A talent shortage is a major issue for SOC (Security Operations Center) teams worldwide, with 50% of global leaders finding security operations to be one of the hardest roles to fill, according to Fortinet’s 2022 Cybersecurity Skills Gap report. Around 42% of these leaders still need security operations analysts. The report also found that 80% of organizations globally experienced at least one breach due to a shortage of cybersecurity skills and knowledge.
A lack of resources and personnel, combined with the sheer volume of security alerts SOC teams receive per day, often results in missed detections and slower responses that increase exposure to cyber risk. SOC teams require an immediate solution to mitigate these challenges through investment in automated and integrated SOC and cybersecurity technologies and experienced professionals to better protect against threats.
Fortinet, a top provider of comprehensive cybersecurity solutions, has launched new SOC enhancement services to bolster a company’s cyber defenses and assist under-staffed teams facing a talent shortage. The Fortinet Training Institute is also expanding access to its well-respected training and certifications by adding new initiatives, as part of Fortinet’s efforts to bridge the cyber skills gap.
To address these challenges, the cybersecurity solutions company has introduced new and improved services for SOC teams. These updates aim to minimize an organization’s cyber risk and allow SOC teams to allocate their time to more pressing projects. The updates include:
- SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS):
Fortinet has expanded its SOCaaS offering, which blends FortiGuard cybersecurity experts with Fortinet advanced SOC technology by adding more artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities to additional use cases. These updates enhance the offering’s ability to aggregate security alerts in one single cloud-based dashboard for customers to view actionable intelligence and accelerate resolution and further enable security operations teams to offload monitoring and detection to Fortinet security experts. With this approach, Fortinet speeds up alert triage, rapidly escalates security incidents, and reduces false-positive alerts for customers. - Outbreak Detection Service:
A new outbreak detection service is available to customers that alerts subscribers through email as well as automatically within key product user interfaces to major breaking cybersecurity events that have the potential for widespread ramifications. These alerts include critical information about security incidents, such as an attack’s timeline of events and what specific technology has been affected. In addition, the alerts also provide organizations with custom threat hunting to run against logs and identify the potential impact of an attack, as well as recommendations to improve their security posture for better protection in the future. - Incident Response and Readiness (IR&R) Services:
Fortinet recently added cybersecurity readiness services as part of its Incident Response offering and shifted the purchasing model to prioritize prevention. By providing a suite of proactive prevention-oriented services, such as risk assessments, playbook development, and tabletop exercises as part of the Incident Response and Readiness Services retainer, organizations can strengthen their cyber preparedness, SOC effectiveness, and reduce cyber risk, while still having access to a team of FortiGuard experts to help with rapid containment and remediation in the event of a cyberattack. In response to an accelerated demand for these services around the globe, Fortinet is also expanding its headcount dedicated to IR&R and SOC automation capabilities to allow more enterprises to have access to the offering.
Expanding Cyber Skills Through the Fortinet Training Institute
While the updated SOC services offer short-term relief to teams, ongoing learning and skill development are crucial to staying ahead of evolving threats. To address the skills gap, Fortinet’s Training Institute offers top-notch training and certifications in various cybersecurity areas. These programs aim to build a diverse cyber workforce of the future, especially for women, veterans, students, and underrepresented groups, by providing training opportunities. Recent updates in the programs include:
- Increasing Access to Advanced Technical Training:
Fortinet has made the practical exam for NSE level 8 more accessible for IT and security professionals everywhere. Both the written and practical portions of the exam are now available in an online, proctored format, making the highest and most elite level of the Network Security Expert (NSE) Certification program more accessible to security professionals around the world. - Supporting the Advancement of Women Professionals in Cybersecurity:
The first women cohort of the Fortinet and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) bootcamp completed the program, which offered 100 WiCyS members access to Fortinet’s NSE level 4 training and labs for free, technical mentors, exam vouchers, and more. Fortinet has also awarded five program participants scholarships to attend the annual WiCyS Conference March 16–18, where they will have access to cyber leaders and employers. - Developing Cybersecurity Skills in Youth:
To further develop the cyber workforce of the future, Fortinet is sponsoring various cybersecurity-based competitions for students in varying academic levels, ranging from middle school to college. This includes being a platinum sponsor of MITRE Engenuity’s Embedded Capture the Flag (eCTF) 12-week competition and a category sponsor for the Carnegie Mellon Capture the Flag competition.
With these initiatives, Fortinet is working towards its goal of training 1 million people in cybersecurity by 2026. The enhanced SOC services build upon Fortinet’s extensive services portfolio, powered by FortiGuard Labs. This announcement reiterates Fortinet’s dedication to addressing the cybersecurity talent shortage by providing organizations with ML-powered automation, services, and training to better manage cyber risks.