Intelligent CISO Issue 38 | Page 49

The TAA leverages several NSE offerings to close the cyberskills gap through training and certifications , career opportunities and partnerships . and the Information Security Awareness and Training Service – was established to address the widening cyberskills gap plaguing the industry .

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Fortinet , a global leader in broad , integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions , is continuing to make significant progress in helping close the skills gap through the NSE Training Institute programmes and its Training Advancement Agenda ( TAA ). By increasing the access of training , developing cybersecurity career pathways and connecting individuals to employers , the NSE Training Institute is making big strides in advancing TAA efforts . The NSE Training Institute continues to grow globally , serving IT and security professionals and underrepresented populations . In addition to recently expanding NSE offerings , including the extension of more than 30 free , self-paced technical training courses , the NSE Training Institute welcomes new global partners working alongside Fortinet to close the cybersecurity skills gap , including Women in Cybersecurity ( WiCyS ), Stanford University and University of California , Berkeley .
The skills gap remains a top challenge for organisations
The cyberskills gap is a top concern for CISOs as it helps contribute to security risks and the opportunity for bad actors to exploit vulnerabilities when strained security teams are short-staffed . The Fortinet Network Security Expert ( NSE ) Training Institute – comprised of the Certification Program , the Security Academy Program , the Veterans Program , Authorized Training Centers

The TAA leverages several NSE offerings to close the cyberskills gap through training and certifications , career opportunities and partnerships . and the Information Security Awareness and Training Service – was established to address the widening cyberskills gap plaguing the industry .

For the first time since the NSE Training Institute ’ s establishment in 2015 , the industry saw a decrease in the number of security professionals required to fill the gap in 2020 with a shrinkage from 4.07 million professionals needed to 3.12 million professionals according to an ( ISC ) 2 report . While this demonstrates progress towards solving the issue , the gap is still a significant challenge for organisations of all sizes .
Fortinet creates opportunities through training , certifications and partnerships
To address the skills gap challenge , Fortinet ’ s NSE Training Institute offers a number of different programmes to individuals at all stages of their cybersecurity career . The TAA leverages several NSE offerings to close the cyberskills gap through training and certifications , career opportunities and partnerships . Below are some recent NSE Training Institute milestones :
Partnering with organisations focused on women , minorities and veterans : The growth of Fortinet ’ s NSE Training Institute includes partnerships with organisations focused on women and minorities , like WOMCY Latin America , Women in Cybersecurity ( WiCyS ), Women in Tech based in France and the International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals ( ICMCP ). Through the NSE Training Institute , Fortinet is also partnering with nonprofits , most recently including Hire Heroes USA , to help veterans and military families . These partnerships bring untapped candidates into the cyber workforce by providing them with opportunities for training , certifications and connecting them with the Fortinet employer ecosystem .
Providing Fortinet curricula to students : Through the Security Academy Program , Fortinet supports almost 400 institutions in more than 85 different countries and territories .
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These academic institutions range from students in K-12 all the way to higher education and research institutions . New participants that have recently become Authorized Security Academies include : Stanford University , University of California , Berkeley , University of Arkansas ( ULAR ), Francisco Gavidia University in El Salvador , University of Costa Rica , U-tad University in Spain , Women in Tech based out of France , Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick ( CCNB ) in Canada , Southern Alberta Institute of Technology ( SAIT ) in Canada , Tower Australian College , Tennessee College of Applied Technology in the US and the University of Benghazi . Through the programme , institutions are given access to Fortinet ’ s NSE Certification Program content to integrate into their own curriculum , along with exam vouchers for those who complete the course , in order to prepare students for a career in cybersecurity and help develop the next-generation of cybersecurity professionals .
Free NSE Training courses reach more than 1,000,000 registrations : Recently , Fortinet announced the extension of all its advanced self-paced courses available free of charge to continue developing the world ’ s cyber workforce . The free cybersecurity training courses first introduced in early 2020 offer more than 30 self-paced , technical courses on critical topics ranging from Secure SD-WAN to Operational Technology to cloud security . There have been more than 1,000,000 registrations for these free courses to date . It leverages courses that count towards ( ISC ) 2 CPE Submitter Program and the NSE Certification Program , Fortinet ’ s eight level certifications from cybersecurity fundamental education courses ( NSE 1 – 3 ), technical product training ( NSE 4 – 6 ), advanced solution-based training ( NSE 7 ) and the cybersecurity expert recognition ( NSE 8 ). Fortinet ’ s Information Security Awareness and Training Service is also offered to organisations free of charge , aimed at helping companies better educate their workforce on how to identify and protect themselves and their organisations against all types of cybersecurity threats . www . intelligentciso . com
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