Fortinet targets network security platform convergence to address AI-era complexity
In the rush to adopt AI, enterprise security architectures are diminishing, and the only appropriate response is a network security platform that incorporates networking and security into a single, consistently governed fabric.
That’s the vision Anthony James (pictured), executive vice president of marketing at Fortinet, pitched at Black Hat 2026. James, who first joined the company in 2004, said the vision that Ken Xie established more than two decades ago, consolidating fragmented security tools into a unified network security platform, is more relevant now than ever.
“If you look 20 years later after we started this whole idea of unifying threat management on a firewall, we’re now seeing that convergence of networking and security,” James said. “Platforms are becoming much more evolved, and CISOs are trying to cope with how do I make sure my infrastructure gives productivity to my end users, but also eliminates as much risk as possible.”
James spoke with Krista Case at Black Hat USA during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how Fortinet Security Fabric differentiates from platformization, what the SASE Firewall vision means in practice and where enterprises are asking for the most help as AI moves from experimentation into production. (* Disclosure below.)
