Fortinet unveils FortiGate-3810D, a firewall appliance with 300Gbps throughput

Fortinet, a high-performance network security provider, is setting a new standard for data centres with FortiGate-3810D, the first firewall appliance with 100GbE interfaces and 300+ Gbps throughput.

“The data centre spent 10 years moving from 1G to 10G − the move to 100G will happen much faster. Firewalls have traditionally been bottlenecks slowing down the move to larger, next generation data centres,” observed John Maddison, VP of marketing products for Fortinet. “The FortiGate-3810D allows customers to build 100G data centres without worrying about high speed connectivity or throughput of the core firewall.”

According to Fortinet, enterprises and carriers are upgrading their data centres and campus networks to support higher speeds, driven by initiatives such as public and private cloud infrastructure, Internet2, software-defined networks (SDN), virtualisation and mobile platforms. In light of increased reliance on these technologies for day-to-day business, many enterprises are preparing for higher network speeds with 40G/100G ports to accommodate an anticipated explosion of network traffic and prepare for future infrastructure build-outs. 

Designed for large-scale enterprise data centers, carriers, service and cloud providers and to be available in Q4, the FortiGate-3810D appliance touts Fortinet's scalable FortiASIC Network Processor 6 architecture that delivers 10x data centre and 5x performance. The latest FortiASIC network processors triple the typical range of top-end appliances, achieving performance previously delivered only by costlier, bulkier chassis solutions while also eliminating traffic bottlenecks that cause latency and slow productivity. In addition, the custom ASIC architecture also enables FortiGate network security appliances to reduce power consumption and TCO.

Fortinet's FortiGate-3810D delivers an unprecedented 300+Gbps throughput while also featuring 100 GbE interface ports and IPv4 to IPv6 performance parity integral in supporting next-generation fabric. The FortiGate-3810D's 3U appliance form factor saves and includes unique features such as Virtual Domain and transparent mode, allowing networks to be segmented without having to make major modifications to the network. In addition, software options enable advanced security functions such as intrusion prevention, application control, advanced threat protection and web filtering to be switched on, providing integrated security and additional protection.

“Enterprise organisations are continually demanding increased throughput performance and high-speed interfaces to accommodate complex, multi-platform environments that help them stay competitive,” said Jeff Wilson, Principal Analyst for security at Infonetics Research. "In preparation for impending infrastructure build-outs, many organisations are looking for platforms with more than 100 Gbps throughput. That demand for additional performance is likely going to grow in the near future. With its FortiGate-3810D, Fortinet is helping businesses seamlessly enter into this new era.”

Fortinet also announced that it has partnered with Ixia, which offers network testing, monitoring, security enhancements and optimisation, to validate firewall performance for some of the world’s most demanding networks. 

“When building and testing 100G networks like Internet2, raw performance is often top of mind,” said Fred Kost, Ixia VP of enterprise marketing. “But to get a true test environment for validating network performance and security, it’s necessary to simulate the mix of real-world application traffic and the security attacks found on production networks. The Ixia PerfectStorm application and security test platform allow Fortinet to test and validate their next-gen firewalls with 100GbE support to deliver the highest levels of performance for their customers."

The Internet2 Consortium, led by members from the US research and education community, industry, and government, and with more than 60 international partnerships, connects participants with an advanced fibre optic network for deploying networking technologies expected to drive the future of the Internet.