Fortinet offers free self-paced advanced security training courses aimed at recent grads, midcareer professionals, or those looking to move into the field.
We’re in the middle of “Career and Technical Education Month” and the timing seems ideal for an evaluation of your career pathway. As it has often been noted in TechRepublic, because of the ever-evolving, changing, and updating of technology, it is an industry that demands professionals remain current. Cybersecurity skills, in particular, are now needed more than ever, as teams that moved to remote work last year have encountered new security challenges and even threats.
The cybersecurity company Fortinet (not to be confused with the popular online game Fortnite), is offering opportunities for recent grads, midcareer professionals, or those looking to move into IT or cybersecurity. The company has developed four tailed pathways “that map common starting points and guides individuals toward their end-goal to various different careers in cybersecurity.”
Training and certification is a good way to expand your current skill set. Those who have expertise in firewall security may want to pivot into cloud security. Companies are also looking to upskill employees and perhaps promote within. Training designed for new positions or to enhance current positions will not only help an employee advance their career but improve productivity and quality at the company they work for.
SEE: Return to work: What the new normal will look like post-pandemic (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
The pandemic not only turned workers into telecommuters, but the success of many programs made after-pandemic (when it happens), a continuing or at least partial remote reality. There was and is a need to secure all remote networks and cyber safety for employees became a top priority for organizations. Fortinet had already noted that “IT teams already challenged with finding security professionals due to the skills gap were faced with an even greater need for expertise to securely transition to a remote workforce.”
(ISC)2’s Cybersecurity Workforce Study “found that the cybersecurity skills gap has shrunk to a shortage of 3.12 million professionals instead of 4.07 million professionals required to close the gap reported in 2019. Although this is great news, the gap remains significant. Data suggests that employment in the field now needs to grow by approximately 41% in the U.S. and 89% worldwide in order to fill the present talent gap.”
Fortinet research indicates that organizations must make investments in cybersecurity to protect their business, and can do so by having their cybersecurity professional expand their skill sets.
Fortinet offers training and certifications with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)’s Cybersecurity Workforce Framework of Cybersecurity Workforce Work Roles. Available guides outline courses that can increase experience and seniority in a specific position, plan for career advancement, or make a transition into cybersecurity.
Four pathways focus on some of the most critical and in-demand positions in the industry. The four pathway are:
- AI-Driven Security Operations
- Security-Driven Networking
- Dynamic Cloud Security
- Zero-Trust Network
The Fortinet self-paced advanced security training courses are free, and the company said it plans to keep them cost-free beyond 2021. The courses were first made free in April 2020.
It also offers the free Information Security Awareness and Training service, which “leverages the NSE level one training and packages it with a library of awareness assets,” and admin tools. With this, “organizations have a low-barrier, zero-cost solution” to start enterprise-wide cybersecurity awareness training for their staff.
Since then, there have been more than 800K registrations for the courses that also include:
Access to more than 30 free security courses on topics ranging from secure SD-WAN to operational technology (OT) security to cloud security with more courses expected to be added throughout the year. Pre-recorded lab demos by cybersecurity experts are available for on-demand viewing.
Preparation for NSE Certification exams is included, as most courses are part of the official curriculum for the Fortinet NSE Certification Program. Fortinet’s Certification Program is an eight-level program that has issued more than 500k certifications.
Continuing professional credits: A partnership with (ISC)2 allows students to use free training completion–as well as any NSE training course–to gain Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for CISSP and other (ISC)2 designations. Learners earn one credit for every hour of NSE Training Institute training they do with Fortinet.
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Source: TechRepublic
