Fortinet Doubles Down on Mobile Core Security and Managed Security Services at Mobile World Congress

The Mobile Security and Managed Security Services Zone area that we’re setting in up in our booth at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) places Fortinet at the center of one of the most innovation-intensive sectors of Communication Service Providers (CSPs). The dawning era of 5G is about much more than speeds and availability. Rather, it opens a new era of much richer applications, services, and user experience. While it would be great to have the specifics when it comes to what will be possible, these are still developing—namely, we must remain vague in terms of what 5G will ultimately deliver because it is impossible to predict what will emerge from it. In short, when it comes to 5G, the future is unwritten.

Although 5G standards are still being defined and wide-scale commercial deployments are not expected before 2020, one safe bet is that paving the way to the market acceptance and success of 5G services will require a step-function improvement in security safeguards. Any perception that 5G rests on uncertain security foundations will eat away at user confidence and expose system operators and service providers to disappointing investment returns, not to mention legal and regulatory repercussions.

So, what are some of the 5G security challenges? Following are some of the most prevalent:

• How to secure an agile and virtual mobile core with 5G.

• How to integrate security services in the innovative new services offered with 5G such as Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) and network slicing. 

• How to provide a complete ecosystem of security services to generate new revenue, create competitive advantage, and increase customer loyalty.

5G holds the promise for increased bandwidth, multitenant-edge computing, and a multitude of innovative services, that will likely empower immersive virtual reality, autonomous ground and air vehicles, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. To successfully launch and maintain customer confidence in these new capabilities, 5G infrastructures will require security that is powerful, scalable, integrated, and agile.

Digital transformation at the CSP and their customers also amplifies the role of managed security service providers CSPs and MSSPs in safeguarding organizations infrastructures, applications,  and services. The complexity and dynamic nature of the threat landscape, the pace of adversary innovation, and the global security practitioner shortage provide CSPs and MSSPs an opportunity to provide more managed security services that add value and generate savings for their customers while enabling their digital transformation. To do so, MSSPs need to leverage a security-fabric infrastructure that enables the provisioning of a wider range of integrated and automated managed security services in a variety of delivery and consumption modes to satisfy their customers’ requirements.

In addition to engaging visitors to the Fortinet booth in productive conversations about the future of mobile core security and managed security services, we’re planning practical demonstrations of some core capabilities such as:

·LTE and 5G mobile core security

·Security service chaining

·Ways in which MSSPs can leverage the Fortinet Security Fabric as part of their services-delivery framework

We also plan formal presentations in our booth theater on topics focused on delivering services for next-generation mobile networks:

Security in LTE/5G Mobile Core

Synopsis: The mobile core network requires high performance security solutions to ensure service level attainment without compromising security. With the move to 5G and the virtualization of mobile infrastructure, bandwidth and data volumes will grow, and new services and technologies will take hold. Security must meet all these changes and provide an answer in this new environment. This presentation will briefly touch on the challenges and solutions in securing the mobile core.

Security Services for Mobile Edge Computing

Synopsis: Enabled by 5G and driven by the digital economic/social transformation, MEC will drive innovation in many industries and market segments. The promise of the mobile edge to provide multitenant, high bandwidth and low latency computing, cloud services, machine learning and more, can fully blossom only when security services are part of this environment. This presentation will look at different security services that cellular service providers must take into effect when delivering MEC.

The ABCs of Delivering Security as a Service (SECaaS)

Synopsis: The growing complexity and sophistication of threats and threat actors, stringent new government regulations, and a growing security practitioner shortage, pose significant challenges to organizations in achieving their security and posture goals. Organizations looking to CSPs/MSSPs to provide a growing number of security services, value-add, and knowledge, all in an integrated and automated fashion to meet needs for agility and security. This presentation will describe basic building blocks for delivering a powerful and competitive security-as-a-service (SECaaS) to enterprises and organizations of all sizes.

These presentations will take place once daily over the four main days of the Congress, February 26, 27, 28 and March 1, in the Fortinet Booth, Hall 7, Stand 91 at the Congress. For full details on Fortinet’s appearance at the 2018 Mobile World Congress, visit our webpage dedicated to this subject. You can also use this site to review to see our presentation schedule and set up meetings with Fortinet representatives. The Mobile World Congress website contains, of course, official information on the event itself.

Barcelona is one of the great cities of the world and should be on everyone’s “bucket list.” By visiting Fortinet at this year’s Mobile World Congress, you can combine business, pleasure, and cultural enrichment. And who can beat that kind of value proposition?