Fortinet Converges 5G Dual Modem, AI-Powered Security, and Zero Trust to Securely Connect and Protect Operational Technology

Fortinet announced a new compact, ruggedized appliance explicitly built to deliver enhanced secure networking capabilities and 5G connectivity to operational technology environments. Backed by the latest, fifth-generation Fortinet Security Processing Unit, the FortiGate Rugged 70G with 5G Dual Modem provides unparalleled networking performance, cutting-edge FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services, and high availability through a 5G dual modem to address a variety of use cases in harsh, remote environments, including full-service remote ATMs within the banking industry.

“Organizations across a variety of verticals increasingly require a fast, reliable, and secure networking architecture in remote locations and harsh environments. Unfortunately, it can often be complicated and costly to bring these types of networks online,” said John Maddison, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP, Product Strategy at Fortinet. "With its 5G dual modem, AI-powered security, and zero-trust features, our newest FortiGate provides the latest secure networking innovations in a single, powerful appliance built to withstand the toughest environments. Customers can use the FortiGate Rugged 70G with 5G Dual Modem to realize secure and simplified infrastructure, enhanced business efficiencies and cost savings, and an excellent user experience even in the most remote, hard-to-reach locations.”

Networks are expanding to new, remote locations that must support and protect massive amounts of sensitive traffic and data while remaining highly available. In the past, companies would have deployed numerous point products to address individual networking, security, and connectivity needs at these locations. However, this creates a complex, poorly performing infrastructure that’s costly to manage and challenging to secure. The solution is a single appliance that meets all networking, security, and connectivity needs in remote OT environments.

The FortiGate Rugged 70G with 5G Dual Modem brings 5G connectivity to the Fortinet portfolio of rugged next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) for the first time. This means the appliance not only converges enterprise-grade threat protection with high-performing networking capabilities like SD-WAN and zero-trust network access but also delivers industry-leading wireless WAN functionality to ensure high availability.

Key features include:

A primary use case for the FortiGate Rugged 70G with 5G Dual Modem is deploying and managing remote ATMs, which are often installed in challenging environments like stadiums, malls, or outdoors. The appliance provides the networking functionality (SD-WAN for dynamic connectivity, network access control, and ZTNA application gateway), best-of-breed security (end-to-end encryption and embedded threat intelligence), and high availability (5G dual modem) needed to deploy, secure, and manage remote ATMs. And its ruggedized form factor meets the durability requirements of ATMs in extreme heat or cold.

Through this single, powerful appliance, the banking industry can elevate their remote ATM networks, seamlessly scale across thousands of locations, and easily spin up new services with minimal infrastructure investment.

“Remote locations and harsh environments are becoming increasingly important to the enterprise but pose significant technical and budgetary challenges to connect and secure. Fortinet is well suited for these applications due to their expertise in converging networking and feature-rich security into a single appliance built to endure extreme conditions. The addition of a 5G dual modem is also a stand-out feature, which provides redundant connectivity for remote locations, ensuring availability and uninterrupted service.”

– Pete Finalle, Research Manager, Security & Trust, IDC

Source: Fortinet media announcement