In 2015, Fortinet, the global leader in high-performance cyber security solutions, acquired Meru Networks, a leader in intelligent Wi-Fi networking. “The acquisition of Meru Networks maps to our overall security vision of combining strong network security with ubiquitous connectivity,” said Ken Xie, CEO of Fortinet.


In today’s world, the Enterprise is the network… and the network is Wireless! By 2020 over 212 Billion devices will be wirelessly connected. There are many Wi-Fi manufactures in the industry, but one company stands out from the rest… FORTINET! FORTINET is uniquely different in a number of ways:

  1. Single channel design
  2. Wireless topology
  3. Approach to 802.11ac
  4. Identity Management

Single Channel Design:

Gone are the days of having to “engineer” a wireless network that uses multi-channel AP’s.  In the traditional network, channels 1,6, and 11 are the only channels that do not overlap in the communication frequency.  This design creates many “dead spots” in a wireless network and that requires additional AP’s to fill the gap. FORTINET has overcome the multi-channel need and can run a wireless network on a single channel!  A major benefit to this design typically requires 20% less Access Points.

Wireless Topology:

In the traditional wireless network, the device searches for the best access point to attach.  In a FORTINET environment, the Access Point “controls” the device.  By allowing the AP’s to control the environment, the handoff from access point to access point is extremely efficient even allowing the ability to run VoIP applications from handheld devices without the worry of a dropped call.

Approach to 802.11ac:

Unlike the previous Wifi standards (802.11b,g,n), 802.11ac only operates in the 5GHz band.  In order to deliver the speeds and large amounts of data, it must operate in this band.  The downfall, is the amount of devices using radio waves to communicate.  The government continues to regulate, monitor, and document devices and their frequencies.

The challenge for 802.11ac is most Wifi manufactures have created their .ac technology in frequencies that are shared with Government “owned” space.  This means, that if the government needs their frequencies, i.e. Weather Alert, then commercial use equipment must vacate those frequencies for 30 minutes.  When a WiFi vendor vacates this space, the .ac throughput must be reduced. FORTINET has developed their technology whereby they do not contend with this government space providing true .ac speeds and solutions.

Identity Management:

Enterprises require a complete secure guest and device access management solution, especially with the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend. Smart Connect provisions any client on any vendor’s network and works flawlessly between wired and wireless infrastructures leveraging your existing investments. Four simple benefits exist for FORTINET’s Smart Connect:

  1. Simplifies device onboarding
  2. Dramatically reduces IT workload
  3. Supports existing infrastructure and employee devices
  4. Protects the network and sensitive data

In short, FORTINET is 40% to 100% faster according to independent studies. Please see the following document.

At INS, our focus is based on the customer…not the vendor. We have other offerings we can support as well. Please contact INS so we can help you make the right decision for your business. If you’d like to learn more about FORTINET  click here.