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To implement Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) where a FortiGate hub enforces device posture and processes traffic directly, specific architectural and configuration steps are required on the FortiGate appliance.

ZTNA Access Proxy (B): The FortiGate must be configured as a ZTNA access proxy. In this role, the FortiGate acts as a secure gateway that mediates connections between remote users and internal applications. This setup ensures that all TCP traffic is intercepted and processed by the FortiGate, providing a direct, shortest-path connection that bypasses the FortiSASE cloud PoPs for the data plane.

ZTNA Servers and Policies (C): Within the FortiGate configuration, administrators must define ZTNA servers (which identify the protected applications or resources) and ZTNA policies. ZTNA policies are the enforcement rules that check for valid client certificates and specific ZTNA tags (synchronized from FortiSASE) before allowing access to a resource. This configuration allows the FortiGate to perform continuous posture checks on every session.

Posture Check Mechanism: While ZTNA tags are used, they are generally synchronized from the FortiSASE Endpoint Management Service (EMS) rather than manually configured on the FortiGate itself. This synchronization ensures the FortiGate has real-time visibility into the security posture (e.g., AV compliance, OS version) of the endpoints as reported by FortiClient.

Analysis of Incorrect Options:

Option A: Creating ZTNA tags manually on a FortiGate is technically possible but is not the recommended "setup" in a FortiSASE deployment, as tags are meant to be dynamically assigned by EMS and synced to the fabric.

Option D: "Private access policies on FortiSASE" refers to the SD-WAN Secure Private Access (SPA) use case. In the SD-WAN SPA model, traffic is steered through the FortiSASE PoP first, whereas the requirement specifically asks for TCP traffic to be processed by the FortiGate using ZTNA.

When remote users connected to FortiSASE require access to internal resources on Branch-2, the following process occurs:

SD-WAN Capability:

FortiSASE leverages SD-WAN to optimize traffic routing based on performance metrics and priorities.

In the priority settings, HUB-1 is configured with the highest priority (P1), whereas HUB-2 has a lower priority (P2).

Traffic Routing Decision:

FortiSASE evaluates the available hubs (HUB-1 and HUB-2) and selects HUB-1 due to its highest priority setting.

Once the traffic reaches HUB-1, it is then routed to the appropriate branch based on internal routing policies.

Branch-2 Access:

Since HUB-1 has the highest priority, FortiSASE directs the traffic to HUB-1.

HUB-1 then routes the traffic to Branch-2, providing the remote users access to the internal resources.

In a FortiSASE environment, the Unified FortiClient agent is the critical component that fulfills the requirement for "always-on" connectivity and security for remote users.

Persistent Encrypted Tunnels: The Unified FortiClient maintains a persistent, always-on connection to the FortiSASE infrastructure.4 This is typically achieved through an auto-connect VPN tunnel (SSL or IPsec) that initiates as soon as the user logs into their device and has internet access.

Continuous Security Enforcement: By staying connected to a nearby FortiSASE Point of Presence (PoP), the endpoint ensures that all traffic is inspected. This allows the organization to enforce a consistent security posture—including Web Filtering, Antivirus, and Application Control—regardless of whether the user is at home, in a coffee shop, or traveling.

Zero-Trust Integration: Beyond simple connectivity, the unified agent supports Universal ZTNA. It continuously verifies the identity of the user and the security posture of the device before granting access to specific applications, thereby satisfying modern zero-trust security mandates.

Comparison of Other Components:

SD-WAN on-ramp (B): Used primarily to integrate existing branch office SD-WAN networks with the SASE cloud for private application access.

Secure Web Gateway (C): While a feature of the SASE PoP, the agentless SWG deployment (using PAC files) does not provide the same level of "always-on" persistent tunnel protection as the FortiClient agent.

Thin-branch SASE extension (D): Focused on securing small branch locations (using FortiAP or FortiExtender) where individual client agents may not be deployed on every device.

In a FortiSASE environment, log management is governed by a cloud-native storage policy that prioritizes performance and resource availability.

Retention Policy Framework: All FortiSASE instances come with log retention enabled by default. The standard log retention period is 30 days, though administrators can customize this policy to any duration between 2 and 30 days. This policy applies across all log types, including traffic, security, and event logs.

Automatic Deletion (A): When logs exceed the configured retention threshold, FortiSASE automatically deletes the older logs from the platform.2 This automatic purging is necessary to free up storage space on the cloud infrastructure and maintain compliance with the organization's data lifecycle settings.

Persistence and Recovery: Once logs are deleted due to the expiration of the retention period, they are generally unrecoverable from the FortiSASE platform.

Long-Term Storage Solutions: Because FortiSASE is not designed as a long-term archival solution, customers who need to store logs for months or years for regulatory compliance should configure log forwarding to an external server, such as a FortiAnalyzer or a remote Syslog server.

Analysis of Incorrect Options: * Option B and D: While traditional FortiAnalyzer deployments use SQL indexing and separate "Archive" (raw/compressed) vs. "Analytics" (SQL) tiers, FortiSASE uses a simplified cloud storage model where data is purged rather than archived or tier-shifted upon expiry.

Option C: While FortiSASE is part of the FortiCloud ecosystem, it does not automatically "back up" expired logs to another FortiCloud service; the deletion is final unless external forwarding is active.