Fortinet Refocuses Partner Program to Meet Changing Customer Lifecycle Needs

Cybersecurity vendor Fortinet is revamping its Engage Partner Program to shift from increasing sales transactions and skills certifications to better serving customers' technology needs throughout the lifecycle of their business relationships.

Calling the changes an “evolution” of the original Fortinet Engage Partner Program, the company said in a blog post that the customer lifecycle focus aims to reward channel partners as they grow their businesses by aligning with how customers buy, deploy, and manage their cybersecurity strategies.

“The biggest shift is recognizing value across the entire customer lifecycle,” Landon Scott, vice president of U.S. channel sales at Fortinet, told ChannelE2E. “Instead of focusing only on transactions, the updated program rewards partners for the expertise, services, and long-term engagement they bring to customers as they deploy and expand a cybersecurity platform.”

The changes to the partner program were inspired by feedback from Fortinet channel partners on how the program could be improved to help them grow their businesses and revenue, he said. Fortinet’s partner ecosystem includes MSPs, MSSPs, integrators, cloud partners, and resellers.

“Across our global ecosystem, partners told us they want programs that recognize the full value they deliver across the customer lifecycle, not just at the point of sale,” said Scott. “The Engage updates reflect those conversations and are designed to reward partners for the broader role they play in helping customers design, deploy, and operate modern security platforms.”

New Fortinet sales promotions are available through the partner program immediately in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific region. Other partner program updates, including compliance requirements, will be incorporated throughout the second half of 2026, he said. The remaining program changes, including a new partner service value index featuring AI-driven insights to help partners strengthen sales performance, expand technical expertise, boost deal totals, and improve profitability, will roll out in 2027.

Other improvements will include an Engage Platform designation recognizing partners that demonstrate expertise across Fortinet’s integrated platform features and tools. Training path updates will also expand with updated Network Security Expert (NSE) content across the Fortinet Security Fabric, including Secure Networking, Unified SASE, and AI-driven Security Operations capabilities.

Expanded coverage for key verticals, including managed security service providers and operational technology environments, is also planned. In addition, streamlined specialization programs will help partners build expertise, better serve customers, and gain broader access to program benefits, according to the company.

Partner portal improvements are also planned, including redesigned dashboards, streamlined deal registration processes, and broader automation to help partners increase sales and service efficiency.

“At its core, this update is about helping partners grow profitable services businesses around a platform approach to cybersecurity,” said Scott. “By aligning incentives with specialization, services, and long-term customer success, we are giving MSPs and other partners more opportunity to deepen relationships with customers while delivering stronger security outcomes.”

For Fortinet, the company has long relied on a 100% channel go-to-market strategy.

“Managed service providers are especially important as more organizations look to consume security as a service and rely on partners to help operate and manage their environments,” said Scott.