Fortinet acquires Virtue AI to enhance agentic AI security

Fortinet Inc. has announced its acquisition of Virtue AI Inc., a startup specializing in the security of autonomous and agentic artificial intelligence systems. The deal aims to integrate Virtue AI’s runtime protection and automated validation technology into Fortinet’s FortiAIGate platform.

Virtue AI’s technology focuses on securing the full lifecycle of AI agents, which function more like digital employees than simple chatbots by interacting with APIs, triggering workflows, and making decisions. The startup’s Guardian Agent platform allows security teams to test autonomous agents for vulnerabilities across more than 50 sandboxed environments.

While the financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed and described by Fortinet as immaterial to its overall business, the move aligns with a rapidly growing market. Gartner projects that the market for securing AI ecosystems and agents will expand from approximately $2.8 billion in 2026 to $16.4 billion by 2030.

Separately, Fortinet reported strong financial results for the second quarter of 2026, with revenue increasing 26 percent year-over-year to $2.05 billion, exceeding market expectations. Product revenue specifically grew by 52 percent during this period.