Joe Sarno on cybersecurity threats
From General Session: Joe Sarno | Accelerate26 · · Fortinet
“Just in the last 12 to 18 months, it's tripled. And with the recent situation across the Middle East, we've seen a surge on attacks not only in the Middle East, but across the globe on our critical infrastructures. And clearly, geopolitics do not help.”
On , Joe Sarno, Executive Vice President of International Sales at Fortinet, spoke about cybersecurity threats during General Session: Joe Sarno | Accelerate26 on Fortinet.
About Joe Sarno
At the Fortinet Accelerate26 event on March 21, 2026, Joe Sarno, Executive Vice President of International Sales, delivered a general session outlining key cybersecurity trends. Sarno stated that AI-driven threats require AI protection, describing a shift from human-versus-machine to machine-versus-machine attacks. He said that the bad guys have mastered AI and that Fortinet has built over 500 patents around AI. Sarno also discussed the importance of sovereignty, particularly in Europe and APAC, and noted that the pillars of business models are changing. Sarno highlighted a tripling of attacks on critical infrastructure in the last 12 to 18 months, attributing a surge to recent geopolitical situations in the Middle East. He also cited a global shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals, stating the gap now involves 4 million people. Sarno emphasized that cybersecurity is not a gamble and urged organizations to transform, as threats are evolving and AI has become democratized.