As you can see from the above image i obtained my certification from Fortinet. This certificate validates your knowledge about Network and Security area with a focus on Fortinet products. In the next paragraph i will talk about my background because while i was looking for comments and reviews for NSE 4 exam people often asked what is your background? to the reviewer. It is a nice question though. If you have lots of hands on experience on a product you can easily pass its certification exam. But if your knowledge are coming from theory it may be hard for some. So if you are not interested about my background you may skip the next paragraph.
My background
Before i start to talk about exam i would like to mention my background for this certificate. I started my career as a Network Engineer back in 2015 and shifted a role as Network and Security Engineer in late 2016. I did take CCNA courses before i start my first job and my company sent me to CCNP course while i was working there. Till my current job i always worked from ISP perspective. While in ISP side me and my team administered more then 100 customers firewalls. This means lots and lots of hands on practice. With this experience is in pocket, i also have a home lab , to try new things and topologies, that leverages its power on eve-ng.
Fortinet’s point of view
Fortinet NSE 4 exam tests your knowledge for two domains and these are Fortigate Security and Fortigate Infrastructure. You can take a look about those domains coverage from below links.
Fortinet recommends a total of 5 days course for this two domains. But i recommend at least a year of hands on experience about Fortinet firewalls. If you do not have a chance to work on firewalls at work you can always try the simulation tools.
My thoughts
In my opinion this is an entry level certificate for a Security Engineer. This certificate proves that you can maintain and administer day to day operation in a security team.
I always think that preparing for a certification is more valuable then the certificate’s itself.
While you are in the journey to obtain it you are learning new things which is good. I have 3.5 years experience on Fortinet products (Firewalls, FortiAnalyzer , FortiManager) and even i learned new things. Not necessary but i recommend you to take NSE 1 and NSE 2 from NSE Institute they are free to sign up and obtain the certificates. Unfortunately you can not take NSE 3 unless you are a Forti employee or Channel Partner.
Exam info
- You can sign up for the exam from Pearson Vue.
- Exam costs 400 $ for Turkey but also depends on regions
- You can mark and review the questions before you end your exam.
- After you pass the exam you can download your digital copy from NSE Institute
You can ask your questions and thougts about the exam in the comments below and i will answer them. Good luck 🙂
