Fortinet Updates OT Security Platform for Critical Infrastructure Protection

Fortinet has rolled out new updates to its OT (Operational Technology) Security Platform to help protect critical infrastructure and industrial sites from cyber threats. The latest features aim to provide deeper visibility, stronger remote access, better segmentation, and improved threat response tools for OT environments.

Why it Matters: Critical infrastructure like energy, transport, and manufacturing systems are increasingly being targeted by cyberattacks. Fortinet’s updates focus on making it easier for companies to detect threats, protect legacy systems, manage remote access, and follow compliance rules using one integrated platform.

Key Updates:

• Deeper OT Threat Detection: The updated FortiGuard OT Security Service now supports more than 3,300 OT protocol rules, 750 IPS rules, and 1,500 virtual patching rules, improving defense against known vulnerabilities.
• Ruggedized Firewalls and Switches: FortiGate Rugged firewalls and new FortiSwitch models (108F and 112F-POE) offer improved security and segmentation for harsh environments. They work with Fortinet’s unified operating system for easier management.
• 5G Connectivity for Remote Sites: Two new 5G devices, FortiExtender Rugged 511G (for industrial sites) and FortiExtender Vehicle 511G (for fleet vehicles), offer secure and fast wireless access with Wi-Fi 6 and eSIM support.
• Improved Security Operations Tools: Updates to FortiAnalyzer, FortiDeceptor, and FortiNDR (cloud and on-premises) provide better threat hunting, compliance reporting, and device visibility using the Purdue Model and MITRE ATT&CK ICS Matrix.

Customer Use and Recognition:

• Fortinet was named the sole leader in the 2023 Westlands Advisory IT/OT Network Protection Platforms report.
• Companies like Honeywell, Alleima, and FCC Environment CEE have shared positive results from using Fortinet’s OT solutions, reporting better performance, faster response times, and reduced security workloads.
• Fortinet will also host an OT Security Summit on March 12, focusing on how to protect IT and OT systems with an integrated security strategy. The sessions will include topics such as securing legacy systems, enabling zero-trust access for remote users, and building advanced security operations for OT environments.

Fortinet will also host an OT Security Summit on March 12, focusing on how to protect IT and OT systems with an integrated security strategy. The sessions will include topics such as securing legacy systems, enabling zero-trust access for remote users, and building advanced security operations for OT environments.