Despite cybersecurity being a critical business priority, many organizations still struggle to find, develop, and retain the skilled professionals needed to protect their organizations. Fortinet is helping address that challenge through a long-standing commitment to cybersecurity training and workforce development. Today, we are marking a major milestone in that effort: Fortinet has fulfilled its pledge made in 2022 and trained more than 1 million people in cybersecurity over five years.

This achievement, reached before the end of 2026, reflects more than just a number. It signals growing demand for practical cybersecurity education, recognized credentials, and clear pathways for people at every stage of their cybersecurity journey. The challenge goes beyond filling open roles. Organizations also need to help existing employees build practical skills, adapt to evolving technologies, and stay prepared for a threat landscape shaped by AI, cloud adoption, hybrid work, and increasingly complex digital operations.

This is why cybersecurity training and education matter. They are not optional. They are essential to building a safer digital world.

Fortinet has long understood that bridging the cyber skills gap requires more than technology alone. It also requires accessible training, recognized credentials, and clear pathways for learners at every stage, from beginners to experienced cybersecurity professionals. That belief led Fortinet to establish the NSE Certification program in 2015 to deliver practical, real-world cybersecurity skills and knowledge.

Certifications Remain a Critical Pathway to Cyber Readiness

The 2026 Fortinet Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report highlights the value of industry-recognized, certification-based training. According to the report, 91% of IT decision-makers prefer candidates with technology-focused certifications, and 92% would pay for an employee to become certified. The report also found that 92% are likely to invest in AI-related cybersecurity training or certifications over the next 12 months. 

These findings underscore a critical point. Certifications are not merely résumé enhancers. They help organizations identify practical capabilities in a field where technologies, threats, and job requirements change rapidly. They also provide employees with a structured way to build skills that can be applied directly to security operations, network defense, cloud security, secure access, and other critical areas.

This matters because the skills gap continues to undermine organizational resilience. Fortinet’s 2026 report found that 73% of respondents say boards are making cybersecurity a high business priority, even as many organizations continue to face hiring challenges and skill shortages. And as cyber risk becomes more visible at the executive and board levels, the ability to develop talent internally becomes a strategic requirement.

Building Skills for Every Stage of the Cybersecurity Career Path

The Fortinet Training Institute supports a broad range of learners, from those exploring cybersecurity for the first time to experienced professionals seeking to deepen their expertise. The program provides training in foundational concepts, technical skills, and advanced-to-expert cybersecurity disciplines, helping learners and professionals build the knowledge needed to achieve real-world security outcomes.

This broad approach is essential. The cybersecurity workforce cannot grow fast enough if organizations rely solely on traditional hiring pipelines. Expanding the talent pool requires multiple pathways, including upskilling current employees, reskilling people from adjacent fields, supporting students and career changers, and helping security professionals validate and expand their expertise.

Fortinet’s certification program addresses that need by providing learners with a clear, structured process and helping employers evaluate skills with greater confidence. The Fortinet training and certification site reports that 91% of organizations prefer to hire certified candidates and that 85% of IT decision-makers say they have someone on their team with a technology-focused certification. 

For organizations, certifications create practical value. Certified employees can help strengthen security operations, improve the deployment and management of security technologies, and support more consistent execution across teams. For individuals, certifications can create new opportunities, validate capabilities, and provide a recognized path into or upward within the cybersecurity profession.

A Milestone Built on Long-Term Commitment

Reaching 1 million trained individuals signifies more than just a number. It highlights over 10 years of commitment to cybersecurity education and workforce growth. Fortinet’s achievement also showcases how increasing accessibility, practicality, and relevance of training benefits both learners and employers.

The timing is crucial. AI is transforming not only how organizations secure their environments but also expanding what attackers can accomplish. Modern security teams require experts who understand networks, cloud platforms, identity management, applications, operations, and emerging AI-related threats. They also need a proven pathway for ongoing learning as these technologies continue to evolve.

That is why Fortinet’s commitment to training, upskilling, and reskilling people in cybersecurity remains so important. While the 1 million milestone marks measurable progress, it is not the endpoint. It is momentum.

The Fortinet Training Institute will continue to build on this success by helping learners gain practical cybersecurity skills, earn recognized certifications, and prepare for the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s digital environments.

Learn more: Explore Fortinet Training Institute programs and certification pathways to see how Fortinet is helping close the cyber skills gap through accessible training, upskilling, reskilling, and workforce development.