A buyer-focused guide to Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) for data center security:
AI-powered FortiGuard, SPU acceleration (NP7/CP9), hyperscale 100G/400G performance, dynamic segmentation, ZTNA, BGP, and automated operations.
Why Data Centers Choose Fortinet
The data center is your organization’s operational core—housing critical applications, sensitive data, and the infrastructure your business depends on. Protecting this environment demands a firewall platform that is fast, intelligent, and simple to operate at scale. Fortinet FortiGate NGFW delivers hyperscale performance, deep visibility, and network–security convergence in a single platform.
Who this is for: IT buyers, network/security architects, and operations teams evaluating Fortinet firewalls for data center security.
What Makes FortiGate a Top Choice?
Proven at Scale
FortiGate is widely deployed and recognized for reliability and throughput. It combines L3/L4 performance with advanced L7 controls and inspection to meet demanding data center requirements.
SPU Acceleration (NP7 / CP9)
Custom Security Processing Units offload and accelerate key functions. Network Processors (NP7) enable high-speed forwarding and inspection for large flows, while Content Processors (CP9) speed compute-intensive security services—helping prevent bottlenecks under load.
AI-Powered Threat Prevention with FortiGuard
Threats evolve constantly. Fortinet augments FortiGate with FortiGuard Security Services—AI/ML-driven intelligence that updates in near real time. This enables proactive blocking of malware, intrusions, malicious destinations, and emerging zero-day techniques before they impact production.
- Real-time updates: Global telemetry powers rapid protections.
- Attack surface reduction: Consistent policy and segmentation limit lateral movement.
- Zero-day resilience: ML models help detect and stop novel threats earlier.
Key Features for Modern Data Center Security
Hyperscale Performance & “Elephant Flow” Handling
Data centers push massive, sustained flows (backups, replication, analytics). FortiGate is engineered for hyperscale inspection, including interfaces up to 400GE, so high-bandwidth applications remain protected without sacrificing throughput. For site-to-site encryption, suitable models can exceed 40 Gbps per tunnel, ideal for data center interconnect (DCI).
Unified Networking & Security on FortiOS
FortiGate runs FortiOS, a single, organically built OS that converges advanced routing (including full BGP support), next-gen security controls, and inline ZTNA enforcement. This reduces point products, simplifies change management, and lowers total cost of ownership.
Dynamic Segmentation to Stop Lateral Movement
Once inside, attackers move laterally. FortiGate applies dynamic segmentation—isolating tiers, tenants, and sensitive zones—so an incident in one segment doesn’t propagate across your environment. Pair with identity-aware policies and application control for layered defense.
Simplified Operations & Automation
A single-pane-of-glass approach centralizes visibility and policy. Fortinet’s open ecosystem integrates with hundreds of third-party tools, enabling automated workflows (ticketing, SOAR, SIEM, cloud, NAC) that turn detections into action and reduce MTTR.
Buyer Checklist: Fit for Your Data Center?
- Throughput & interfaces: Do you need 100G/400G ports, and will inspection keep up under IMIX?
- Large flows: Will “elephant flows” remain fully inspected without session drops or bypass?
- Segmentation: Can you enforce east-west policies with identity/app awareness?
- DCI & VPN: Is per-tunnel performance sufficient for encrypted replication and backups?
- Automation: Are APIs/integrations available for your SIEM/SOAR/ITSM stack?
- Zero Trust: Is ZTNA enforcement integrated across users, apps, and sites?
- Licensing: Do FortiGuard bundles align with your threat model and budget?
Why Choose Fortinet FortiGate for the Data Center
- Performance where it matters: SPU acceleration and hyperscale inspection maintain speed under load.
- Proactive protection: FortiGuard AI/ML helps block novel threats earlier and reduce risk.
- Operational simplicity: FortiOS convergence + broad ecosystem integrations streamline day-2 ops.
- Defense-in-depth: Dynamic segmentation and ZTNA reduce lateral movement and enforce least privilege.
- Future-ready: High-speed interfaces and scale for evolving hybrid/cloud architectures.
Next Step
Evaluating FortiGate models, licenses, or a migration plan? Talk to our Sales team for sizing and an architecture review tailored to your workloads and growth plans.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fortinet FortiGate a good firewall for data centers?
Yes. FortiGate NGFW combines high throughput, advanced Layer-7 inspection, and AI-powered FortiGuard services.
SPU acceleration (e.g., NP7/CP9) helps sustain performance under heavy, sustained flows common in data centers
while maintaining security efficacy.
How does FortiGate handle high-bandwidth “elephant flows”?
FortiGate is engineered for hyperscale inspection and supports 100G/400G interfaces on suitable models.
Custom Security Processing Units accelerate forwarding and content inspection so large, sustained transfers
remain protected without becoming a bottleneck.
What do FortiGuard Security Services add?
FortiGuard provides AI/ML-driven threat intelligence and updates, enabling FortiGate to block malware,
intrusions, and malicious destinations in near real time—improving protection against zero-day and evolving threats.
Can FortiGate replace separate routing and security devices in the core?
Often yes. FortiOS converges advanced networking (including full BGP support) with next-generation security
in a single platform, reducing point products, simplifying change management, and lowering total cost of ownership.
How does FortiGate reduce lateral movement inside the data center?
FortiGate enables dynamic segmentation to isolate tiers, tenants, and sensitive zones. Combined with
identity-aware policies, application control, and ZTNA, this limits attacker movement across east-west traffic.
Is FortiGate suitable for Data Center Interconnect (DCI) encryption?
Yes. Many FortiGate models deliver strong per-tunnel VPN throughput—often exceeding 40 Gbps—supporting
encrypted replication, backups, and site-to-site links for DCI use cases.
What licensing do I need for FortiGate in a data center?
Size the appliance or VM for your peak throughput and traffic mix. Add FortiGuard service bundles
(e.g., IPS, web filtering, sandboxing) to match your threat model and compliance needs. A reseller
can map licenses to your use cases and budget.
Does FortiGate integrate with existing tools (SIEM, SOAR, ITSM, cloud)?
Yes. Fortinet provides broad ecosystem integrations and APIs for SIEM/SOAR/ITSM, public cloud platforms,
NAC, and more—enabling automated ticketing, incident enrichment, and response workflows to reduce MTTR.
NGFW vs. UTM: What’s the difference for data centers?
UTM historically bundled many services for SMB edges. NGFW focuses on high-efficacy application-aware controls,
IPS, and advanced inspection at scale—essential for data centers. FortiGate NGFW brings these controls with
SPU acceleration and high-speed interfaces.
How should I size a FortiGate for my data center?
Gather realistic traffic mixes (IMIX), consider growth, encryption needs (TLS/SSL, IPsec), and security
services you’ll enable. Validate with vendor/reseller sizing tools and, if possible, run a PoC under
production-like conditions.
