Fortinet updates Engage Partner Programme

Fortinet has updated its Engage Partner Programme to help ensure that all of its partners have what they need to differentiate, grow, and expand their business. Launched in 2020, the Fortinet Engage Partner Programme is designed to help Fortinet partners develop the expertise they need to build a profitable practice through technology and service differentiation using Fortinet solutions.

Fortinet is continuing to evolve the Engage Partner Programme with new updates to create more growth opportunities for our global partners of all types. The enhancement include changes to the NSE educational offerings, expansion of the Engage programme, and a new configuration tool.

In more detail, the updates include:

• NSE Training updates – The updated Network Security Expert (NSE) Certification programme has more of a focus on role-based training that is aligned to in-demand careers, for example Cloud Security Specialists and Security Operations (SOC) Analysts.
• Engage programme expansion – Expanding the program will lead to two new services being introduced; Engaged Preferred Services Partner (EPSP) and Engage Technical Support Partner designation.
• Intangi Configuration Tool – To be introduced later this year, the Intangi configuration platform is a partner-first tool that enables partners to efficiently communicate product and pricing data, increasing sales effectiveness.

 

NSE Training Updates 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 specialised 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 Programme Expansion

To further enable partner-led professional services and support services, the Engage Programme 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.