Excite Cyber Gains Fortinet Advanced Partner Status
The Australian cybersecurity firm reached the second-highest tier of Fortinet's Engage Partner Program, alongside a $2.9 million federal regulator contract.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Cybersecurity
Excite Cyber has gained Advanced partner status in Fortinet's Engage Partner Program, the second-highest tier. The company also won a $2.9 million, 24-month federal regulator contract for digital forensics software and services.
Why it matters
The status allows Excite Cyber to combine Fortinet technology with its own advisory, implementation and managed services when pursuing customers. The status itself provides no contracted revenue, so its value depends on the engagements it helps generate.
Advanced status required over US$1.5 million in net-new Fortinet revenue plus services and certification requirements. The $2.9 million federal digital forensics contract runs 24 months through September 2028, and the source does not say what revenue the status will generate.
The players
Excite Cyber
An Australian cybersecurity company offering advisory, implementation and managed security services built around third-party technology.
Fortinet
A multinational cybersecurity company that sells firewall, network security and related products, and runs a partner programme that grades resellers by tier.
The details
Excite Cyber reached the tier by generating net-new Fortinet revenue and meeting services and certification requirements. The company's current focus is generating recurring managed service revenue, and the federal contract win coincided with one of its strongest quarters on record.
Timeline
Weeks before the Fortinet announcement, Excite Cyber won the federal regulator contract.
3 November 2026: Excite Cyber announced its Fortinet Advanced partner status.
September 2028: The federal forensics software contract ends.
The Tech Race
Vendor partner programmes such as Fortinet's Engage tiers reward resellers that meet revenue and certification thresholds, and Excite Cyber's move to Advanced status reflects that structure. Partners at this level gain engagement opportunities without direct contracted income, so their commercial value depends on the services they sell alongside vendor products.
For businesses weighing an Australian security partner, the Fortinet tier signals the firm has met vendor-set revenue and certification thresholds. The status itself does not change the price or availability of Fortinet products for customers.
The takeaway
Vendor partner tiers are a measure of commercial capability rather than a guarantee of service quality. Buyers should ask a partner how its certifications translate into the specific deployments they need.
Further reading
For more on how Australian firms are positioning themselves in security, see Cybersecurity coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ARN.
