I took my fourth Cybersecurity certification a month ago, which is the Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate (PCCSA). I've deployed Palo Alto Networks (PAN) Firewalls and had a separate blog on its Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) features. Taking multiple Cybersecurity certs and having a background in PAN Firewalls helped me a lot in my PCCSA journey. The PCCSA FAQs can be found on this link (a PDF) and it's a 60 minute (1 hour) exam with a total of 50 questions using multiple choice and drag/drop graphics format.
Palo Alto Networks streamlined their certification path with PCCSA as an intro, PCNSA as the mid level and PCNSE as the expert or "guru" level cert. Each cert is valid for 2 years and you can either take the same exam or earn the next level cert in order to extend another 2 years. All training and certification FAQs can be found on this link.
To help me prepare, I took the EDU-010 Introduction to Cybersecurity online course (registration required) and read the Cybersecurity Survival Guide (a free PDF cert guide).
I also watched Keith Barker's Palo Alto 8.x CBT Nugget videos. I was supposed to build a virtual lab but I used the free online PAN8 Cybersecurity Essentials lab instead. It's found in the NetDev Group (NDG) website which you can play around with unlimited access.
After all the preparations, you can register and schedule for the PCCSA exam in Pearson VUE's website.
There's a separate Certmetric's website where you can track your PAN certifications. You can also view your exam history and download your PAN digital logo/badge and PDF certs.
This is how the PCCSA digital badge looks like which you can put in your email signature or share in your LinkedIn profile.
This is how the PCCSA cert looks like which is available for download in Certmetrics website the next business day after passing the exam.
Palo Alto Networks streamlined their certification path with PCCSA as an intro, PCNSA as the mid level and PCNSE as the expert or "guru" level cert. Each cert is valid for 2 years and you can either take the same exam or earn the next level cert in order to extend another 2 years. All training and certification FAQs can be found on this link.
To help me prepare, I took the EDU-010 Introduction to Cybersecurity online course (registration required) and read the Cybersecurity Survival Guide (a free PDF cert guide).
I also watched Keith Barker's Palo Alto 8.x CBT Nugget videos. I was supposed to build a virtual lab but I used the free online PAN8 Cybersecurity Essentials lab instead. It's found in the NetDev Group (NDG) website which you can play around with unlimited access.
After all the preparations, you can register and schedule for the PCCSA exam in Pearson VUE's website.
There's a separate Certmetric's website where you can track your PAN certifications. You can also view your exam history and download your PAN digital logo/badge and PDF certs.
This is how the PCCSA digital badge looks like which you can put in your email signature or share in your LinkedIn profile.
This is how the PCCSA cert looks like which is available for download in Certmetrics website the next business day after passing the exam.
