Fortinet FortiBridge 2002X Bypass Appliances
Ensuring availability of network resources

Overview:

The FortiBridge-2002X appliances provide bypass functionality for critical network segments with 10GbE interfaces. Operating in transparent mode during normal operation, these appliances automatically bridge network traffic in the event of a system failure or power outage. The FortiBridge-2002X appliance provides four 10GbE fiber interfaces with LC connectors and four 10GbE SPF+ interfaces for fail-to-wire bypass protection.

FortiBridge-2002X Features & Benefits:

• The 1-RU appliance form factor allows you to add bypass functionality to any existing inline security system, including FortiGate® consolidated security systems
• Maximizes network availability and uptime with fail-to-wire protection for 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks
• Automatically re-routes traffic in the event of a power outage or event that would cause an inline security device to fail and disrupt availability of the network segment
• Remote configuration and monitoring allow you to monitor and control the bypass status of network segments remotely
• Ability to view mode of operation, manually switch the appliance into bypass or normal operation mode, and configure thresholds for automatic bypass fail-to-wire

You are faced with the challenge of securing your network while also ensuring that it is always available. This could mean that you are forced to choose network availability over ensuring that all traffic is inspected for malicious activity. You are already using high availability features of the security infrastructure, where a system fails over to either an active or standby unit. While this can reduce the risk of a network outage and still providing security services, to further reduce the risk of a network outage, additional steps have to be taken. To preserve availability in the event of a power failure or a device malfunction, bypassing the device altogether with a fail-to-wire solution can ensure network continuity at times when security cannot be provided.