Fortinet ties up with Universiti Teknologi Petronas to create pipeline of cybersecurity talent

By Digital News Asia April 12, 2017

FNSA will develop, train cybersecurity experts to manage new and advanced threats
Six million cybersecurity job openings are forecast globally by 2019

Fortinet ties up with Universiti Teknologi Petronas to create pipeline of cybersecurity talent

FORTINET on April 11 announced that it has forged a collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), to jointly develop cybersecurity talent.

UTP is the first Fortinet Network Security Academy (FNSA) programme partner in Southeast Asia.

The FNSA is designed to develop and train knowledgeable cybersecurity experts to manage new and advanced threats on the horizon.

The Academy will provide Fortinet’s Network Security Expert (NSE) training and certification opportunities to participants through theoretical lectures and hands-on laboratory practice. Participating students are equipped with additional knowledge for a successful career in network security.

“Security threats are increasing and impacting organizations of all sizes and industries worldwide,” said Fortinet Asia Pacific VP George Chang.

“Current estimates show up to one million cybersecurity job openings with demand expected to rise to six million globally by 2019. We are partnering with organisations in APAC and around the globe, in an innovative way, to fill the pipeline of cybersecurity experts needed to manage and thwart increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.”

Shaping the future of a cybersecurity workforce

Multiple studies demonstrate the cybersecurity labour shortage and the dire need for additional experts.

British insurance company Lloyd’s estimated that cyberattacks cost businesses as much as US$400 billion a year. The key verticals under attack include healthcare, financial services, education and technology companies with the top threats including malware, botnets and application exploits.

FNSA was created to address the international shortage of cybersecurity experts and to build a workforce skilled in all aspects of Fortinet’s Security Fabric from IoT to the cloud, who will be recognised in the industry among an elite group of security professionals.

The Academy brings the training and certification opportunities previously only offered to Fortinet customers and partners to educational institutions, non-profit organisations and veterans’ programmes.

Training for faculty is free of charge for these organisations, arming the professors with the skills needed to teach the program to students who will learn how to protect global organisations from cyber threats.

Fortinet sponsors the training content and examinations for each Academy site, along with supporting instructor preparation. Academy sites offering the training and certification courses provide the lab environment (virtual or hardware) and instructors to deliver the programme content.

UTP Vice Chancellor Abdul Rahim Hashim said UTP is excited to be Fortinet’s first education institution partner for FNSA in Southeast Asia.

“It is a unique programme that combines Fortinet’s advanced security technologies and UTP’s expertise, and I am confident it will greatly boost Malaysia and the region’s efforts to groom cybersecurity experts. I hope that UTP will be one of the top breeding grounds for future cybersecurity specialists in the region,” he said.

“This collaboration with Fortinet is another important milestone for UTP’s journey towards becoming a globally recognised and prominent higher learning institution.”

Click here to apply to become a Fortinet Network Security Academy. For more information about the Fortinet Network Security Academy, visit Fortinet's training academy or email [email protected]