Intel and Fortinet Launch Cybersecurity Initiatives; Call for Collaboration

FREMONT, CA: Intel Security and Fortinet; a provider of computer and network security services and solutions, are independently calling for more personnel and more collaboration to combat cybersecurity attacks.

Security companies are clueless as the amount of massive thefts and ransomware attacks carried out by cybersecurity attackers and criminals are increasing. In order to face these challenges, security companies are urgently trying to add skilled staff to their resources to counter the attacks. Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to a network until a payment is received.

To address these growing cybersecurity concerns, Fortinet has introduced a Network Security Academy to fill an estimated 200,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States. Fortinet says it will provide equipment and know-how to universities around the world to train students forjobs in the cybersecurity industry.

Fortinet's new academy is intended to address an industry wide shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals. There are an estimated 1 million job openings globally, and those are expected to grow to 6 million by 2019, according to Fortinet.

Intel Security has also independently called for a report to enable more sharing of threat intelligence among security companies that are currently prevented by corporate policy from releasing data about attacks.

Fortinet, Intel, Palo Alto Networks and Symantec founded the Cyber Threat Alliance in 2014 to promote collaboration.

"We are up against highly resourced, highly skilled groups of bad guys out to steal millions. The need for collaboration in the intelligence industry has never been more important. Ransomware is child's play now. A lot of ransomware campaigns, you can log in, register and they'll do the campaign for you. The only thing you have to do is give them a percent of your profits," says Raj Samani, Intel Security vice president and chief technology officer.

"As an industry as a whole, we need to win this war together. We're going help those students be armed with the necessary skill set, whether they are getting a job at Fortinet or at another place in the industry. We have been getting universities coming to us from all over the globe. There's a massive demand and desire for this," says Derek Manky, chief global security strategist with Fortinet.