Fortinet embeds AI security in firewalls, sidestepping new deployments

Fortinet has introduced a way for customers to enable AI security through its existing FortiGate firewalls, potentially avoiding the need for separate deployments. The move, announced this week, aims to extend the company’s hardware to inspect AI-related traffic without requiring additional infrastructure.

The FortiGuard Inline AI Security Service is positioned as a cloud-delivered subscription that can be activated on FortiGate firewalls, which are already deployed in many enterprise environments. According to reporting, the service is designed to analyze prompts, model responses, and tool traffic in real time. It also includes expanded data loss prevention capabilities, with claims of detecting sensitive data types and enabling redaction or blocking.

This approach may address a common challenge in enterprise security: the gap between purchasing a tool and achieving full deployment. Some security leaders have noted that this delay can stretch for months, leaving tools underutilized. By embedding protection in firewalls customers already manage, Fortinet’s service could eliminate the need for separate proxies, gateways, or API integrations—barriers that often slow adoption, particularly for midmarket companies and distributed enterprises with limited security staff.

The service also appears to include controls for managing AI-related costs, a growing concern as token consumption and GPU compute expenses rise. Administrators are said to be able to set model permissions, budgets, and rate limits at various levels, with alerts and blocks when thresholds are approached. Some observers have highlighted “Denial-of-Wallet” attacks—where malicious or runaway prompts generate unexpected costs—as an emerging risk. Fortinet’s solution is reported to include features for intelligent routing to optimize model selection based on cost and policy.

This strategy resembles Fortinet’s earlier success in secure SD-WAN, where it leveraged its existing firewall footprint to gain market share. The broader AI security landscape has seen significant consolidation, with major vendors acquiring startups in the space over the past 18 months. Companies like Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, F5, and Cisco have all made moves to integrate AI security capabilities into their platforms.

Startups have driven much of the innovation in AI security, but Fortinet’s approach could appeal to enterprises seeking simpler deployment. Recent funding rounds for startups like Pluto Security, Island, and Reco suggest strong demand for dedicated AI security tools, particularly for securing AI agents. However, Fortinet’s service may offer an alternative for organizations that prefer protection built into existing infrastructure rather than standalone solutions.

The effectiveness of this approach remains to be seen. Some security teams have expressed skepticism about tools that promise broad coverage with minimal false positives, citing past experiences with data loss prevention solutions. While Fortinet claims low latency and accuracy, real-world performance will likely determine adoption. The service also arrives as startups continue to raise substantial funding, indicating that the market for AI security solutions is still evolving.

What to watch next is whether other firewall vendors adopt a similar strategy. If AI security becomes a standard feature rather than a separate purchase, startups may need to focus on deeper specialization or niche use cases. For now, Fortinet’s offering provides enterprises with a potential way to adopt AI security without the friction of new deployments—a shift that could benefit incumbents in the space.

Sources: siliconangle.com