October 24 2022: Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, has issued more than 1 million Network Security Expert (NSE) certifications to date, further advancing its commitment to close the cybersecurity skills gap.
Fortinet continues to expand the global impact of its training and certification programs with the addition of new courses in priority cybersecurity areas, new training partners, and by expanding access to cyber training and education to empower untapped talent. Fortinet also continues to help organizations build a cyber-aware workforce through its existing Security Awareness and Training Service and through a recent initiative tied to the 2022 White House National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit, by providing a tailored version of the service available for K-12 school districts in the U.S. free of charge.|
Advancing Skill Sets in Cybersecurity Professionals to Keep Up with Threats
With more than 80% of breaches being attributed to a lack of cyber skills according to a global 2022 Fortinet report, the cybersecurity skills gap continues to be a top-of-mind concern for organizations. In an effort to help close the cyber skills gap, Fortinet through its Training Advancement Agenda (TAA) and Fortinet Training Institute initiatives is focused on upskilling security professionals to stay ahead of threats with the following efforts:    
-Validating Skills and Experience with NSE Certifications: As part of Fortinet’s progress to close the skills gap, the Fortinet Training Institute achieved the milestone of over 1 million NSE certifications issued to date. The eight-level training and certification program is designed to provide technical professionals with independent validation of their security and networking skills as well as work experience. Fortinet’s 2022 Global Skills Gap report revealed that 95 percent of leaders believe technology-focused certifications positively impact their role and their team, while 81 percent of leaders prefer to hire people with certifications. The Fortinet Training Institute aims to provide professionals the opportunity not only to gain skills to ward off cyber threats, but also career growth opportunities, as leaders value certifications. In addition, NSE training curriculum is easily accessible to empower access to learning and is offered in instructor-lead, virtual instructor-led, and free self-paced training formats.
- Developing Courses in Key Cybersecurity Areas Across all Industries: The Fortinet Training Institute is continuously updating its training with content that is relevant and dynamic for the issues and challenges cyber professionals face today. For example, the OT Security curriculum, as part of NSE level 7, provides a solid understanding of how to design, implement and operate an OT security solution for critical infrastructures. Other topic areas where the Fortinet Training Institute has expanded curriculum include Zero Trust Network Access and Secure SD-WAN, among others. Additionally, Fortinet offers low-cost labs to further advance skill sets for anyone taking technical, advanced or expert level training.
-Leveraging Threat Intelligence from FortiGuard Labs in Curriculum: The Fortinet Training Institute curriculum is developed by Fortinet’s world-class trainers and curriculum developers with an in-depth knowledge of industry-leading technology and the evolving threat landscape. The training curriculum is augmented with FortiGuard Labs’ threat intelligence, a global research team comprised of experienced threat hunters, researchers, analysts, engineers, and data scientists. In addition, the curriculum is designed to evolve based on the latest threat intelligence from FortiGuard Labs, ensuring that anyone taking training and pursuing certification obtains the most relevant skills and knowledge.
-Offering Opportunities for Professionals to Upskill Through Fortinet’s Global Authorized Training Centers: Fortinet Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) are a network of accredited training organizations in more than 130 countries and territories around the world, teaching in 26 different languages. ATCs deliver the Fortinet Training Institute’s cybersecurity training in local languages. New ATCs that have recently joined the program, extend the availability of Fortinet’s training to security professionals around the world, including: Exclusive Networks (USA), Wavelink (Australia), HRP (Hungary), and DACAS (The Caribbean).
-Expanding Access to Cyber Training and Empowering Untapped Talent
Fortinet is increasing access to cybersecurity training so that more people, regardless of their educational background, current career or life experience, can access cyber courses and help kickstart a career in cybersecurity. Fortinet is also empowering untapped talent pools, including women, students, veterans and more, to reskill or expand their skills for a career in cyber, helping to address the industry talent shortage.