As the networks running today's organizations continue to expand, implementing consistent security across those distributed environments has become increasingly challenging. Networks today are comprised of on-premise resources, connected branch offices, hybrid ecosystems of private and public multi-cloud networks, and a continually expanding number of mobile workers. Even more challenging are the number of workflows and applications that organizations need to protect while they pass seamlessly across and between these environments.

Safeguarding these environments can be complicated. For example, having visibility into workloads and assessing security postures can be challenging, given that IT teams have less control over hybrid, multi-tenant cloud platforms. Traditional security solutions alone are not up to the task of securing these expanding and highly elastic networks. Instead, organizations are increasingly moving some or all of their security stack to the cloud. Cloud-delivered network security services can span and adapt to today's most distributed and dynamically evolving environments to enforce comprehensive internet security and data compliance policies regardless of location or device.

Fortinet - Symantec Partnership

This is why we are so pleased to announce our new partnership with Symantec. Today we announced our agreement to provide customers with the industry's most complete and robust cloud security solution by integrating Fortinet's industry-leading Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) capabilities into Symantec's leading cloud-delivered Web Security Service (WSS) to provide customers with an unprecedented best-of-breed cloud security solution.

Symantec's WSS is a simple-to-use, cloud-delivered network security service that protects against advanced threats, enforces access control, and safeguards critical business information for secure and compliant cloud application and web use. Integrating our industry-leading FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall with Symantec's Integrated Cyber Defense Platform on WSS will result in the most comprehensive set of cloud-delivered threat prevention capabilities on the market today, offered as a single integrated service.

Additionally, Symantec's industry-leading endpoint protection solutions will be integrated into the Fortinet Security Fabric platform. This integration will provide customers with real-time, actionable threat intelligence and automated response advances for exploit-driven attacks and advanced malware. As part of the collaboration, both companies will engage in joint go-to-market activities.

Combined, these announcements enable organizations to protect their new cloud workloads as effectively as their on-premises systems, using processes and tools that are effective in both environments, through unified policy orchestration and enforcement and single-pane-of-glass visibility and control.

Bringing two global industry leaders together to provide enterprise-class capabilities across cloud, network, and endpoint security is a remarkable event and reflects a deep commitment to the security of our mutual customers. And not only will Symantec cloud web gateway customers now benefit from Fortinet's enterprise-class advanced firewall controls, for the first time those customers can purchase Fortinet's industry-leading FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall via FWaaS. And with the addition of Symantec as a Fortinet Fabric-Ready Partner, Symantec's endpoint security solution seamlessly integrates with the Fortinet Security Fabric platform to provide more consistent and effective protection for our joint customers.

This new WSS Cloud Firewall Service "Powered by Fortinet" is expected to be available in the first half of the calendar year 2019.

Read more about the Fortinet Security Fabric and the Third Generation of Network Security. 

Visit Fortinet's FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall homepage to learn more about this advanced security solution. 

Read more about how Fortinet secures multi-cloud environments with our Security Fabric.