Get early access to the next-generation firewall on IBM Cloud: FortiGate Security Appliance 10Gbps

The first enterprise-grade, hardware-accelerated, high throughput firewall offering is now available to you on IBM Cloud: the FortiGate Security Appliance (FSA) 10Gbps.

When it comes to network security, one size does not fit all. We offer a variety of options to meet your needs. But in addition to the cloud-native firewall solutions on the market, physical appliances remain critical for the enterprise. That’s why we’ve expanded our firewall offerings portfolio with the FSA 10Gbps—so that you don’t have to choose between performance and security. Now you can have both—by using these firewalls for robust perimeter security.

FSA 10Gbps offers high throughput at speeds up to 10Gbps. With it, you can protect both public and private networks to manage inbound and outbound network traffic.

It also comes with these advanced features:

• High throughput (up to 10Gbps)

• Automated provisioning of NGFW add-ons (IPS/AV/WAF)

• Public and private network connectivity

• Ability to associate multiple VLANs to a single firewall device through a single firewall device

The new FSA 10Gbps is available in select locations, open to all customers globally, and is simple to order and use via our cloud portal or APIs.

Why would I need the FortiGate Security Appliance 10Gbps?

As the demand for high-speed networks in enterprise cloud services grows, so does the need for securing customer workloads and networks. Big data, SAN, compute-intensive servers, and highly scalable applications are pushing the bandwidth and network speed requirements for workloads in cloud. We know that security solutions must evolve with new demands and offer protection efficiently.

We know it’s also important that the perimeter security solution (or firewall) shouldn’t choke the network for security’s sake. You need a best-of-breed hardware-accelerated firewall solution with custom-built ASICs to achieve high performance.

Why should I choose IBM for my firewall needs?

No other cloud provider enables you to leverage hardware-based firewalls in the cloud provider’s network—but IBM Cloud does.

We are currently the only major cloud service provider that lets you leverage hardware-based firewalls in the cloud. While other cloud service providers offer virtual firewall options, theirs don’t benefit from hardware acceleration and are unlikely to deliver the same level of performance as a physical firewall. Virtual firewalls can also increase the threat vector because of hypervisor vulnerabilities.

What can you tell me about the FSA 10Gbps technology?

FortiGate next-generation firewalls contain two types of purpose-built processors: the network and content processors. These security processors radically increase the security performance and throughput on their physical firewall solutions. The network processors handle firewall performance for IPV4, IPV6, multicast, and ultra-low latency down to three microseconds. The content processors provide high speed cryptography, security, and content inspection services. This frees businesses to deploy advanced security whenever it is needed without impacting network functionality.

This new enterprise-grade physical firewall supports your company’s continuing evolution as you grow your workload and network in IBM Cloud. If we do say so ourselves, this firewall is perfect for large businesses and enterprises with stringent performance requirements, take security seriously, and need a reliable, powerful, consolidated way to secure your cloud.

Where can I find the FSA 10Gbps?

Right now, you’ll find it in the following locations:

• Washington, D.C. in the WDC04 data center

• Dallas, TX in the DAL10 data center

• Tokyo, Japan in the TOK02 data centers

• London, England in the LON02 data center

• Toronto, Canada in the TOR01 data center

We invite you to fill out a form at the bottom of the order page to submit requests for your preferred locations or open a ticket.

How does it compare to other security solutions in IBM Cloud?

How can I get started?

Send us an email at fsa10gbps@us.ibm.com to get signed up for the FSA 10Gbps Early Access Program or head over to our Bluemix Docs to learn all about the new offering.

Learn more about all of our network security offerings.