Singapore's Preferred Security Solution: FortiGate Firewalls

Cyber threats are evolving at a rapid pace. In 2023, there was a 52.9% spike in Singapore's local cyber threats. This urges Singapore companies to deploy advanced cybersecurity solutions to protect their infrastructure. FortiGate firewall, the industry-leading Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), is becoming a preferred cybersecurity solution across Singapore. Therefore, this guide will uncover all the key insights about FortiGate firewalls you need to know.

FortiGate Firewalls – A Quick Overview

FortiGate firewalls are a set of network security solutions offered by Fortinet, which is a dominating provider of network security solutions. The firewalls ensure secure connectivity, advanced threat protection, and multi-layered security no matter the organization's size and data.

FortiGate firewall technology safeguards the network from various sophisticated cyber threats, including viruses, malware, and hacker attacks. They use machine learning and advanced threat intelligence to identify and block known/unknown threats in real time.

FortiGate firewalls also support secure remote and site-to-site connectivity by offering support for a wide range of VPN protocols, including SSL and IPsec. On top of that, they provide switching and advanced routing capabilities, which empower organizations to segment their networks and have enhanced network performance.

Key Features of FortiGate Firewalls

FortiGate firewalls are the next-generation firewalls (NGFW) that combine the functionalities of a conventional firewall along with machine learning and deep packet inspection (DPI) for enhanced protection in today's digital landscape. This makes them offer many unique features. Some of the key ones are as follows:

1.       Integrated Threat Intelligence: They provide a cohesive security infrastructure that integrates fully actionable
         threat intelligence.
2.       Advanced Threat Protection: They offer antivirus, IPS, and web filtering advanced features for proactive threat
         detection and attack prevention.
3.       Deep Packet Inspection: They use DPI to detect and block sophisticated threats, like C&C communications
         and malware, that are not detected by traditional firewalls.
4.       Unified Network Management: They offer unified network management for hybrid mesh firewalls to have
         effective network security no matter the location.
5.       High-Performance VPN Capabilities: They offer secure and high-performance networking with the support of
         different VPN (Virtual Private Network) protocols, including IPsec and SSL.
6.       FortiOS Operation System: FortiOS is the backbone for FortiGate firewalls that simplifies management, offers
         consistent user experience, and enhances visibility and control across environments.
7.       Scalability: They provide seamless performance scalability without compromising security no matter the
         network traffic.
8.       Integration: They integrate with a wide range of security solutions for effective threat response.

All the above features and unmatched performance have made FortiGate the Singapore's preferred network firewall.

Best Practices for Deploying and Configuring FortiGate Firewalls

FortiGate firewalls reduce complexity by offering automated visibility into networks, users, applications, and security-related traffic. However, it is still important to approach firewall deployment and configuration correctly for optimized operations. Below, we have shortlisted 6 best practices to consider in improving FortiGate's security posture:

1.       Override Defaults: For more robust security, use either the manual reconfiguration or the start-up wizard to
         change the default settings.
2.       Set a meaningful hostname: Give the FortiGate firewall a meaningful hostname to easily identify it from other
         network devices.
3.       Configure Proper Time Zone and NTP: Make sure to have accurate timestamps when performing DFIR work,
         troubleshooting, or correlating events with other systems.
4.       Configure Minimum Services on Deployment: To avoid unauthorized access or malicious activities, configure
         minimum services on deployment, such as IP address, subnet mask, and required administrative access
         services.
5.       Setup Strong Password Policy: Set up a strong password policy for local accounts on the FortiGate and also
         enable multi-factor authentication.
6.       Configure DNS Server: Domain Name Service (DNS) helps to translate home names into IP addresses.
         Configure DNS server to have proper enabling of DNS lookups.

Other than the above best practices, also maximize the use of the "Help" function in the FortiGate firewall to get self-service assistance. In short, FortiGate firewall deployment and configuration involve many complex procedures, so the team should ensure thorough validation of deployment/configuration for enhanced security and performance.

Case Studies and Real-world Applications

FortiGate firewalls are in action in Singapore and across the globe. FortiGate NGFW (next-generation firewall) is the world's most deployed network firewall in a wide range of industries. It is helping hundreds of thousands of small to large enterprises and addressing their unique challenges. From this perspective, below are two case studies of FortiGate firewalls:

1.      SIM Rede de Postos (SIM)

SIM Rede de Postos (SIM) is the Brazilian largest gas station chain business with 181 branches in over 72 cities. With its rapid growth, it migrated its enterprise applications to the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). However, it soon realized the need to upgrade its cybersecurity system to enhance visibility and protection for its new cloud environment.

SIM Rede de Postos now deploys FortiGate NGFWs as virtual machines to have consistent security policies in GCP. Every 204 locations of SIM now possess FortiGate NGFWs with 245 FortiAP access points and Fortinet Secure SD-WAN enabled. This offers high-performance and secure wireless connectivity. Besides that, SIM uses FortiNAC for zero-trust network access control, FortiSwitch Ethernet switches, and FortiManager solution for centralized network management.

2.      City of Columbia

The City of Columbia, Missouri, is responsible for handling public services and supporting citizens. The administration must comply with various regulations and guidelines for cybersecurity controls linked to the city's utility services. Since it works with many vendors, it is crucial to manage and secure network access.

The City of Columbia partnered with Fortinet and deployed FortiGate NGFWs in high-availability pairs to offer edge security over a citywide dark fiber network and network segmentation. Besides that, the FortiWeb web application firewall offers further security controls. In addition, the city is also using FortiClient Endpoint Management Server (EMS) for streamlined management and robust protection of endpoints.

Conclusion

FortiGate firewalls are leading the firewall market due to their AI-powered threat intelligence and security performance. In addition, they offer full visibility and networking and security convergence. That's why they are the preferred choice for small to large-sized organizations in Singapore. So, if your organization is also planning to leverage and configure FortiGate firewalls, then we at CARE can readily assist you in seamless firewall implementation and configuration.

🔐 Ready to boost your organization's security with FortiGate firewalls? Contact CARE today for seamless implementation and expert configuration! 📞💼