(NOTE: This story was originally posted to CRN.com Jan. 6.)

Innovation In Network Security

Other areas of security technology were hot in 2016, but network security - which is still key - saw innovative new offerings. Companies in that space continued to innovate throughout the year, launching new products and integration that stepped up their existing offerings or expanded their portfolio into new areas. This year's list of coolest network security products includes launches from legacy vendors and startups, with new offerings to take cloud security, firewalls, Wi-Fi, advanced threat protection and more to the next level.

While there are many hot new network security offerings on the market, here's a roundup of some of the coolest of the year that are available through partners.