Engage Partner Program provides greater flexibility on partner engagement with Fortinet

Jitendra Ghughal, Director Channels, India & SAARC, Fortinet

“Customers need strategic counsel and guidance more than ever now to navigate through new challenges brought about by the current reality. As organizations transform their networks, security plays a critical role and also needs to evolve to keep up with new business demands.

Recognizing this Fortinet has designed new enablement initiatives and specializations, allowing partners to take advantage of digital innovations and the changing business landscape. The recently announced Engage Partner Program provides greater flexibility on partner engagement with Fortinet, offers customized support to partners’ business models and allows partners to specialize in emerging areas through tailored training and certifications.

Expanding Partner Opportunities Through New Partner Program

Fortinet’s Engage partner program addresses the required technology and sales skills needed from new network ecosystems, such as next-gen branch offices and dynamic cloud environments comprised of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud. The new program is based on three main concepts, including:

• Specializations: Partners are able to select an area of specialization to receive additional support and benefits in their chosen areas. These include: Dynamic Cloud, Secure Access and Branch, Secure SD-WAN and Data Center. Customized training and certifications are available for each of these specializations to help partners upskill in emerging areas, further enabling partners to capitalize on growth opportunities.

• Business Model: Fortinet offers specialized support for partners that fit the following three business models: MSSP partners, Market Place partners and Traditional Integrator partners. By offering customized support for these unique business models, Fortinet is evolving its partner program to further embrace growing business areas such as the selling of managed services.

• Engagement: Partners have greater flexibility when determining the level of engagement they want to have with Fortinet. They’re able to select the type of expertise they want developed, the benefits and the revenue stream. This allows partners to select how they want to work with Fortinet to grow their business. As a result, there are four new levels of partnership outlined in the program ranging from Fortinet Advocate, Fortinet Select, Fortinet Advance and Fortinet Expert.

The new partner program is designed to provide an expanded set of benefits to partners, such as training and certification so they can leverage a wider range of Fortinet consumption models. This not only enables partners to better meet the dynamic and expanding needs of customers it also enhances their ability to “land and expand.” With the new Fortinet program a single opportunity can be easily expanded to a long-term relationship.

When partners are armed with a broad portfolio of integrated solutions, tools, and platforms available in any form factor, and solutions designed to operate natively in and between any networked environments, they have the opportunity to radically change the nature of relationship with their customer. And significantly expand business and revenue opportunities.

Building on our investment in our partners, the new program offers specializations, updated enablement initiatives and tailored support for unique business models to further partner success.”