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New Fortinet Certification Program

The new certification model includes five levels of expertise, encompassing several certifications. This allows individuals to more easily choose suitable courses and exams based on their job positions and intended career paths.

Article Update: February 22, 2024

Fortinet has aligned its certification program with terminology similar to other major technology providers. We will have to get used to certifications labeled as Fundamentals, Associate, Professional, Solution Specialist, and Expert. Fortinet is also introducing electronic badges - one type for successfully passing an exam and another for obtaining a certification.

Explore the steps to obtain Fortinet certifications.

Fortinet certifications

Fortinet Certified Fundamentals (FCF)

These training courses are in a self-paced format offered on the Fortinet website. To obtain certification, you must complete one foundational course and one elective.

Fortinet Certified Fundamentals - Cybersecurity foundational courses:

  • Introduction to the Threat Landscape

Fortinet Certified Fundamentals - Cybersecurity elective courses:

  • Getting Started in Cybersecurity
  • Technical Introduction in Cybersecurity

Fortinet Certified Associate (FCA)

This course is in a self-paced format offered on the Fortinet website. To obtain certification, you must complete the FortiGate Operator training and pass an exam.

Fortinet Certified Associate – Cybersecurity foundational course:

  • Fortinet Operator

Fortinet Certified Professional (FCP)

Network Security

To obtain certification, you must pass one foundational exam and one elective exam.

Network Security foundational course:

  • NSE 4 FortiOS (= NSE4 FortiGate Security + NSE4 FortiGate Infrastructure)

Network Security elective courses:

  • NSE5 FortiManager
  • NSE5 FortiAnalyzer
  • NSE5 FortiClient EMS
  • NSE6 FortiAuthenticator
  • NSE6 FortiAnalyzer Administrator
  • NSE6 FortiSwitch
  • NSE6 FortiNAC
  • NSE6 Secure Wireless LAN

Public Cloud Security

To obtain certification, you must pass 1 foundational exam and 1 elective exam.

Public Cloud Security foundational courses:

  • NSE6 Cloud Security for AWS
  • NSE6 Cloud Security for Azure

Public Cloud Security elective courses:

  • NSE 4 FortiOS (= NSE4 FortiGate Security + NSE4 FortiGate Infrastructure)
  • NSE6 FortiWeb
  • NSE6 FortiMail

Security Operations

To obtain certification, you must pass 2 elective exams.

Security Operations elective exams:

  • NSE 4 FortiOS (= NSE4 FortiGate Security + NSE4 FortiGate Infrastructure)
  • NSE5 FortiEDR
  • NSE5 FortiAnalyzer Analyst
  • NSE5 FortiSIEM
  • NSE6 FortinetSOAR Analyzer

Fortinet Certified Solution Specialist (FCSS)

Zero Trust Access (ZTA)

To obtain certification, you must pass the exam:

  • NSE 7 Zero Trust Security

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

To obtain certification, you must pass 2 exams:

  • FCSS- FortiSASE 23 Administrator
  • NSE7 SD-WAN

Network Security

To obtain certification, you must pass 1 foundational exam and 1 elective exam.

Network Security foundational course:

  • NSE 7 Enterprise Firewall

Network Security elective exams:

  • NSE 7 LAN Edge
  • NSE 7 Network Security Support Engineer
  • NSE 7 SD-WAN

Public Cloud Security

To obtain certification, you must pass 1 foundational exam:

  • NSE 7 Public Cloud Security

Security Operations

To obtain certification, you must pass 1 foundational exam:

  • NSE 7 Advanced Analytics

OT Security

To obtain certification, you must pass 1 foundational exam:

  • NSE 7 OT Security

Fortinet Certified Expert (FCX)

To obtain this certification, you must complete a written and practical exam.

There are no prerequisites for the written FCX exam (NSE 8 - Network Security Expert 8 Written Exam) and practical FCX exam (NSE 8 - Network Security Expert 8 Practical Exam). However, before the practical FCX exam, you must pass the written FCX exam. The written exam alone is not a certification.

For exam preparation, it is recommended to complete training from NSE 4 to NSE 7 and have comprehensive experience using Fortinet products in a production environment. Courses are optional.

Fortinet Certified Expert - Cybersecurity

  • NSE 8 - Network Security Expert 8 Written Exam
  • NSE 8 - Network Security Expert 8 Practical Exam

Digital Badges

You will receive digital badges under the following circumstances:

  • Exam badge: Each time you pass any version of the exam. They do not expire and can be used to meet certification requirements for two years from the issue date.
  • Certification badge: Once you fulfill the certification requirements. The expiration date will be two years after passing the last exam.

All your awarded Fortinet NSE badges are listed in Achievements on the Fortinet Training Institute's website.

If you have already taken Fortinet exams and need assistance navigating your certification journey, feel free to contact us.

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