid workforce. Multi-cloud security for cloud applications and network protection is also included in Fortinet Unified SASE for comprehensive security and flexibility. This holistic approach ensures secure access for users, regardless of their location or the applications they're accessing. In an era when remote work and diverse network architectures are the norm, Unified SASE offers a consistent, secure experience for organizations of any size.

What Sets Fortinet Apart in Today’s Rapidly Evolving Threat Landscape?

The answer lies in the technological strength of Unified SASE, notably its flagship operating system, FortiOS. With over a decade of refinement, FortiOS serves as the backbone of our Unified SASE solution, seamlessly integrating security, networking, and connectivity across a variety of environments—on-premises, in the cloud, or within data centers. A key differentiator of Fortinet Unified SASE is that it is built on a unique platform with one OS, one unified agent, one management system, and one data lake—all enhanced with FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services and threat protection intelligence.

Powerful Advances Enhance Security, Connectivity, and Management

Unified SASE is about bridging the gap between on-premises and cloud-based security. Here, the role of our unified client, FortiClient, comes into play. FortiClient is a versatile agent supporting SASE functionalities, ZTNA, vulnerability assessment, and endpoint protection. Today, we are announcing another evolution of FortiClient, expanding its functionality to include advanced DEM and endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities.

Flexibility is another critical element of Unified SASE, enabling it to accommodate diverse use cases ranging from traditional remote access to microbranch deployments and SD-WAN integrations. This adaptability extends to zero trust, where its continuous verification ensures robust security postures across all connections, whether software or hardware agents, such as thin edges (FortiAP and FortiExtender).

Simplicity is also in Fortinet’s DNA. Our unique approach to convergence, with our single management console for all SSE capabilities, DEM, and now remote browser isolation (RBI), demonstrates our commitment to simplifying operations, improving ROI, and facilitating the transition to hybrid-work security.

Our commitment to innovation doesn't stop there. At our Accelerate event, we unveiled FortiOS 7.6, with a slew of new features that further enhance the Unified SASE experience. Notable Unified SASE additions include end-to-end DEM, RBI integration, advanced data loss prevention (DLP) powered by AI and machine learning (ML), and third-party SD-WAN connectivity.

Newly Announced Unified SASE Innovations

End-to-end integrated DEM

• This marks a significant step forward in our ability to deliver a holistic view of the user-application interaction, paving the way for proactive problem resolution.
• In FortiSASE, Fortinet’s fully integrated single-vendor solution, DEM-embedded functionality already monitors the last mile of a connection with comprehensive monitoring of applications and the links between SASE POPs and applications. FortiSASE is now being enhanced with first-mile DEM capability with the integration of DEM into FortiClient. This enhancement allows organizations to monitor SaaS applications within SASE points of presence and receive detailed insights about each user, including their CPU and memory usage, Wi-Fi strength, network bandwidth, and other relevant metrics. With this capability, organizations can seamlessly correlate the end-to-end user experience with the performance of SaaS applications, thereby pinpointing any potential issues with precision.

Full integration of our RBI technology

• With the rise of web-borne threats, RBI provides a crucial layer of defense, especially for agentless and BYOD devices. By isolating web browsing activities within a secure container, FortiSASE can effectively neutralize threats before they reach the user's device, improving overall security posture.
• We are proud to introduce this RBI functionality as a core feature of FortiSASE. While RBI technology is not new to Fortinet, integrating RBI directly into FortiSASE enhances its capabilities even further.

Advanced AI-powered DLP capabilities

• For the last 12 years, ML and AI-powered services have been at the center of our development and part of our unified platform strategy.
• We are now adding advanced DLP functionalities as part of FortiSASE with AI/ML-driven predefined data patterns to prevent data exfiltration. We have also created a separate category to secure GenAI applications with DLP.

Third-party SD-WAN connectivity to FortiSASE

• This new integration empowers organizations to seamlessly leverage their existing SD-WAN investments, ensuring optimal performance and connectivity within the Unified SASE framework.
• We recognize the importance of flexibility and choice for our customers. That’s why we're pleased to announce support for third-party SD-WAN connectivity with our FortiSASE service.

It’s All About Convergence

Of course, Unified SASE isn't just about technology—it's also about convergence. By uniquely bridging the gap between security and networking, Fortinet enables networking and security teams to collaborate effectively, driving operational efficiency, cost savings, and automation across the board.

This convergence concept, whether in the cloud or network, at the client, or in the data center, is a hugely important concept for both the CISO and CIO to ensure they can achieve their business goals while simplifying operations and increasing ROI.