FortiGate by Fortinet offers holistic protection against a wide range of threats and enables organizations of all sizes to enjoy a secure and reliable network.
How to manage your FortiGate the right way
First, let's understand what FortiGate is.
Fortinet FortiGate is a multi-layered firewall solution (Next-Generation Firewall - NGFW) from Fortinet, a leader in the information security field.
The solution combines a range of advanced capabilities, including:
- Firewall: Protection against unauthorized intrusions, control of network traffic, and blocking of attacks.
- Intrusion prevention system (IPS): Detection and prevention of advanced attacks, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and more.
- Antivirus: Protection against malware, viruses, and other types of malicious software.
- Content filtering: Blocking access to unwanted websites, file-sharing software, and more.
- VPN: Creating secure virtual private networks.
- Application control: Controlling the use of applications on the network, limiting bandwidth, and more.
- Unified threat management (UTM): Centralized management of all security capabilities in one place.
FortiGate is available in a range of models suited to organizations of every size, from small businesses to large, complex enterprises.
Benefits of using FortiGate:
- Comprehensive security: Protection against a wide range of threats.
- High performance: The ability to handle large volumes of network traffic.
- Easy management: An intuitive, easy-to-use management interface.
- Flexibility: The solution can be adapted to each organization's specific needs.
- Attractive cost: A solution that offers high value for the price.
A firewall is responsible for the data leaving and entering the corporate network, remote connections from home, connectivity between the organization's branches, connectivity to public clouds, encryption of data traveling over the network, division into subnets and segmentation, and more. To make sure all traffic is handled in the most professional and correct way, and that you get the full value of the product you bought so that it truly protects you, it must be properly implemented, not just installed, by a certified partner or integrator.
Here are 10 (we wrote 5, but wanted to be generous) important points to verify during and after installing a new FortiGate:
- Make sure access to the FortiGate management console is allowed only from a trusted source, not from anywhere in the world
- Change the management access port from the default
- Activate the 2 tokens that usually come with the FortiGate and assign them to the main VPN user
- Change the remote access port from the default + enable MFA for remote access or use SAML
- Block VPN access from countries you don't operate in using GeoBlock Location
- Make sure your traffic is not configured as Any to Any; instead, have clear rules defining where traffic may flow from and to
- Set up network separation (Segmentation) and even Micro Segmentation to control access within the network
- If you use VoIP, enable Traffic Shaper to guarantee dedicated bandwidth for voice and video
- Connect the FortiGate to FortiCloud and enable immediate log reporting + set log retention to the maximum + enable automatic backup
- Use the dedicated automation settings to receive email alerts for: admin user login attempts, failed VPN logins, and resource overuse
Why proper FortiGate management matters:
Proper FortiGate management is essential to keeping your network secure. Poor management can lead to exposures and vulnerabilities and cause significant damage, such as:
- Theft of sensitive data: Customers' personal information, financial data, intellectual property, and more.
- Business disruption: Impaired operation of critical systems, service outages, and financial losses.
- Damage to image and reputation: Loss of trust among customers and business partners.
To ensure proper FortiGate management, it is important to take the following actions:
- Define precise rules: Set customized firewall rules that take into account the organization's needs and security policy.
- Ongoing updates: Install software updates and virus signatures regularly.
- Monitoring and analysis: Monitor network activity continuously and identify suspicious events.
- Backup and maintenance: Regularly back up FortiGate settings and maintain the system on an ongoing basis.
- Training and education: Train employees on the correct use of FortiGate and on the organization's information security policy.
Proper FortiGate management, combined with additional security solutions, will help you protect your network against advanced threats and safeguard your digital assets. For more tips, activation of all your FortiGate's security features, optimization, and configuration tailored to your needs, contact us