Cybersecurity Certifications
The academic and technical curriculum developed and authorized by Palo Alto Networks Academy and delivered by Palo Alto Networks Academy Partner, Bismarck State College, helps provide the knowledge and expertise that prepare you to protect our digital way of life. Our trusted certifications validate your knowledge of the Palo Alto Networks Security Operating Platform and your ability to help prevent successful cyberattacks and safely enable applications.
Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Apprentice
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This certification validates foundational knowledge and understanding in the areas of cybersecurity concepts, network fundamentals, endpoint security, security operations, network security, and cloud security.
This certification is designed for individuals who want to validate foundational knowledge and understanding of cybersecurity concepts. This is applicable to an emergent workforce that includes high school, college, and university students, individuals who want to transition into a cybersecurity career, and technical and non-technical IT professionals.
This certification has no prerequisites.
Training includes:
- Cybersecurity Fundamentals: Apprentice
- This course offers a comprehensive understanding of the modern cybersecurity landscape and today’s cyberthreats. You’ll learn about current attack methods, defense strategies, public Wi-Fi risks, and protection measures. You will also learn about modern security models, focusing on perimeter-based and Zero Trust models. The course concludes with an overview of Palo Alto Networks' prevention architecture and the key capabilities required for preventing successful cyberattacks.
- Network Security Fundamentals: Apprentice
- These courses cover network security fundamentals, including connected devices, routing, area networks, and protocols. They also introduce IP addressing, subnetting, TCP/IP and OSI models, packet lifecycle, and encapsulation. The courses teach endpoint security prevention for threats like malware, viruses, ransomware, and phishing attacks. They delve into network security fundamentals for home networks and critical infrastructure, and present Palo Alto Networks network-security solutions.
- Cloud Security Fundamentals
- These courses cover the core technologies used in cloud computing, such as virtual machines and containers, development operations teams, and the CI/CD pipeline. They provide an overview of cloud computing models, shared responsibility, best practices, and hybrid cloud computing. The courses discuss the models and processes organizations use for cloud technologies, common software development models, and the supporting teams. They explain how cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP) offer comprehensive protection with integrated security and compliance capabilities for cloud-native applications in development and production. Lastly, the courses provide insights into how the Prisma Cloud platform prevents and detects security risks using a cloud-native application protection platform.
- Security Operations Fundamentals
- These courses cover the daily life of a SecOps analyst, the six elements of security operations, and how SOAR technology simplifies cybersecurity response and prevention. They introduce endpoint protection with the Cortex XDR agent, which combines behavioral protection and AI-based analysis to stop advanced attacks. The courses provide a high-level overview of Cortex XSOAR Threat Intelligence Management (TIM), a security solution for automating and streamlining threat intelligence processes, including native threat intelligence, data sources, incident enrichment, and threat intel reports. Finally, the courses introduce the products in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex platform: Cortex XSOAR, Cortex XDR, Cortex XSOAR TIM, and Cortex XSIAM.
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA)
The PCNSA certification validates the knowledge and skills required for network security administrators responsible for deploying and operating Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). PCNSA certified individuals have demonstrated knowledge of the Palo Alto Networks NGFW feature set and in the Palo Alto Networks product portfolio core components.
PCNSA Certification Prerequisites
*This certification has no prerequisites.
Recommended training includes:
- Cybersecurity Infrastructure Configuration
- In the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Configuration course, you will gain a general understanding of how to install, configure, and manage firewalls for the defense of enterprise network architecture. You will also learn the theory and steps for setting up the security, networking, threat prevention, logging, and reporting features of Next-Generation Firewalls.
- Cybersecurity Prevention and Countermeasures
- The Cybersecurity Prevention and Countermeasures course covers advanced information about the installation, configuration, and management of firewalls for the defense of enterprise network architecture. You will learn the theory and extended configuration features necessary for setting up traffic handling, advanced content and user identification, quality of service, Global-Protect, monitoring and reporting, and high availability of Next-Generation Firewalls.
Length of Program
Each of these courses consist of 48 to 64 hours of self-paced, online study over 12 weeks. Students will have the opportunity to meet virtually with the class and instructor 2-3 times during the class where key concepts and labs will be discussed.
Exams/Certifications
As a Palo Alto Networks Academy Partner, we can extend to students a 40% discount on the certification investment. Exams are proctored by the third-party testing company Pearson® VUE. The discounted fee to take the exam is the responsibility of the student and must be remitted to the testing center at the time of the exam.
Career Investment
The Aprentice courses are priced at $600 each.
This course is approved for funding from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and Vocational Rehabilitation. WIOA funding is designed to provide training for unemployment and some underemployed individuals to gain in-demand career skills. Vocational Rehabilitation funding will provide training and employment services to individuals with disabilities so they can become and remain employed. To inquire about eligibility, utilize the following resources:
Career Opportunities
Cybersecurity certifications are valuable for anyone in the cybersecurity profession. Our certifications are starting points to help you advance your career and help increase career opportunities.
These non-credit courses are eligible for prior learning credit if you decide to pursue your education further.
For College Credit Cybersecurity Options at BSC
Visit our Palo Alto Cybersecurity webpage to learn more about AAS and BAS degree options.
Cybersecurity Certifications DONE RIGHT.