Metro State University Professor Faisal Kaleem was hosted by senior leadership at Fortinet in their Sunnyvale, California, headquarters for a tour of the company's capabilities as well as to discuss Metro State and Minnesota IT Services initiatives and the possibilities of collaboration. The visit and meeting were organized by Fortinet's Minnesota office, and included virtual attendance by John Israel, Minnesota IT Services CISO.
As noted by Professor Kaleem, "Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting Fortinet headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, where I explored their extensive product lineup and discussed potential collaborations between Metro State University and Fortinet on our Security Operations Center (SOC) and cyber clinic initiatives. Joining me virtually was John Israel, CISO at Minnesota IT Services who provided valuable insights on Metro State's vision to assist K-12 schools and other underserved and under-resourced entities by establishing an external, student-centered SOC."
This opportunity stands as a great example of the kind of collaborative initiatives that are fostered by Metro State's Computer Science and Cybersecurity department, combining federal, state, local government, and private sector resources and skills to bring critical cybersecurity to the community.
About Metro State University
Founded in 1971, Metro State University, a member of Minnesota State, is the Twin Cities’ public, urban, comprehensive state university providing lifelong learning and competitive academic and professional degree programs at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate programs and more than 25 graduate degrees. Metro State ranks 22nd in the nation and first in Minnesota on CollegeNet’s Social Mobility Index, which measures colleges’ and universities’ success in elevating students from low-income strata into the middle class within five years of graduation. To learn more, visit metrostate.edu.
About Fortinet
Founded more than 20 years ago in Sunnyvale, California, Fortinet continues to be a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Securing people, devices, and data everywhere is our mission. To that end, our portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products is the largest integrated offering available, delivering proven cybersecurity everywhere you need it. More than 805,000 customers trust Fortinet solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry.
About Minnesota IT Services
Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), led by Minnesota’s Chief Information Officer, is the Information Technology (IT) agency for Minnesota’s executive branch, providing the full range of IT services to over 70 agencies, boards, and commissions. MNIT also makes available a subset of services to other Minnesota government entities and education institutions.