In my work leading training and enablement for a cybersecurity leader, we strive to bridge the cybersecurity skills gap through quality training and industry-leading certifications. I’ve seen firsthand how important it is for people to have access to high-quality, accessible cybersecurity education. Not only can that education unlock or advance a solid and rewarding career, but having well-trained cybersecurity professionals helps drive success for organizations. The cybersecurity skills shortage is a well-known phenomenon. The Center for Cyber Safety and Education expects the cybersecurity workforce gap to hit 1.8 million unfilled jobs by 2022. Aside from that existing industry need, the pandemic is pushing many individuals to develop new skills and explore new career paths. I have good news for anyone looking to learn about cybersecurity: Palo Alto Networks has been offering digital learning for free since the company started, and we’ve built up a structured, mature set of free, self-paced learning paths that you can access anytime and from anywhere.
I’m proud of what the company has developed over the years. We offer trainings organized into clear, end-to-end tracks, so you know you’re pursuing the information that’s right for your current or hoped-for job role. Through our library of free, on-demand courses, you can access more than 250 hours of self-paced cyber learning resources, organized into more than 30 courses. These cover a range of skill levels from fundamental knowledge to advanced technology training, spread across in-demand industry areas such as network security, cloud security and security operations center (SOC) security. These have always been and always will be free.
Our commitment to education doesn’t stop there. We offer a path to certification at associate, administrator and security engineer levels, and we’ve made every effort to make this process accessible too. We were one of the first in the industry to offer certification exams remotely (through online proctoring), in the comfort and safety of your home or office, supplementing the exams we deliver worldwide through global test centers (proctored by Pearson Vue). To bring these certifications even more in reach for those who need them, we’re offering a 50% discount for online proctoring through July 31.
It’s been gratifying over the past months to see other cybersecurity companies joining our effort to provide free cybersecurity training resources. Cybersecurity is a dynamic and complex industry, and even seasoned professionals often need to develop new skills. It’s now more important than ever to offer free training opportunities, when organizations need people to secure them as they increase remote work and address other changes.
I’m proud that, in concert with the effort to deliver secure digital transformation, Palo Alto Networks is also committed to educating the people who will help to see that transformation through. If you’re one of those people – or you’d like to become one – I invite you to improve your cybersecurity skills by accessing our digital learning portal.
This post is part of an ongoing series highlighting the cybersecurity learning resources offered by Palo Alto Networks.
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