industry unlocked
Sandra Wheatley, SVP, Customer Marketing, Threat
Intelligence and Influencer Communications, Fortinet
It’s no secret that there is a major skills gap
in the cybersecurity industry and technology
vendors are aiming to plug it through their
education efforts. Fortinet is integrating
its Network Security Expert training and
certification curriculum with IBM’s SkillsBuild, a
digital platform for users to develop technology
and professional skills, including cybersecurity.
FORTINET PARTNERS WITH IBM
TO PROVIDE NEW CYBERSECURITY
SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAMME
FFortinet and IBM will focus on creating
new cybersecurity career pathways by
training traditionally untapped candidates
and connecting learners to employers. This
collaboration underscores Fortinet’s Corporate
Social Responsibility commitment to closing
the cybersecurity skills gap through global
collaborations and its Network Security
Expert (NSE) Training Institute’s Security
Academy Programme.
Sandra Wheatley, SVP, Customer Marketing,
Threat Intelligence and Influencer
Communications at Fortinet, said: “To further
address the cyberskills shortage, we’re
excited to partner with IBM to integrate
Fortinet’s Network Security Expert training and
certification curriculum with IBM’s SkillsBuild
digital platform. As both a technology company
and learning organisation, 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.”
Growing demand for
cybersecurity professionals
Cybersecurity is a high growth area and the
global pandemic has further boosted the
industry’s 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 organisations 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 IBM’s 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,
personalised coaching and the
experiential learning they need to enter
or re-enter the workforce. SkillsBuild
will now include cybersecurity
curriculum from Fortinet’s NSE Training
Institute for jobseekers looking for a
career in security.
Through SkillsBuild’s new curated
cybersecurity content leveraging
Fortinet’s 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.
SkillsBuild’s content, based on
Fortinet’s training curriculum, can
44 Issue 29 | www.intelligentciso.com