The pan-European research, which took in responses from more than 300 ITsec professionals in major organisations in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux and the UK, found 50% using, or planning to use, a firewall with application control features.
Researchers also found that specialised web application and XML firewalls are also being adopted in significant numbers, with 43% of respondents using, or planning to use, this type of technology to secure web-based applications.
Delving into the report reveals the UK with highest rate of application aware, 'next generation' firewall adoption, with 60% of respondents using this technology
Germany and Italy, meanwhile, are the largest adopters of web application XML firewalls, with each country showing 54% of respondents in this category.
Other issues highlighted in the research include the fact that wireless networks were identified as the most pressing vulnerability and that a draconian stance was being adopted when it comes to user-owned smart devices.
Interestingly, Fortinet reports that one-sixth of enterprises questioned (16%) either didn't have a security strategy, or had not reconsidered their IT security strategy for more than three years.
Only 60% of enterprises, meanwhile, said they have conducted a full reappraisal of information security strategy in the last 12 months.
Commenting on the findings, Patrice Perche, the vendor's senior vice president, said that, given the recent remarkable pace of cloud IT adoption and the rise of tablet PCs and smartphones for corporate IT use, it is critical for organisations to regularly review their IT security strategy.
And, he went on say, in that sense, those that have not done so in a year or more are exposing themselves to greater risks.
For instance, he said, when confronted with the increasing IT consumerisation trend – where users have greater power in choosing their own preferred IT practices and technologies within the organisation – it is not surprising that 60% of respondents were concerned about their organisation's ability to secure corporate data in what has become a dynamic and user-led IT environment.
Across the sample, Fortinet found that 88% of respondents indicated that they have mobile security covered specifically in their IT security strategy.
Sixty-six percent of enterprises, however, only allow the use of corporate mobile devices onto which security policies can be directly enforced. And 21% of enterprises place the responsibility for securing personal mobile endpoints with the user/owner of the device in question.
On the wireless front, 57% of the sample identified WiFi security as a pressing issue, with wireless networks also ranking highest in terms of greatest vulnerability, ahead of core network infrastructure (ranked second) and databases (third).