UPDATED 10:58 EDT / SEPTEMBER 16 2021

SECURITY

Fortinet CEO Ken Xie highlights remote work risk as part of security-driven network focus

This week’s announcement of a joint venture between Fortinet Inc. and Linksys Inc. underscored a key point surrounding the current state of cybersecurity. At-home work is here to stay, and organizations must adopt security infrastructure to deal with this new reality.

The two companies announced details of a joint package designed to enable security for work-from-home networks. Expected to be released in the next quarter, the new solution provides secure network connectivity for corporate work utilizing a router developed specifically for business applications.

“Work from home or the hybrid way to work will pretty much become permanent,” said Ken Xie (pictured), founder, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Fortinet. “Sometimes that data you access can be pretty important and confidential. We’re partnering with Linksys and others to support this hybrid working environment and make work from home more secure.”

Xie spoke with Lisa Martin, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during the Fortinet Security Summit. They discussed the necessity of a security-driven networking approach and Fortinet’s commitment to close the widening job skills gap in cybersecurity. (* Disclosure below.)

Integrating network with security

Part of what is driving Fortinet’s strategy in its latest partnership with Linksys is a vision of security-driven networking. This concept features an approach that tightly integrates network infrastructure with security architecture, allowing for a flexible IT environment without compromising critical protection.

“Today’s network can just give you the connectivity and speed,” Xie said. “With security-driven networking, you can make a networking decision based on the security function, based on different applications, content, users, devices or locations. We see that as a huge demand right now.”

What is also currently in huge demand are skilled cybersecurity experts. As of May, there were 465,000 open cybersecurity positions in the U.S. alone, and forecasts have pegged the total number of unfilled openings in 2021 to reach 3.5 million globally.

Fortinet recently announced an extension of its free training program and pledged to train 1 million people around the world over the next five years.

“We committed to train 1 million people, because there’s a huge shortage of cybersecurity experts,” Xie said. “We’re working with over 4,500 universities globally, and we want to offer free training to all of the people interested, especially veterans and high school students.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Fortinet Security Summit. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Fortinet Security Summit. Neither Fortinet Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE

A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU