Fortinet Expands Its OT Security Platform to Strengthen Protection for Critical Infrastructure

Rhea-AI Summary

Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) has announced significant enhancements to its OT Security Platform, strengthening protection for critical infrastructure and industrial sites. The updates include the new FortiGuard OT Security Service with detection capabilities across 3,300 OT protocol rules, 750 OT IPS rules, and 1,500 virtual patching rules.

Key additions include new FortiGate Rugged NGFWs, ruggedized FortiSwitch models (108F and 112F-POE), and two new 5G solutions - the FortiExtender Rugged 511G and FortiExtender Vehicle 511G. The platform also features enhanced AI-driven security operations through updates to FortiAnalyzer 7.6 and FortiDeceptor 6.1, improving threat insights and compliance reporting.

The company's unified platform, powered by FortiOS, offers comprehensive OT security capabilities including visibility, segmentation, and secure connectivity. Fortinet was recognized as the sole leader in the Westlands Advisory 2023 IT/OT Network Protection Platforms Navigator™.

Positive

• Expanded security coverage with 3,300 OT protocol rules, 750 IPS rules, and 1,500 virtual patching rules
• Launch of new ruggedized hardware products expanding industrial-grade portfolio
• Recognition as sole leader in Westlands Advisory 2023 IT/OT Network Protection Platforms Navigator
• Enhanced AI-driven security capabilities through platform updates

Negative

• None.

Insights

Cybersecurity Analyst

Fortinet's expansion of its OT Security Platform represents a strategic strengthening of its position in the critical infrastructure protection market. The enhancements address growing cyberthreats across energy, transportation, and manufacturing sectors - all high-value targets facing increased security challenges.

These updates deliver substantial technical improvements: detection capabilities across 3,300+ OT protocol rules, 750 OT IPS rules, and 1,500 virtual patching rules - providing comprehensive protection particularly valuable for legacy OT systems that cannot be directly updated. The new ruggedized hardware portfolio expansion demonstrates Fortinet's commitment to industrial environments requiring specialized security solutions.

Fortinet's unified FortiOS operating system integrating these solutions creates significant competitive differentiation, as most competitors offer fragmented point solutions rather than cohesive platforms. This integration simplifies management while reducing operational complexity and security gaps - a compelling value proposition for industrial customers.

The recognition as the sole leader in Westlands Advisory's 2023 IT/OT Network Protection Platforms Navigator validates Fortinet's market leadership. Customer testimonials from major industrial players like Honeywell and Alleima provide strong proof points of real-world implementation success, particularly noting 10x faster response times and 15% reduction in security team workload.

This platform expansion aligns perfectly with the accelerating convergence of IT and OT networks, positioning Fortinet to capitalize on this growing security segment while creating cross-selling opportunities across their product portfolio.

Industrial Technology Specialist

Fortinet's OT Security Platform enhancements directly address several critical challenges facing industrial operators. The technical upgrades represent meaningful security improvements rather than incremental updates, particularly for organizations managing legacy equipment that can't be easily replaced or patched.

The introduction of ruggedized 5G solutions is especially significant as industrial sites increasingly require reliable, high-bandwidth connections for remote monitoring and operations. The embedded eSIM capability eliminates a common maintenance pain point in industrial deployments by removing physical SIM cards that often fail in harsh environments.

The segmentation capabilities through industrial-grade switches enable organizations to implement zero-trust architectures without disrupting operations - important for facilities that can't tolerate downtime. This allows progressive security implementation without the operational risks of complete infrastructure overhauls.

What's particularly valuable is how these solutions bring IT-grade security capabilities to OT environments while respecting the unique constraints of industrial systems. The virtual patching approach protects vulnerable systems without modification requirements that could impact certification or reliability.

Honeywell's partnership with Fortinet carries significant weight in industrial markets where Honeywell has deep integration with critical infrastructure. This relationship provides Fortinet access to industrial customers that typically have extended purchasing cycles and high vendor loyalty. The customer testimonials citing 10x faster response times and 15% workload reduction represent meaningful operational improvements that translate directly to cost savings and improved security posture.

Updates to the industry’s most comprehensive Operational Technology Security Platform include enhanced visibility, segmentation, and secure connectivity

SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

News Summary
Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced it has advanced its OT Security Platform to further support the protection of critical infrastructure and industrial sites from evolving cyberthreats. New enhancements go beyond traditional OT visibility solutions and include deeper OT-specific threat visibility with the FortiGuard OT Security Service, expanded ruggedized solutions for segmentation and 5G in harsh environments, and an upgraded OT SecOps portfolio for automated threat response and regulatory compliance tracking.

“Fortinet has been building an industry-leading OT Security Platform for 20-plus years and remains at the forefront of OT security innovation,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President, Products and Solutions at Fortinet. “As cyberthreats against critical infrastructure and across industries such as energy, transportation, and manufacturing continue to grow, Fortinet remains committed to delivering comprehensive security solutions tailored for operational technology environments. These latest enhancements give organizations the tools they need to improve their OT security posture and adhere to regulatory requirements—all managed through a single, unified platform.”

Key Enhancements to the Fortinet OT Security Platform

The latest Fortinet OT Security Platform updates introduce powerful new capabilities to enhance OT security:

• New FortiGate Rugged NGFWs combined with new enhancements to the FortiGuard OT Security Service provide unparalleled security enforcement in OT environments, allowing organizations to detect threats across over 3,300 OT protocol rules, nearly 750 OT IPS rules, and 1,500 virtual patching rules. These capabilities protect against known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs) and other cyber risks while delivering advanced threat protection through virtual patching for legacy OT systems. Additional new secure networking OT capabilities include updates to FortiSRA, enhancing secure remote access with improved secrets and password management for OT environments.
• To ensure secure segmentation, Fortinet has also introduced the FortiSwitch Rugged 108F and FortiSwitch Rugged 112F-POE, expanding its portfolio of industrial-grade small form-factor switches. These ruggedized switches allow for granular security enforcement at the port level, preventing unauthorized lateral movement across OT networks while maintaining seamless integration with Fortinet’s broader security ecosystem. These switches, built on Fortinet’s unified FortiOS operating system, streamline network and security management.
• For secure and resilient connectivity, Fortinet has also launched two ruggedized 5G solutions: the FortiExtender Rugged 511G, an IP67-rated 5G wireless WAN gateway that delivers high-speed, secure connectivity to remote OT sites; and the FortiExtender Vehicle 511G, an IP64-rated 5G router designed for fleet vehicles. Both solutions feature embedded Wi-Fi 6 and new eSIM capabilities, removing the need for physical SIM cards and simplifying carrier selection.
• Fortinet is also strengthening its AI-driven security operations (SecOps) capabilities for OT. Enhancements to FortiAnalyzer 7.6 and FortiDeceptor 6.1 provide deeper insights into security threats and simplify compliance reporting for OT security teams. Updates to FortiNDR Cloud include a new OT protocol support for threat hunting, while FortiNDR (on-premises) adds several new features, including a Purdue Model view and new device inventory that includes OT and the Mitre ATT&CK ICS Matrix.

The Fortinet OT Security Platform provides unified visibility and security capabilities to manage OT and remote-site security, simplifying and empowering customers’ ability to assess, secure, and report on risk, including complex regulatory compliance requirements. Only Fortinet offers seamless segmentation capabilities and an end-to-end ruggedized portfolio of OT security solutions powered by a single operating system, FortiOS. Deep integration with the Fortinet Security Fabric makes the OT Security Platform the most comprehensive in the industry, providing the most effective, efficient, and holistic offering for OT security and compliance adherence that goes beyond the industry standard.

Industry Recognition and Customer Success

The Fortinet OT Security Platform is widely trusted by global organizations looking to seamlessly integrate IT and OT security. The company was recognized as the sole leader in the Westlands Advisory 2023 IT/OT Network Protection Platforms Navigator™, reinforcing its market leadership.

"Together, Fortinet and Honeywell help strengthen cybersecurity for critical infrastructure and operational technology environments. As cyberthreats intensify, industrial and commercial buildings operators need integrated end-to-end protection more than ever. Our relationship with Fortinet enhances Honeywell’s cybersecurity and ICT offering portfolio providing several strategic advantages in securing and managing risk for remote and on-campus customer sites; as well, reinforcing our commitment with Fortinet.

Honeywell leverages the Fortinet FortiGate and FortiGate Rugged series alongside Honeywell’s OT Cybersecurity portfolio to provide unmatched services capabilities to help reduce risk, enhance resilience, improve compliance, and secure operations from the edge to the enterprise.”

• Manish Goyal, General Manager, Honeywell Connected Cybersecurity
  

“Management at remote Alleima locations has been very complimentary of the Fortinet infrastructure. Their connections are much faster and more stable, and our response time for their support tickets is around tenfold quicker. Everyone at Alleima is much, much happier with the global network and security infrastructure we now have.”

• Chris Lubinski, Network Security Engineer, Alleima  
  

“The increased performance and resilience of the new network, combined with simpler management, reporting, and analytics, has reduced the workload on our security team by at least 15%, which means we now have the bandwidth to move on to the next phases of our digital transformation, things like zero trust, and IT/OT convergence, and given our experience so far, we fully expect to be making these transitions with Fortinet.”

• Wolfgang Bitomsky, Ph.D., CIO, FCC Environment CEE  
  

Join the Fortinet OT Security Summit

Register for the Fortinet OT Security Summit happening on March 12 to learn more about protecting IT and OT systems with an integrated security strategy. Gain insights from Fortinet subject matter experts, industry leaders, and guest speakers from leading industrial automation organizations. These OT-focused sessions will cover how to:

• Safeguard legacy systems while meeting the demands of modern OT security
• Secure remote access for employees, vendors, and service providers with zero-trust principles
• Build advanced OT SecOps capabilities to detect and respond to evolving threats
  

Additional Resources

• Learn more about the Fortinet OT Security Platform
• Register to secure your spot for the Fortinet OT Security Summit
• Learn more about FortiGuard Labs threat intelligence and research and Outbreak Alerts, which provide timely steps to mitigate breaking cybersecurity attacks.
• Learn more about Fortinet’s FortiGuard Security Services portfolio.
• Read about how Fortinet customers are securing their organizations.
• Follow Fortinet on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to Fortinet on our blog or YouTube.

About Fortinet
Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet's solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. Collaboration with esteemed organizations from both the public and private sectors, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (“CERTS”), government entities, and academia, is a fundamental aspect of Fortinet’s commitment to enhance cyber resilience globally. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

Copyright © 2025 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet’s trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, the Fortinet logo, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiASIC, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, FortiADC, FortiAgent, FortiAI, FortiAIOps, FortiAgent, FortiAntenna, FortiAP, FortiAPCam, FortiAuthenticator, FortiCache, FortiCall, FortiCam, FortiCamera, FortiCarrier, FortiCASB, FortiCentral, FortiCNP, FortiConnect, FortiController, FortiConverter, FortiCSPM, FortiCWP, FortiDAST, FortiDB, FortiDDoS, FortiDeceptor, FortiDeploy, FortiDevSec, FortiDLP, FortiEdge, FortiEDR, FortiEndpoint FortiExplorer, FortiExtender, FortiFirewall, FortiFlex FortiFone, FortiGSLB, FortiGuest, FortiHypervisor, FortiInsight, FortiIsolator, FortiLAN, FortiLink, FortiMonitor, FortiNAC, FortiNDR, FortiPAM, FortiPenTest, FortiPhish, FortiPoint, FortiPolicy, FortiPortal, FortiPresence, FortiProxy, FortiRecon, FortiRecorder, FortiSASE, FortiScanner, FortiSDNConnector, FortiSEC, FortiSIEM, FortiSMS, FortiSOAR, FortiSRA, FortiStack, FortiSwitch, FortiTester, FortiToken, FortiTrust, FortiVoice, FortiWAN, FortiWeb, FortiWiFi, FortiWLC, FortiWLM, FortiXDR and Lacework FortiCNAPP. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.

Media Contact:	Investor Contact:	Analyst Contact:
Elena Fuhrmann Fortinet, Inc. 408-235-7700 pr@fortinet.com	Aaron Ovadia Fortinet, Inc. 408-235-7700 investors@fortinet.com	Brian Greenberg Fortinet, Inc. 408-235-7700 analystrelations@fortinet.com

FAQ

What new security capabilities does Fortinet's OT Security Platform update include?

The update includes FortiGuard OT Security Service with 3,300 OT protocol rules, 750 OT IPS rules, 1,500 virtual patching rules, new FortiGate Rugged NGFWs, and ruggedized 5G solutions.

How does FTNT's new FortiSwitch Rugged series enhance OT network security?

The FortiSwitch Rugged 108F and 112F-POE provide granular port-level security enforcement, prevent unauthorized lateral movement, and integrate with Fortinet's security ecosystem through FortiOS.

What are the key features of Fortinet's new 5G solutions for OT environments?

The FortiExtender Rugged 511G (IP67-rated) and Vehicle 511G (IP64-rated) feature embedded Wi-Fi 6, eSIM capabilities, and provide secure, high-speed connectivity for remote OT sites and fleet vehicles.

How has FTNT enhanced its AI-driven security operations for OT?

Updates to FortiAnalyzer 7.6, FortiDeceptor 6.1, and FortiNDR provide deeper threat insights, simplified compliance reporting, and new OT protocol support for threat hunting.