Today many organizations are looking for ways to simplify and streamline their networks without sacrificing agility. Facing challenges like the need to support work-from-anywhere workforces or vendor and product sprawl, in many cases, they are turning to channel partners as their trusted advisors. 

Fortinet is committed to and continues to invest in our partners, whether they are integrators, managed security service providers (MSSP), or cloud partners. We’re continuing to provide the tools and support Fortinet partners need to maintain a competitive edge. As part of this commitment, we’re updating our Engage Partner Program to help ensure that all of our partners have what they need to differentiate, grow, and expand their business.

Fortinet Continues Our Commitment to Channel Partners

Launched in 2020, the Fortinet Engage Partner Program is designed to help our partners develop the expertise they need to build a profitable practice through technology and service differentiation using Fortinet solutions.

We’re continuing to evolve the Engage Partner Program with new updates to create even more growth opportunities for our global partners of all types. The enhancement includes changes to our NSE educational offerings, expansion of the Engage program, and a new configuration tool.

NSE Training Updates

Fortinet has updated our flagship Network Security Expert (NSE) Certification program with a focus on more role-based training that is aligned to in-demand careers, such as Cloud Security Specialists and Security Operations (SOC) Analysts. The NSE updates now align more strongly to the solutions in the Fortinet Security Fabric, and for partners, this targeted enablement program now better represents a partner’s progressive expertise. The new NSE Certification designations include:

• Fortinet Certified Fundamentals (FCF) focuses on the foundational knowledge and skills that are required to learn how to operate cybersecurity products and solutions and includes courses that cover today’s threat landscape and the fundamentals of cybersecurity. 
• Fortinet Certified Associate (FCA) goes deeper into cybersecurity technology with a focus on network security and the technical aspects of the next-generation firewall. 
• Fortinet Certified Professional (FCP) take a deep dive into role-based training with the ability to take course work that aligns to the following three areas: Network Security, Public Cloud Security, Security Operations.
• Fortinet Certified Engineer (FCE) goes into specialized cybersecurity solutions that map to the following key areas: Zero Trust Access, Network Security, Public Cloud Security, Security Operations, and OT Security.
• Fortinet Certified Expert (FCX) is the most elite designation (formerly NSE level 8) identifies the highest proficiency in comprehensive and expert knowledge of network security design, configuration, and troubleshooting for complex networks.

The NSE changes benefit partners by giving them more flexibility in crafting their NSE path in the way that best aligns with their business needs. The NSE updates also provide an efficient path for partners to add additional certifications such as cloud or OT. And from a marketing perspective, the new NSE digital badging gives partners an easy way to promote their skills and certifications.

Engage Program Expansion

To further enable partner-led professional services and support services, the Engage Program has been expanded with two new service designations: Engage Preferred Services Partner and Expert Technical Support Partner

• Engage Preferred Services Partner (EPSP) meets a growing customer need for professional services with a programmatic approach for successful partner-led services delivery. Partners with established professional services practices benefit from vendor support and accreditation with the aim of increasing service sales and delivery excellence. The EPSP designation is aligned to the Security Fabric pillars of operational technology (OT), Zero Trust Access (ZTA), Cloud, SecOps, and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE.) 
• Engage Technical Support Partner designation (ETSP) is available to Expert-level, compliant partners and offers the opportunity to upskill support engineers for better, more efficient customer support. This designation also offers privileged access to Fortinet Support and Services teams.

New Intangi Configuration Tool

Fortinet is further investing in partner success by providing a new configuration, design, and quoting platform that will increase partner effectiveness and sales efficiency. Coming later this year, the Intangi configuration platform is a partner-first tool that enables partners to efficiently communicate product and pricing data, increasing your sales effectiveness.

Expand Your Business Through the Engage Partner Program

With these updates, Fortinet is continuing to do everything we can to foster growth for our partners. The channel model is used across our entire partner ecosystem and all routes to market. And we continue to evaluate partner opportunities to push emerging markets like public cloud marketplaces to include partners in the transaction flow.

With multiple entry points, routes to market, specializations, and business models available, partner investment with Fortinet and the Engage program is both flexible and valuable. And as the trend toward consolidation continues, the Security Fabric offers a breadth of solutions that are tightly integrated so partners can meet that demand.

Fortinet continues to invest in our channel program to enhance our partner business. We’re always focused on better enablement, improving our tools, and ensuring our partners can deliver Fortinet solutions with expertise and confidence to help their customers address the problems they’re facing today, with real-world solutions that create the coveted “trusted advisor” relationship.

Jon Bove is VP Channel Sales at Fortinet