Fortinet Invests in Aspiring IT Security Professionals to Help Address the Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Dubai, UAE., February 14, 2017: Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global leader in high-performance cybersecurity solutions, today announced that they are providing universal access to their Network Security Expert (NSE) training and certification program making it broadly available and free of charge. With the public availability of the NSE program, Fortinet is taking a massive step to engage a new generation of aspiring cybersecurity professionals by providing a gateway to attain the highly desirable and lucrative skills in the growing field of IT security. Starting today, Fortinet will offer NSE program level 1 courses to the public. Fortinet will follow with NSE program levels 2 and 3 in the second quarter of 2017.

Ken Xie, founder, chairman of the board and chief executive officer at Fortinet

“Facing an increasingly hostile threat landscape, businesses are expanding investments in infrastructure security but struggling to source the increasingly rare talent needed to implement and operate their solutions. As an industry-leader, Fortinet believes it is our responsibility to foster the development and continuing education of cybersecurity talent and close the cybersecurity skills gap. Opening Fortinet’s Network Security Expert program to the public increases access to educational resources and creates new opportunities for current and future IT security professionals whose skills will be critical to ensure the continued growth of the digital economy.”

Closing the Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Recent reports highlight a massive shortage of professionals with the cybersecurity skills needed to combat the expanding volume and complexity of today’s threat landscape. This cybersecurity skills gap poses challenges for enterprises who are unable to fill roles needed to defend their employees, data, investments, and bottom-line against increasing risks from cyber-attacks.

Fortinet has long championed the cause to increase awareness, understanding, and knowledge within the global cybersecurity landscape. Launched in 2015, Fortinet’s NSE program has quickly become an industry-standard in cybersecurity training and certification that fosters the continuing education of IT security professionals worldwide and helps close the cybersecurity skills gap.

Proven Curriculum for Aspiring Cybersecurity Professionals

As the primary program used to develop and maintain the skillsets of Fortinet employees, partners, and end users, Fortinet’s NSE program utilizes a multi-level curriculum that progresses from cybersecurity fundamentals and overall context, up to advanced security implementation strategies and technical concepts. This program design has resulted in Fortinet issuing over 50,000 NSE certifications globally.

Public demand for Fortinet’s NSE program also drove the creation of Fortinet’s Network Security Academy for public, primary, and post-secondary education institutions. These institutions partner with Fortinet and leverage the NSE curriculum to develop cybersecurity courses currently offered at schools in 46 unique countries.

NSE 1 covers network security fundamentals and provides a historical context of the cybersecurity market. NSE 2 details the core security solutions used to address the challenges outlined in NSE 1. NSE 3 provides a deeper dive into advanced security products and capabilities used to defend against specific threats and vectors of attack.