Fortinet announced new product and service additions to its FortiFlex programme, delivering even more flexible licensing options to customers. FortiFlex already includes a complete suite of virtualised solutions for protecting cloud and virtual data centre deployments and now supports services for physical FortiGate next-generation firewall, NGFW appliances. FortiFlex is also available beginning via a private offer in AWS Marketplace as an additional purchasing option.
“The solutions organisations deploy are becoming more flexible to support highly distributed users and applications. Licensing models should be just as flexible,” said John Maddison, EVP Products and CMO at Fortinet.
“Flexible licensing is growing in popularity because it allows enterprises to be nimble in the face of the shifting networking and cybersecurity landscape. With its expanded usage-based licensing programme, Fortinet is distinguishing itself by giving customers even more choices for how they address technical demands and manage cost,” said Philip Bues, Research Manager, Cloud Security, IDC.
With highly distributed users accessing highly distributed applications and a growing number of edges, networks are evolving at an unprecedented rate. IT teams are often expected to procure and deploy solutions before they have a full understanding of their needs—and those needs frequently change.
Flexible licensing programmes, which allow organisations to pay by usage, have emerged as a solution to this challenge. While there will always be a need for traditional product licensing models, usage-based pricing offers customers an additional way to leverage the solutions they need and adapt to their business’ dynamic needs.
FortiFlex offers usage-based licensing for a wide range of Fortinet’s cybersecurity solutions across cloud, hybrid cloud, and on-premises deployments. It uses a points system that makes it easy to understand available balance, usage trends, and total spend. Organisations are charged in 24-hour periods to give IT teams the flexibility to right-size their deployments each day.
Customers can use points to deploy any mix of cloud and virtual machine offerings as well as services for on-premises deployments. They can even leverage budget committed to select cloud providers—including Google Cloud and AWS—to purchase FortiFlex points.
These features allow organisations to leverage FortiFlex in a variety of ways.
- Reducing excessive procurement cycles for new security solutions
- Simplifying deployment and provisioning of new services through FortiFlex’s powerful APIs
- Maximising budget and return on investment, ROI by scaling down or pausing services as needed
- Optimising cloud spend by utilising use it or lose it dollars committed to cloud providers to purchase FortiFlex points that can be redeemed in the future
Managed security service providers, MSSPs can also use a single FortiFlex account to pool licenses across their entire customer base to easily migrate and reassign licenses with ease. This means MSSPs can address their customers’ needs without worrying about overbuying—all from a single interface.
Backed by a single operating system, FortiOS, and a unified management console, FortiManager, all FortiGate NGFWs support hybrid mesh firewall, a term coined by Gartner. It IS defined as a security architecture that protects multiple areas of enterprise IT by coordinating threat intelligence and security policies across firewalls.
FortiFlex is now available as a private offer in AWS Marketplace to support customers using the AWS Enterprise Discount Programme, EDP. AWS EDP offers high-volume AWS account owners a discount in exchange for a minimum spending threshold.
FortiFlex helps AWS EDP members reduce their minimum threshold and spending liability by converting portions to FortiFlex points. This gives customers the flexibility to use their budget to secure the best price for AWS and leverage Fortinet’s industry- secure networking products and services.
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