I believe that technology, even the best, is only an ornament without adequate knowledge. Training is the key point in transforming high-quality technology into an excellent product. It is important to underline that only a fine product can become a market leader. But the way to leadership is not practicable without sufficient training. For these reasons, every admin guide, doc, and technical forum, if opportunely given, can help a technological solution reach and consolidate the world-wide distribution, and it is exactly with this intention that I decided to write this foreword.
The FortiGate system was born following a simple philosophy: implementing the most important network security solutions into a single device featuring the highest possible performance and the easiest graphical interface. Yet that's not enough. Also, the simplest systems need to be studied and understood. This guide can be a good starting point for anybody who wants to approach the FortiGate technology using the latest OS version (FortiOS 5.0). It can help the reader to understand what the Unified Threat Management (UTM) system is, and why it's so flexible and serviceable to consolidate the network security, especially considering that in the latest OS version, Fortinet implements a high number of new features in terms of security, control, usability, and simplicity. Remember that this is just a starter guide, and after reading this book, you can find many other documents and datasheets on Fortinet webpages.
Enjoy your reading with the hope that it can help you to improve your FortiOS 5.0 skills.
Dr. Aldo Di Mattia
Systems Engineer
CISSP