ISMG acquires INE to build global cyber readiness platform
ISMG, the Princeton-based cybersecurity media and intelligence group, has acquired INE, a provider of hands-on networking and cybersecurity training with customers spanning Fortune 500 enterprises and practitioners in more than 190 countries. The deal, announced on 9 September 2026, is the largest strategic move in ISMG's 20-year history and marks a significant pivot: from intelligence and editorial into skills certification and workforce development.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Macquarie Capital acted as financial adviser to INE, which was previously backed by private equity firm PSG Equity.
The deal
INE brings a substantive technical training catalogue to the combination. Its curriculum covers CCNA-, CCNP- and CCIE-level networking, identity management for zero-trust environments, an AI security credential known as eAIS, and operational technology (OT) training. That depth sits alongside ISMG's existing reach: 38 media properties, more than 400 annual events per year, and specialised security gatherings including Nullcon, Hardwear.io, OTSec and ManuSec.
ISMG chief executive Sanjay Kalra framed the acquisition around a shift in what the security industry most needs. "INE has proven that capability can be taught, measured and certified at scale, and now, as one organisation, we can raise readiness across the entire stack, from the engineer who runs the network to the board that answers for the risk," he said.
INE chief executive Lindsey Rinehart described the tie-up as extending the company's certification standards to new disciplines and seniority levels, including identity security, AI security and OT, as well as to the boardroom executives who now carry governance accountability.
ISMG is pairing the acquisition with a programme it is calling the Global Cyber Readiness Initiative, a long-term effort to raise competence across the disciplines it identifies as defining digital risk.
Market context
The acquisition reflects a broader tension in the cybersecurity labour market. According to the ISC2 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, cited in the release, 88% of organisations experienced a significant security event linked to skills shortages. That figure, if accurate, reframes the sector's perennial staffing challenge: the constraint is no longer simply headcount but demonstrable, measurable competence.
A number of vendors are competing in this space. Established players such as SANS Institute, Offensive Security and CompTIA operate large certification ecosystems, while cloud providers offer their own security training tracks. Consolidation between media and training is less common, but ISMG's model, combining editorial credibility with event reach and now certification infrastructure, echoes moves seen in adjacent professional markets where publishers have acquired continuing education businesses to monetise recurring practitioner relationships.
The deal also extends ISMG's physical footprint. INE adds offices in Salt Lake City, Raleigh and La Plata, Argentina, as well as deeper operations in India, supplementing ISMG's existing presence in the US, UK and Israel.
Regulatory read-across
The timing is not incidental. Mandatory cybersecurity training and certification requirements are becoming a compliance expectation rather than a best practice. The EU's NIS2 Directive, which came into force across member states in late 2024, places explicit accountability on senior management for cybersecurity governance and requires organisations to ensure staff competence. The US Securities and Exchange Commission's cybersecurity disclosure rules, effective since late 2023, similarly require public companies to describe their processes for assessing and managing cyber risk, including human capabilities. Both frameworks create structural demand for credentialled training at the executive as well as technical levels.
ISMG's CyberEdBoard, its invitation-only community for CISOs and CIOs, positions the combined group to serve that regulatory-driven demand at the leadership tier, while INE's lab-based programmes address the practitioner pipeline. The key near-term signal will be whether ISMG can cross-sell INE certifications into its existing event and media audience at scale, and whether it can maintain INE's technical rigour as the catalogue expands into newer disciplines such as AI security.