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Fortinet Accelerate News: Partner Program Enhancements, Expanded Certification Program and More

Credit: Fortinet

Fortinet kicked off its Accelerate 2023 cybersecurity conference in Orlando, Florida on April 3, making several announcements relative to product and partner program enhancements.

Fortinet Enhances Engage Partner Program

The Fortinet Engage Partner Program features two new service designations: Engage Preferred Services Partner (EPSP) and Expert Technical Support Partner (ETSP). EPSPs offer professional services in alignment with the Fortinet Security Fabric pillars of operational technology (OT), zero trust access (ZTA), cloud, security and operations (SecOps) and secure access service edge (SASE), Fortinet said.

Meanwhile, the ETSP designation provides training and resources that partners can use to upskill their support engineers. It also offers access to Fortinet's support and services teams.

In addition, Engage partners will soon be able to use Fortinet's Intangi configuration platform to share product and pricing information with prospects and customers, the company noted. This tool is expected to be generally available later in 2023.

Fortinet Expands Network Security Expert (NSE) Certification Program

The NSE certification program features the following new designations:

  • Fortinet Certified Expert (FCX). This certification identifies the highest proficiency in knowledge of network security design, configuration and troubleshooting for networks.
  • Fortinet Certified Engineer (FCE). These certifications enable people to specialize in cybersecurity solutions and gain skills across ZTA, network security, public cloud security, SecOps and OT security.
  • Fortinet Certified Professional (FCP). This certification verifies a person is knowledgeable about network security, public cloud security and security operations.
  • Fortinet Certified Associate (FCA). This certification emphasizes cybersecurity technology, network security and the technical aspects of next-generation firewalls.
  • Fortinet Certified Fundamentals (FCF). This certification focuses on the foundational knowledge and skills required to utilize cybersecurity products and solutions.

The new designations can help security professionals "sharpen their skill sets to stay ahead of new threat methods and learn about the latest security technology," Fortinet stated.

Unified Management and Analytics Innovations Launched

‪FortiManager, Fortinet's management solution for FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall deployments, now integrates with the company's FortiSASE solution. This makes Fortinet "the only vendor delivering consistent security, management and analytics across the entire hybrid network," the company noted.

Real-Time Response and Automation Capabilities Added

The Fortinet Security Fabric offers real-time response and automation capabilities that organizations can use to protect against threats and coordinate incident response across their networks, endpoints and clouds. These capabilities help organizations quickly detect and address threats and build "self-defending" ecosystems, Fortinet indicated.

Fortinet Accelerate runs until April 6. MSSP Alert will continue to provide news and updates from the event.

Dan Kobialka

Dan Kobialka is senior contributing editor, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E. He covers IT security, IT service provider business strategies and partner programs. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University. In his free time, Dan enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football.