Princeton, NJ, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ISMG, the leading intelligence and education firm dedicated exclusively to cybersecurity and information technology, today announced the acquisition of INE, the premier provider of hands-on networking and cybersecurity training and certification, trusted by Fortune 500 enterprises and practitioners in more than 190 countries.
Coming weeks after ISMG's 20th anniversary, the acquisition is the company's most ambitious commitment in two decades: to raise readiness across the full breadth of the field — networking, cybersecurity, identity, AI and OT security — and across every role that carries risk, from the engineer who builds the foundation to the executive in the boardroom.
"Twenty years ago, we built ISMG to give defenders the intelligence to see a threat before it reached them," said Sanjay Kalra, chief executive officer, ISMG. "The lesson of the AI era is that intelligence is only as strong as the infrastructure beneath it: every AI system, every transaction, every connected operation depends on networks that must be engineered and identities that must be secured, and on trained people to do that work. INE has proven that capability can be taught, measured and certified at scale, and now, as one organization, we can raise readiness across the entire stack, from the engineer who runs the network to the board that answers for the risk."
For two decades, ISMG has kept the community ahead of emerging threats and convened the leaders who must answer for it. INE turns that awareness into demonstrated skill, through hands-on labs and certification programs used across enterprises of every size.
"INE's heritage in networking and cybersecurity runs deep," said Lindsey Rinehart, chief executive officer, INE. "For years we have carried practitioners from their first commands to expert-level certification, and proven that genuine skill can be measured and validated, not just claimed. Joining ISMG enhances that standard on the global stage and extends it to the disciplines defining the next decade: identity, AI and operational technology, and to the leaders and boards who now answer for them."
Readiness Is the New Constraint
For most of the past decade, the cybersecurity conversation was about hiring more people. That framing is now too narrow. In its 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, ISC2 found that 88% of organizations suffered at least one significant cybersecurity event tied to skills shortages, a sign that readiness, not headcount, is now the binding constraint, and one that reaches well beyond the security team as AI adoption and IT/OT convergence pull new roles into the blast radius of cyber risk.
A Global Mandate for Cyber Readiness
With this acquisition, ISMG is launching the Global Cyber Readiness Initiative, a long-term commitment to raise competence across the disciplines that define digital risk: networking, cybersecurity, identity management, AI security and OT security, and across the roles that own them, from engineers to CISOs to the boards accountable for all of it. INE brings the depth: CCNA-, CCNP- and CCIE-level networking training, identity-management courses for zero-trust and access security, the eAIS credential for AI security, and hands-on OT training.
No company is better positioned to take this on. ISMG already reaches this audience through 38 media properties, more than 400 annual events, and technical gatherings including Nullcon, Hardwear.io, OTSec and ManuSec. Two decades of standing with the global security community give ISMG the credibility to raise the bar for what training and certification should mean, and the reach to make that standard global.
ISMG plans to enrich INE's course and certification content, extend its reach into new markets and customer segments, and build an active peer community around the products its clients already rely on.
"When ISMG started, the community needed trusted reporting on a threat most boardrooms had never discussed," said Mike D'Agostino, general manager, ISMG. "Today it needs something different in scale and kind: readiness for teams and leaders who cannot simply hire their way out of the problem. Reporting a problem and solving it are different jobs, and with INE, we can do both."
Community Is Part of the Curriculum
Not all learning happens in a lab. For senior leaders, the most valuable education is often peer to peer, comparing decisions with counterparts who face the same threats, regulators and board questions. Through CyberEdBoard, ISMG's invitation-only community for CISOs and CIOs, and its broader CXO advisory programs, members exchange playbooks, pressure-test strategy, and shape the agenda that training and intelligence then serve.
Why Now
Cybersecurity is now foundational to economic stability, as commerce, energy, healthcare, finance and government run on software and, increasingly, on AI. New threats drive demand for training, new regulations for certification, new technologies for continuous upskilling. By adding INE’s industry-leading training infrastructure, ISMG's expanded platform meets all three. INE also widens the ISMG global footprint, adding presence in Salt Lake City, Raleigh and La Plata, Argentina, deepening its reach across India, alongside established hubs in the U.S., U.K. and Israel.
Macquarie Capital served as financial advisor to INE, previously a portfolio company of PSG Equity.
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About ISMG
ISMG is the world’s largest media organization devoted solely to cybersecurity, information technology, artificial intelligence and operational technology. Each of our 38 media properties provides education, research and news that is specifically tailored to key vertical sectors including banking, healthcare and the public sector; geographies from North America to Southeast Asia; and topics such as data breach prevention, cyber risk assessment, OT security, AI and fraud. Our annual global summit series connects senior security professionals with industry thought leaders to find actionable solutions for pressing cybersecurity challenges.
About INE
INE is the premier provider of online technical training for the IT industry. Harnessing the world’s most powerful hands-on lab platform, cutting-edge technology, a global video distribution network, and world-class instructors, INE is the top training choice for Fortune 500 companies worldwide and for IT professionals looking to advance their careers. INE’s suite of learning paths offers an incomparable depth of expertise across networking, cybersecurity, cloud and data science.
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Madi Brester INE press@ine.com