Fortinet is linking sponsorship of four women golfers to its broader efforts at increasing representation in the cybersecurity space, a void that is steadily improving.

The vendors said its sponsorship promotes “all individuals to reach their full potential in large part by supporting women in their professions." The sponsorship includes two Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) players Alison Lee – currently ranked No. 47 in the world – and Andrea Lee, as well as two up-and-coming athletes from Stanford University, Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck.

The sponsorship continues Fortinet’s involvement with the golfing industry as they partnered with the Kroger Queen City golf tournament held last week and are also hosting the Fortinet Championship PGA TOUR this week. It also bolsters the vendor's recent partnership with WiCyS and WOMCY in Latin America.

The effort also comes as an extension of Fortinet's Training Advancement Agenda (TAA), which advocates for recruitment methods to tackle the industry's skills gap. A recent "Cybersecurity Workforce Study" found that gap as high as 2.72 million positions. 

Sandra Wheatley, SVP of marketing at Fortinet, told SDxCentral that during her cybersecurity overview at Stanford, students “all zoned in on the skills gap.”

She explained that questions from women in particular gave her encouragement surrounding what background is actually needed to get into the field. Demystifying the stereotypes of the industry has been one component within tapping into university talent as another solution to the workforce gap.

Lisa Tetrault, senior director of global security operations at Arctic Wolf, explained to SDxCentral that “there is enough business for everyone to be wildly successful.”

“The more people we get in here, the better,” Tetrault said. “Look at the diversity stock stats that we have how successful companies are – based on their diversity, like you get 19% higher revenue or 1.7-times more likely to be innovation leaders if you have that diversity.”

Tetrault has witnessed many transitioning professionals – from chemists to baristas – flourishing within the cybersecurity space. “It's really great to see them because they're becoming advocates in the cyber world; it’s showing you that anyone belongs in this space," she said.