INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Enterprise Security
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Think Tank partners with
Fortinet to fill the cybersecurity
skill gap in South Africa
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Surge in demand expected for
specialised IT security skills in
South Africa.
F
ortinet, a global leader in broad,
integrated and automated
cybersecurity solutions, has
announced its first Fortinet Network
Security Academy (FNSA) in South Africa,
with Think Tank, a private higher learning
organisation providing Information
Technology solutions, training, recruitment
and professional services.
This unique programme aims to provide
industry-recognised training and certification
in cybersecurity in order to better prepare
young people for a career. providing education, health and social
services to young people and their families
through centres of excellence in South
African townships.
With this programme, Think Tank has
already placed 73 unemployed youths in
relevant IT positions out of 75. “As a growing number of companies finds
that Fortinet uniquely meets local security
needs, we see increasing demand for
certified Fortinet specialists. We strategically
aligned with Fortinet across solutions,
consulting and training, and this has proved
to be a good decision,” said Think Tank
Managing Director, Tebogo Moleta.
In addition, Think Thank also helped
in implementing the FNSA programme
within an ICT Academy in Braam Park,
Johannesburg, thanks to its partnership
with NGO Afrika Tikkun, an organisation
Think Tank now has access to FortiManager,
FortiAnalyser and FortiSIEM as a standard
part of the FNSA offering and is gearing up to
expand the programme this year in talks with
a number of local universities on introducing
the FNSA as part of their curricula.
“Organisations in South Africa are battling
to close the significant skills gap between
cybersecurity talent required for the business
and its actual market availability,” said Doros
Hadjizenonos, Regional Sales Director at
Fortinet. “Our partnership with Think Tank is
a step towards helping close the skills gap in
the network security field.”
The FNSA was created to address the
international shortage of cybersecurity
experts and to build a workforce skilled in
all aspects of Fortinet’s end-to-end network
security fabric.
Participants are trained in a lab environment
by experienced instructors and are able to
undergo NSE four through to eight training.
The academy brings the training and
certification opportunities to help build a
workforce recognised in the industry among
an elite group of security professionals who
are skilled in all aspects of Fortinet’s network
security platform. n
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