1898 & Co. secures Fortinet’s Operational Technology Partner Specialization, boosts industrial cybersecurity capabilities

February 08, 2024

1898 & Co., a business, technology and security consultancy that is a part of the Burns & McDonnell family of companies, announced Wednesday that it has achieved Fortinet’s Operational Technology (OT) Partner Specialization as part of the Fortinet Engage Partner Program.

1898 & Co. is one of only seven companies in the U.S. that have received this special distinction.

In a fast-paced industry, specializations focused on market opportunities enabled by the Fortinet Engage Partner Program help partners be recognized and valued by current and potential customers as trusted advisors who have the expertise, services, and technologies they need to meet their digital acceleration needs.

“In a world plagued by relentless cyberattacks, we consider our achievement of Fortinet’s OT specialization a testament to our industrial critical infrastructure cybersecurity prowess for serving as a reliable cybersecurity adviser,” Mark Mattei, director for industrial cybersecurity at 1898 & Co., said in a media statement “This continued collaboration with Fortinet translates into a big win for our clients. The OT specialization underscores the advanced capabilities we use to help defend our clientele against cyberattacks within an increasingly complex OT digital landscape.

Mattei added that “meeting Fortinet’s rigorous standards speaks to our experience, technical knowledge, and commitment to fighting cyberthreats on behalf of our industrial critical infrastructure clients. Because, as we all know, an organization must be vigilant when it comes to cybersecurity.”

“We congratulate 1898 & Co. for achieving Fortinet’s OT specialization. They are joining an exclusive group of partners that have received this designation in the U.S.,” said Michael Hooper, director of U.S. OT channels at Fortinet. “1898 & Co. is a valued Fortinet Engage partner and we look forward to our ongoing collaboration to help customers strengthen their OT security posture.”

With the OT specialization, partners are validated with deep expertise about how the convergence of OT and Information Technology (IT) impacts the security of OT and critical infrastructure environments. These partners can deliver the level of protection these unique networks require, whether combining new and existing solutions or building a comprehensive cybersecurity mesh architecture designed to span hybrid IT and OT environments.

A Program Focused on Enabling Opportunities for Partners

Fortinet is committed to helping partners meet new and evolving customer challenges created by work-from-anywhere models, hybrid IT environments, and the evolving threat landscape through Fortinet’s Engage Partner Program and enablement tools. The program is focused on enabling growth opportunities that are unique with Fortinet’s expansive portfolio built around the Fortinet Security Fabric, designed to secure customers’ entire infrastructure from the data center to the cloud.

In addition, Fortinet is committed to helping partners grow productive, predictable, and rewarding relationships to differentiate themselves from competitors. The Fortinet Engage Partner program helps partners acquire the industry knowledge they need to increase business opportunities, deliver digital acceleration for customers with customizable programs, and accelerate partner growth.