Fortinet Training Institute Accelerates Mission Toward Closing the Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced significant progress toward its mission to help close the cybersecurity skills gap through its Training Institute programs. In September of last year, Fortinet pledged to train 1 million people in cybersecurity as part of the company’s commitment to address the cyber talent shortage. Through the Fortinet Training Institute programs - including the NSE Certification program, the Education Outreach program and the Academic Partner program - Fortinet is progressing on its pledge to train 1 million people on cybersecurity by 2026.

Sandra Wheatley, SVP of Marketing, Threat Intelligence and Influencer Communications at Fortinet

Sandra Wheatley, SVP of Marketing, Threat Intelligence and Influencer Communications at Fortinet said, “Fortinet’s vision is to make possible a digital world that organizations can always trust by securing people, devices and data everywhere. To help achieve this, Fortinet is committed to closing the cyber skills gap and raising cyber awareness through our TAA initiative and Training Institute programs. Last year we committed to training 1 million people on cybersecurity by 2026 and so far we’re tracking ahead of our goal for the year toward this pledge.” 

The Cyber Skills Gap is a Business Imperative
According to Fortinet’s global 2022 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, 80 percent of breaches can be attributed to a lack of cybersecurity skills and/or awareness. Additionally, 64 percent of organizations experienced breaches that resulted in loss of revenue, recovery costs and/or fines. Given the gravity of the cyber skills gap and its direct impact on organizations’ bottom line, business leaders consider the talent shortage one of their biggest challenges and acknowledge cyber training and awareness is a critical component of their security strategy.

To help address this top-of-mind concern, Fortinet’s Training Advancement Agenda (TAA) and Training Institute programs are focused on providing the company’s award-winning training curriculum to security professionals, as well as expanding learning and career opportunities for anyone interested in cybersecurity, regardless of background or life experience. These efforts coupled with Fortinet’s focus to attract greater diversity to the industry as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives are contributing to Fortinet’s progress toward its pledge to train 1 million people across 5 years to help close the skills gap.

The Evolution of Fortinet’s Technical Training to Advance Skillsets
Advancing security professionals’ technical skillsets is a critical part of Fortinet’s work to close the skills gap. Through the Fortinet Training Institute’s NSE Certification program, Fortinet is promoting continued learning to advance security knowledge and expertise by:

• Expanding access to expert technical training with updates to NSE level 8 certification: The practical hands-on exams for the distinguished NSE level 8 certification will now be offered online, making it accessible to more professionals worldwide looking to achieve or maintain their designation. Certification for NSE level 8 will also be extended to 3 years, taking in to account the collaboration that NSE 8s have with Fortinet and their extensive industry knowledge.

• Acknowledging the expertise of NSE level 8 with new Charter Members group: Fortinet has created the NSE 8 Charter Member designation for a select group of individuals who have been NSE level 8 certified since 2016 when the first NSE 8 exam was issued. In addition to benefits, Charter Members will continue to work closely with Fortinet as the company evolves the award-winning NSE Certification program to meet the growing needs of the cybersecurity industry.

• Showcasing partner expertise through the Ultimate Fabric Challenge (UFC) Global Championship at Accelerate 2022: Winners of the inaugural UFC Global Championship were announced at Accelerate 2022 following the half-day, cybersecurity skills-based competition. This competition puts Fortinet partner’s cyber skills to the test while also giving them the opportunity to compete for cash prizes, including $10,000 for the grand prize winner. Global Championship winners included: Ben Le Huray from Australia (1st place), Rafael Rosseto dos Santos from Brazil (2nd place), and Bart Sikkes from the Netherlands (3rd place).

Expanding Career Opportunities and Educating the Future Cyber Workforce through the Fortinet Training Institute
Fortinet is narrowing the skills gap by educating more people in cybersecurity and creating more opportunities for various people, regardless of background and experience, to have access to Fortinet’s training. Fortinet provides learning opportunities for various populations - including students - through its Training Institute programs to help better prepare the future cyber workforce. 

• Increasing access to training through partnership with Degreed: Fortinet has partnered with Degreed, the upskilling platform that connects learning to opportunities, to become an official Content Provider via One-Click. This partnership will make Fortinet’s training available for Degreed’s 7 million users, expanding access to Fortinet’s award-winning training curriculum. Fortinet is providing self-paced access to NSE level 1 through NSE level 7 training, expanding Degreed’s cybersecurity offerings.

• Extending reach of training through Academic Partner program collaborations: With more than 400 Authorized Academic Partners, Fortinet makes its award-winning curriculum available to students worldwide through partnerships with academic institutions. Fortinet continues to expand its partnerships with academia, recently having added partners from Spain, New Zealand, Morocco, Singapore and more, totaling more than 90 different countries and territories.