This blog was written and published by Fortinet | June 27, 2022
With new, sophisticated cyber threats continuing to impact the security of businesses around the world, it is crucial that organizations have the support needed to defend against them. This includes the partners they rely on for security expertise. Fortinet holds annual, regionally operated XPERTS Summit events for its partners to ensure they are up to date on the latest Fortinet technology and solutions and are maintaining their cybersecurity expertise. Regional events will start kicking off in June.
The Value of the Fortinet XPERTS Summits for Partners
Fortinet regional XPERTS Summits are tailored, hands-on training events designed for highly skilled engineering partners. These summits help partners learn new skills and gain technical training that, in turn, helps them differentiate themselves in a competitive market. In these training events, partners have the opportunity to work with a variety of Fortinet technology offerings to ensure they are up to speed on the latest and greatest, including Secure SD-WAN, OT security, zero-trust access, and FortiManager.
“Fortinet has offered XPERTS Summits to our partners across regions for a number of years,” shares Rob Rashotte, VP, Fortinet Training Institute. “At these summits, our technical team delivers advanced training to our partners from our award-winning NSE Certification program. Partners spend the week working with the most elite set of trainers in the cybersecurity industry.”
Partners will also have the chance to increase their Network Security Expert (NSE) certification level through hands-on, instructor-led training. However, to attend a regional event, partners must be NSE 4 or above. With this in mind, we encourage our NSE 3 partners to up-level so they can attend one of this year’s events. In addition to the training opportunities offered at regional XPERTS Summit events, partners will also be able to connect with peers and have conversations that will help drive business growth. This year, Fortinet XPERTS Summits will be taking place at the following locations:
- Madrid, Spain: June 27–July 2
- Bangkok, Thailand: October 17–21
- Cancún, Mexico: October 23–October 28
- Nashville, Tennesse: October 31–November 4
Overall, the XPERTS Summit events are designed to enhance how our certified partners approach security by offering training and one-of-a-kind experiences, like the Fortinet Ultimate Fabric Challenge (UFC).
Show Off Your Expertise at the Fortinet Ultimate Fabric Challenge
In addition to learning about different technologies, partners attending an XPERTS Summit event can participate in the Ultimate Fabric Challenge, where Fortinet Network Security Experts have the opportunity to flex their cyber muscles through gameplay in a capture-the-flag type challenge. The purpose of this competition is to provide a space for partners who have invested time, effort, and resources to further expand their expertise around Fortinet products and solutions. The Ultimate Fabric Challenge also helps support Fortinet’s larger mission of closing the cybersecurity skills gap through the promotion of cybersecurity education and best practices.
Participants of this competitive, hands-on workshop are divided into teams, each of which is required to securely deploy Security Fabric core products into a modeled customer network. To succeed, partners must use their skills with Fortinet products to solve a series of objectives in a set amount of time. They are also tasked with completing various levels related to SD-WAN, incident response, and zero trust, among others.
This regional challenge acts as a qualifier for the culminating Global Championship, the first of which took place at this year’s Accelerate event. Winners of the 2022 regional UFC will compete at Accelerate 2023 against other global partners to win prizes based on their placement in the competition. By competing in, and winning, the Fortinet Ultimate Fabric Challenge, partners can demonstrate their expertise related to Fortinet security solutions to give their customers confidence that they can help protect their organizations against sophisticated cyber threats.
Fortinet’s Commitment to Upskilling and Propelling Partners
Now more than ever, it is crucial that partners are able to show their customers that they have what it takes to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. By leveraging Fortinet products and taking the time to hone their skills related to these products, partners can demonstrate why their customers can, and should, rely on them. Participating in a Fortinet XPERTS Summit regional event and, subsequently, the Ultimate Fabric Challenge can help partners stand out in a crowded market and give their customers confidence that they are in the right hands.
