Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) and (NASDAQ: FTNT) are both leading cybersecurity companies, but they operate very different business models. Zscaler specializes in "zero trust" services, which treat everyone -- including a business's CEO -- as a potential threat. Instead of installing cumbersome appliances, it provides all of its tools as cloud-native services, which are stickier and easier to scale as a company grows.

Fortinet is an older, larger, and more diversified cybersecurity specialist that protects organizations with a mix of on-site appliances and cloud-based services. It originally developed next-gen firewalls, and it subsequently expanded its ecosystem into a "Security Fabric" that provides end-to-end cybersecurity services for on-premise, cloud-based, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It differentiates itself from many other cybersecurity companies by developing its own proprietary chips.

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Source Fool.com