Fortinet’s security processing unit optimized for edge computing, OT and 5G connectivity
Fortinet, a provider of cybersecurity and networking solutions, has designed the fifth generation of its security processing units, FortiSP5, using its system-on-chip technology. The company says the new application-specific integrated circuit has multicore processors to improve networking and security features. The hardware platform will support various applications, including edge compute, operational technology and 5G connectivity.
Fortinet claims the FortiSP5 consumes 88 percent less power than the market’s standard CPU. The company says it is committed to meeting its sustainability targets by focusing on energy efficiency and better performance per watt. Additionally, the hardware platform’s new compact 7-nanometer chip design allows for reduced physical space requirements.
Gartner, a market research company, named Fortinet a leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Network Firewalls. Fortinet says the FortiSP5 offers faster encryption than its previous model to protect enterprise-sensitive data and secure virtual private networks. The processing unit also has hardware-accelerated encapsulation capabilities, which provide secure communication between the distributed networks.
“With the introduction of FortiSP5, Fortinet once again sets new industry records for performance, cost, and energy efficiency,” said Ken Xie, the founder, chairman of the board and chief executive officer at Fortinet. “As the only cybersecurity vendor leveraging purpose-built ASICs, an over 20-year investment in innovation, Fortinet delivers the secure computing power that will support the next generation of secure infrastructure.”
Concerning edge computing, the company says the Fortinet FortiSP5 supports high-speed networks. It also enables protection against security threats in both commercial and operational technology environments. The company says these features enhance efficiency and decrease overall system costs for edge processing. The FortiSP5 is optimized to work with 5G, providing higher bandwidth and lower latency for edge use cases.
Fortinet has three families of security processing units–the Network Processor NP7, the Content Processor CP9 and the Security Processing Unit SP5. The NP7 is used in applications where low latency is a requirement and is capable of handling millions of connections per second in hardware, which is necessary for e-commerce applications, the company says. On the other hand, the content processing unit incorporates security features like application identification, IPS and antivirus capabilities.
“Fortinet’s portfolio of converged network and security solutions with custom chips helps enterprises accelerate their edge network and security transformation,” said Brandon Butler, the research manager of enterprise networks at IDC.
Fortinet says it is striving towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and was recently featured on the 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indices.
Article Topics
5G | chip | edge security | Fortinet | IT/OT | networking | packet inspection | SD-WAN | wireless
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