Fortinet’s Security Academy Program increases global impact

Fortinet, a global provider of broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, has announced more than 20 new academic institutions and nonprofits worldwide have recently joined Fortinet’s Security Academy Program to provide students, veterans and veteran families with advanced cybersecurity training and certifications. The expansion builds on the program’s momentum, which is available in more than 80 countries and is comprised of over 300 Authorised Security Academies.

“The cyber skills gap affects organisations worldwide and ultimately impacts the digital economy,” said Sandra Wheatley, SVP, Customer Marketing, Threat Intelligence and Influencer Communications at Fortinet. “This is why Fortinet heavily invests in training and education through our Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, including our NSE Training Institute programs. Through these programs we aim to create more cybersecurity career pathways and a diverse pipeline of security professionals.”

Closing the skills gap

One way Fortinet is creating new opportunities in the digital economy is through global collaborations across sectors. Through its involvement as a founding member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Centre for Cybersecurity and the Cyber Threat Alliance, Fortinet partners with global leaders, like Salesforce – the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), to further innovate and develop impactful global solutions for challenges such as the talent shortage.

The Fortinet Network Security Expert (NSE) Training Institute was established in 2015 to advance Fortinet’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives to close the cybersecurity skills gap and make it easier for anyone to start a career in cybersecurity regardless of their previous access to education, background or life experiences. The NSE Training Institute is made up of the Security Academy Program, Certification Program and Veterans Program. Fortinet continues to grow the NSE Training Institute’s programs with recent milestones including:

• The NSE Certification Program has issued more than 450,000 certifications worldwide, with more than 200,000 certifications achieved in 2020.
• In April 2020, Fortinet opened its entire catalogue of NSE self-paced security training courses, including pre-recorded labs, free of charge to the general public. The courses cover a range of topics – such as cloud security and secure SD-WAN – and total more than 350 hours of free training.
• Fortinet was recognised by Military Times in its “Best for Vets: Employers” rankings for 2020 through the Veterans Program work. The Veterans Program connects military veterans and their spouses with potential employers.