Fortinet: Building a Behavior-Based Security Program 2026

From static awareness to measurable behavior change across the workforce.

Traditional security awareness training checks a compliance box, but it rarely changes how employees actually behave when facing phishing, credential misuse, or social engineering. Fortinet outlines a shift toward a behavior-based security program that measures actions, reinforces safe habits, and treats the human layer as a core control surface alongside network, endpoint, and cloud defenses.

What was announced

Fortinet published guidance on building a behavior-based security program that moves organizations beyond annual training modules and simulated phishing tests. The approach focuses on continuous measurement of user actions, contextual micro-learning, and integration between security awareness tooling and the wider security stack. The goal is to translate awareness into repeatable, verifiable behaviors that reduce the likelihood of a successful attack originating from human error.

Why this matters

For CIOs, CISOs, IT directors, and procurement leaders, the human factor remains the leading vector in breach reports year after year. A behavior-based program helps quantify human risk, target interventions where they are most needed, and demonstrate measurable outcomes to boards and auditors. It also aligns security culture with broader operational risk management, making training investments defensible in budget cycles.

Technical details

• Continuous measurement: tracking risky behaviors such as credential reuse, phishing click rates, and policy exceptions over time.
• Contextual micro-learning: short, role-specific interventions delivered at the moment of risky action rather than annually.
• Integration with the security stack: feeding behavioral signals into SIEM, SOC workflows, and identity platforms.
• Metrics and KPIs: shifting from completion rates to behavior change indicators and residual human risk scores.
• Culture reinforcement: leadership engagement, positive recognition, and clear escalation paths for reporting incidents.

Awareness is the starting point; measurable behavior change is the outcome that reduces breach risk

Softprom and Fortinet

Softprom is the official distributor of Fortinet. Our team helps enterprises design, deploy, and operationalize behavior-based security programs supported by Fortinet technologies and training platforms.

This content was prepared as part of the Softprom DistriFlow project — an automated system for monitoring and adapting vendor news. Original source: original article.