Monday Morning Impact – May 17

Fortinet Updates Training Initiative

Fortinet, a Sunnyvale, California-based cybersecurity vendor, has announced plans to increase access to technology education through its NSE Training Institute programs and its Training Advancement Agenda (TAA).

The Fortinet Network Security Expert (NSE) Training Institute – comprised of the Certification Program, the Security Academy Program, the Veterans Program, Authorized Training Centers and the Information Security Awareness and Training Service – was established to address the widening cyber skills gap plaguing the industry. To address the skills gap challenge, Fortinet’s NSE Training Institute offers a number of different programs to individuals at all stages of their cybersecurity career. The TAA leverages several NSE offerings to close the cyber skills gap through training and certifications, career opportunities and partnerships.

Fortinet recently 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.

New courses have been added to the NSE library, including NSE 5 FortiEDR 4.2, FortiAnalyzer 6.4 and FortiManager 6.4. A new technical course focused on OT security which outlines how to design, implement, and operate an OT security solution based on Fortinet products has also been added.

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.

“Fortinet is committed to solving today’s biggest cyber challenges, including addressing the talent shortage the industry faces, as both a technology company and learning organization,” said John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO at Fortinet. Through our Training Advancement Agenda (TAA) we’re working to solve the cyber skills gap by offering training, connecting professionals to employers and forging partnerships to bring untapped talent into the industry.”

Fortinet has more than 80 authorized training centers in 72 countries/territories and languages.

Channel Impact^®
Education is widely considered to be a critical factor in resolving the tech industry’s shortage of cybersecurity professionals. It is by no means the only cause, but it is indeed an important one.

HP Extends Partner Program to Global Retailers

HP has announced the extension its HP Amplify global channel program. Launched in the fall of 2020, the program provides insights and collaboration tools needed to drive digital transformation and growth as consumer buying behaviors continue to evolve. HP will begin to transition retail partners to the HP Amplify program beginning in August.

Built on a simplified and easy-to-navigate structure with two distinct retail tracks, the program is intended to turn data analytics into insights that spark new strategies, steer innovation and reward partners for performance, collaboration and capabilities while accelerating digital transformation with insights, building a data driven culture and augmenting common knowledge with collaboration tools.

“For the IT industry overall, and the retail channel specifically, it is clear that business as usual is no longer an option,” said Christoph Schell, Chief Commercial Officer at HP. “HP Amplify not only makes it easier for retail partners to do business with HP it provides a clear path, built on a proven framework, to transform their business for today while enabling long-term sustained growth in the future.”

HP Amplify offers a common platform designed to enable progressive go-to-market strategies focused on three core pillars: performance, capabilities, and collaboration.

Channel Impact^®
The retail industry has experienced an accelerated pace of change. This program is intended to drive long-term growth and digital transformation aligned to evolving consumer landscape.

Tanium Launches Certification Program for Customers and Partners

Tanium, a Kirkland, Washington-based provider of endpoint management and security solutions, has launched its new Tanium Career Certifications Program, a formal training curriculum that enables participants to develop and validate their expertise, skills and abilities to manage and secure the full lifecycle of endpoints.

“As the endpoint management system of record, Tanium works with customers and partners around the globe to provide manageability, security and insight where their digital businesses begin, at the endpoint,” said Charles Ross, Tanium’s Chief Customer Officer. “As a certified professional, individuals can bolster their knowledge base and become expert users of the Tanium Platform while simultaneously bringing value to their organizations’ day-to-day operations.”

There are currently two certification paths within the program — Tanium Certified Operator (TCO) and Tanium Certified Administrator (TCA). TCO provides essential knowledge and core foundational experience for users at all levels. All exams contain hands-on labs that simulate real-world applications to further serve as a validation of an individual’s ability.

Candidates will have the ability to take exams at authorized testing centers or online.

Channel Impact^®
Certifications are a strategic way for workers to differentiate themselves and advance their careers. These professional technical certifications were created to help users broaden their skills, as they develop mastery of the Tanium Platform and products.