Walling Off Computer Viruses

By Matt Brown/San Jose

In the fight against computer viruses, Ken Xie, 42, has made himself the first line of defense. It's a familiar role for the 6 ft. 5 in. Xie, who was a professional volleyball player in his native China before immigrating to the U.S. in 1989. Instead of stuffing spikes at the net, he deflects attacks on computer networks. His defensive techniques have revolutionized the network-security industry. "I think that the Internet is exciting and always changing," says Xie. "With each new application, there are new viruses. There are constantly new threats, and I wanted to get into the new stuff."

While working with software-based firewalls--layers of protection that block junk e-mail and attacks on computers from hackers and viruses--Xie noticed that those programs slow down networks. So, like a true Silicon Valley entrepreneur, he retreated to his garage in his spare time and started working on a new approach. He envisioned a remote piece of hardware that screened Internet content and didn't interfere with application software. In 1997 Xie, an engineering graduate from Tsinghua University in Beijing, launched the network-security company NetScreen, which was eventually acquired by Jupiter Networks. That success allowed him to raise venture capital in 2000 to found Fortinet Inc., of which he is CEO.

Since then, his company has developed the FortiGate security system, the only ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) accelerated network-based antivirus firewall system. As viruses attack a computer network, the FortiGate system, like a bouncer at the entrance to a popular nightclub, screens out the rogue operators before they can get to the computers. "Computer viruses are like the avian flu," Xie says. "You can vaccinate each person against the flu, or you can stop the virus before it gets there."

Fortinet, which is shorthand for Fortify the Internet, proved so popular with network administrators that to date, the company has shipped more than 100,000 FortiGate appliances, ranging in price from $500 for units designed for personal use to $300,000 for devices meant for large enterprises. With that kind of sales record, Xie plans to take the company public soon.

As attacks on computer networks become more sophisticated and dangerous, security solutions continue to be a priority for Xie. His company is working on the next generation of security devices, which will deal with evolving threats, including spam e-mail, spyware and worms (self-replicating computer programs that, unlike viruses, do not need other programs to propagate themselves). It seems that Xie still hasn't completed his career as a blocker.