GlobeNewswire Inc | Aug 18, 2020 09:00AM EDT

August 18, 2020

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Sandra Wheatley, SVP, Customer Marketing, Threat Intelligence and Influencer Communications at FortinetTo further address the cyber skills shortage, were excited to partner with IBM to integrate Fortinets Network Security Expert training and certification curriculum with IBMs SkillsBuild digital platform. As both a technology company and learning organization, Fortinet will work with IBM to make it easier for anyone to start a career in cybersecurity regardless of their background, previous access to education, or life experiences.

News Summary Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT), a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced it is integrating its Network Security Expert training and certification curriculum with IBMs SkillsBuild, a digital platform for users to develop technology and professional skills, including cybersecurity. Fortinet and IBM will focus on creating new cybersecurity career pathways by training traditionally untapped candidates and connecting learners to employers. This collaboration underscores Fortinets Corporate Social Responsibility commitment to closing the cybersecurity skills gap through global collaborations and its Network Security Expert (NSE) Training Institutes Security Academy Program.

Growing Demand for Cybersecurity Professionals Cybersecurity is a high growth area and the global pandemic has further boosted the industrys demand. An (ISC)2 poll found that 81% of respondents view security as an essential function as employees are working remotely due to COVID-19. As the demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to rise, so does the need to attract a broader more diverse workforce into the field. In fact, a recent Fortinet survey found that 68% of organizations struggle to recruit, hire and retain cybersecurity talent. With the global pandemic, this challenge has significantly increased.

Fortinet and IBM Join Forces to Further Develop the Cybersecurity Workforce Fortinet and IBMs partnership will help address this issue through SkillsBuild, a digital platform that provides jobseekers, including those with long-term unemployment, refugees, asylum seekers, veterans and students, with career fit assessments, training, personalized coaching and the experiential learning they need to enter or re-enter the workforce. SkillsBuild will now include cybersecurity curriculum from Fortinets NSE Training Institute for jobseekers looking for a career in security.

Through SkillsBuilds new curated cybersecurity content leveraging Fortinets NSE training and certification curriculum, Fortinet and IBM aim to:

-- Provide cybersecurity training that develops skills, reskills and upskills: Now more than ever, there has been an increase in jobseekers, including those who are unemployed and impacted by the pandemic. SkillsBuilds content based on Fortinets training curriculum can assist individuals looking to learn new skills or expand their current cybersecurity knowledge so they can enter the field or progress in their career growth. -- Help untapped candidates launch their careers: Fortinet and IBM are providing more learning opportunities to candidates who may typically be overlooked for a role in cybersecurity. These untapped candidates include those with long-term unemployment or underemployment, young adults without traditional degrees, refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, career changers, veterans and military spouses. Fortinet and IBM are both working with non-profits focused on the military community worldwideincluding CASY, SaluteMyJob and Soldier Onto provide veterans and military spouses training and skills to enter the workforce. -- Connect learners to employers: Through Fortinets Security Academy Program and Veterans Program, Fortinet connects veterans and veteran spouses to its ecosystem of partners and customers. Many of them have secured employment in cybersecurity as a result. Now, Fortinet will work to extend its ecosystem of hiring partners and customers to learners on the SkillsBuild platform as well. -- Offer further recognition of skills: Through IBMs SkillsBuild, learners can earn badges that offer tangible evidence to employers of their expertise, including a cybersecurity badge for the courses leveraging Fortinets curriculum. These badges prepare learners toward a path to receive technology-focused certifications, such as Fortinets eight-level Certification Program. Technology-focused certifications are highly valued by employees as seen with a recent Fortinet survey that found that 82% of organizations prefer to hire candidates with certifications.

Fortinets Corporate Social Responsibility InitiativesOne focus area of FortinetsCorporate Social Responsibility(CSR) initiatives is addressing the cybersecurity skills gap by collaborating with other businesses, academic institutions through the Security Academy Program, and governments around the world. Fortinet partners with global leaders from various sectors to help shape the future of cybersecurity and to build new opportunities in the digital economy. In addition to its strategic partnership with IBM to further develop the cybersecurity talent pool, Fortinet is afounding memberof the World Economic Forums (WEF) Centre for Cybersecurity and theCyber Threat Alliance. Fortinet also has a partnership with theNATO Communications and Information Agency, and is a member of an expert working group withinINTERPOL.

Additionally, Fortinet offers training and certifications through the NSE Training Institute to further develop skills and reskill or upskill IT professionals to fill the talent shortage. Fortinet recently made all of its NSE Training Institutes self-paced security training coursesavailable for freeto help address the rapidly evolving needs of organizations securing highly distributed and remote workforces. These courses provide individuals the opportunity to gain new knowledge or upskill.

Supporting QuotesSome of the toughest challenges businesses are facing today need skills that dont require a traditional degree, such as cybersecurity experts, which is why there is a critical need to make sure everyonefrom job seekers to professional transitioning to new careers--are gaining meaningful skills that align to industry needs.Thats why, regardless of background, education or life experience, SkillsBuild will equip learners with the professional skills and mentorship they need to be more employable and navigate jobs in the new digital economy.- Lisa Neddam, SkillsBuild Program Leader, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility

Additional Resources

-- Learn more about Fortinets Network Security Expert (NSE) Training Institute, including its free cybersecurity training initiative, the NSE Certification Program, Security Academy Program and Veterans Program. -- Learn more about Fortinets Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. -- Find out how theFortinet Security Fabricplatform delivers broad, integrated, and automated protection across an organizations entire digital infrastructure. -- Learn more about FortiGuard Labs threat intelligence and research and the FortiGuard Security Subscriptions and Services portfolio. -- Read more about how Fortinet customers are securing their organizations. -- Engage in the Fortinet User Community (Fuse). Share ideas and feedback, learn more about our products and technology, and connect with peers. -- Follow Fortinet onTwitter,LinkedIn,Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

About FortinetFortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) secures the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations around the world. Fortinet empowers our customers with complete visibility and control across the expanding attack surface and the power to take on ever-increasing performance requirements today and into the future. Only the Fortinet Security Fabric platform can address the most critical security challenges and protect data across the entire digital infrastructure, whether in networked, application, multi-cloud or edge environments. Fortinet ranks #1 in the most security appliances shipped worldwide and more than 465,000 customers trust Fortinet to protect their businesses. Both a technology company and a learning organization, the Fortinet Network Security Expert (NSE) Training Institute has one of the largest and broadest cybersecurity training programs in the industry. Learn more at http://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, or FortiGuard Labs.

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Media Contact: Investor Contact: Analyst Contact: Stephanie Lira Peter Salkowski Ron DavisFortinet, Inc. Fortinet, Inc. Fortinet, Inc.408-235-7700 408-331-4595 415-806-9892pr@fortinet.com psalkowski@fortinet.com rdavis@fortinet.com