Program Guide

Document Version:
March 2020

Copyright © 2020 Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

www.paloaltonetworks.com
Program Guide

Contents
1. Program Information 3
2. Program Application 4
3. Curriculum Overview 5
4. Certification Overview 7
5. Supported Student Academy Curriculum-Based Lab Pod Set Up Options 8
6. Unsupported Student Academy Lab Pod Setup Options 9
7. Faculty Authorization & Resources 9
8. Program Promotion 10
9. More Information & Resources 10
10. Acronyms 11

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1. Program Information

1.1. Scope

The Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy Program Guide describes the policies and guidelines
that set forth the rules and requirements for participating academic institutions. The terms of this
Program Guide are subject to the terms of the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy
Agreement. Palo Alto Networks reserves the right to administer and modify the Program Guide at its
discretion.

1.2. Program Overview

A major driver behind the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy initiative is the critical need for
qualified cybersecurity professionals. ISC forecasts a worldwide cybersecurity personnel shortage of
1.8 million by 2022 1. All analysts agree: cybersecurity training must be prioritized as the
sophistication, complexity and sheer volume of successful cyberattacks increases and threatens our
digital way of life. Palo Alto Networks is dedicating significant resources to help academic institutions
address this critical shortage.

Palo Alto Networks® Cybersecurity Academy equips students with the leading-edge cybersecurity
knowledge and skills they’ll need to protect their digital way of life and prepare for the many unfilled
jobs in cybersecurity. It provides technology and curriculum for use in the classroom – at no cost – to
any degree-granting, nationally accredited educational institutions, from high school to advanced
degree universities.

1.3. Program Eligibility

To become a Cybersecurity Academy, institutions worldwide must be degree-granting, nationally

accredited educational institutions including:
● high schools
● career or vocational school, technical schools that offer accredited certificates or degrees
● defense or military school
● 2-year degree-granting colleges
● 4-year degree-granting universities or polytechnics
● Workforce development, non-profit organizations or continuing education departments at
academic institutions that agree to offer available courses based on an academic term (semester
or quarter) that is at least four (4) weeks in length and has an open, public schedule

1.4. Program Requirements

The Cybersecurity Academy program was designed to enable institutions to incorporate an entire
course(s) or module(s) from the courses into their existing curriculum offerings. The program is
designed to be flexible enabling students to explore and understand basic cybersecurity concepts, the
technology needed to secure applications and data residing on an organization's IT infrastructure
including their network and cloud environments, and our security operating platform. The minimum
requirement is for institutions to include some or all content in at least one (1) class or extracurricular
activity within the academic year to a minimum of 8 students. The program has academic and
technical courses on our Cybersecurity Academy Moodle LMS that instructors can use “right out of
the box” to teach their classes. These courses include course syllabi and assessments. All the Moodle
academic courses’ student learning outcomes map to the NIST/NICE Cybersecurity Workforce

1 www.isc2.org: Cybersecurity Workforce Shortage Continues to Grow Worldwide, to 1.8 Million in Five Years

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Framework for cybersecurity work roles. Instructors may use any of the content in any of our Moodle
courses to augment their existing courses.

1.5. Program Benefits

1.5.1. For Students

● Entry-level through advanced courses that teach about today’s cybersecurity landscape,
threat prevention and next-generation security technology for network, cloud and endpoint
and security.
● Hands-on labs
● Knowledge about the Palo Alto Network next-generation firewall to prepare for student
competitions and jobs
● Palo Alto Networks certification exam vouchers at a 40% discount

1.5.2. For Faculty

● Assistance with curriculum adoption and lab options
● Teaching academic and technical curriculum. All academic curriculum is mapped to the
NIST/NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework.
● Training on academy curriculum and next-generation security technology
● Free, fully bundled Palo Alto Networks VM-50 virtual firewall and licenses
● Faculty portal to access teaching resources, get program updates and to collaborate with
other teachers/instructors.
● Discounts on select PA-Series next-generation firewalls for the classroom
● Fundamental to advanced online cybersecurity courses, delivered via our Academy Moodle
LMS, to incorporate into your degree, diploma or certificate programs
● Palo Alto Networks certification exam vouchers at a 40% discount

2. Program Application

2.1. Program Enrollment / Application Steps / Getting Started

1. Review the Cybersecurity Academy Program Guide for all program benefits, restrictions, and
resources.
1.1. Institutions that meet the membership eligibility requirements and agree to offer a
course or sections of a course at least once every 18 months to a minimum of 8
students can apply to become an academy.
1.2. Any course containing Palo Alto Networks Course Materials must be delivered in four
(4) weeks or more, except for Cybersecurity Foundations, and promoted on a public
class schedule.
2. Have an authorized representative from the institution, read and agree to the Terms and
Conditions of the PANW Cybersecurity Academy Agreement and then this authorized
representative must complete the PANW Cybersecurity Academy Application & Agreement .
2.1. The institution is not a member of the PANW Cybersecurity Academy until PANW sends
the person completing this application an email notice of acceptance into the
Cybersecurity Academy.
3. The Cybersecurity Academy team will verify the institution’s eligibility.
3.1. If the requirements are met, the authorized representative that completed the PANW
Cybersecurity Academy Agreement & Application will receive a ‘Welcome / Next Steps
for Getting Started’ email notice of acceptance into the Cybersecurity Academy.
3.2. If the institution is not eligible to participate, the Cybersecurity Academy
representative will send an email notification to the applicant that they don’t meet the
requirements to participate.

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4. Institution will identify at least two contacts to be their Academy liaisons. This liaison will be
granted access to the private Fuel Cybersecurity Academy Community to gain access to all
the Academy resources including how to request Moodle course shells, virtual firewall
licenses, and enroll in faculty trainings. In addition, the faculty that will teach the courses are
required to go through the Faculty Training for the PANW courses they want to teach to
students (see Section 7 for options).
5. Once faculty are trained, they can request the Moodle course shells for their approved
courses to begin teaching the courses to students.
6. Each academic term (twice per year), institutions are required to report the number of
students who received PANW curriculum and technology instruction using a web-based
reporting form.

3. Curriculum Overview
The Cybersecurity Academy offers a comprehensive set of technical (product training), academic
technical and academic business courses that match the cybersecurity training needs of educational
institutions. The academic technical and business courses’ learning outcomes are mapped to the
NIST/NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework and prepare students for various technical and
management cybersecurity work roles including:
● Network Operations Specialist
● Systems Security Analyst
● Cyber Defense Analyst
● Security Architect
● Risk Manager
● Executive Cyber Leadership

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3.1. Academic Track Overview

3.1.1. Entry Level - Cybersecurity Associate Courses

The Academy CyberSecurity Foundation (CSF) and CyberSecurity Gateway (CSG) entry-level Moodle
courses educate students in both cybersecurity and networking concepts and fundamentals. The
CyberSecurity Essential (CSE) educates students on cybersecurity principles and shows students how to
secure a network computing environment. The CyberSecurity Gateway and Essentials courses include
hands-on structured labs using Palo Alto Networks next generation firewalls. These courses map to the
Pearson VUE Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate (PCCSA) professional certification.

3.1.2. Intermediate Level – Cybersecurity Administrator Courses

The CyberSecurity Infrastructure Configuration (CIC) and the CyberSecurity Prevention &
Countermeasures (CPC) courses educate students about cybersecurity operations to include managing
Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW). Both courses feature hands-on structured labs
using Palo Alto Networks NGFWs. These courses map to the Pearson VUE Palo Alto Networks Certified
Network Administrator (PCNSA) professional certification.

3.1.3. Upper Level – Cybersecurity Expert Courses

The Secure Business System courses educate students on cyber law associated with managing networks
and mission critical applications. Academic track courses for Optimizing Firewall Threat Prevention (OFTP)
and Panorama Managing Firewalls at Scale are in development. An OFTP Moodle course is available as a
Technical Track course. The academic technical graduate courses will map to the Palo Alto Networks
Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) professional certification.

3.1.4. Secure Business Systems Courses

The Secure Business Systems (Administration, Operations, & Executive) courses educate students on the
cybersecurity landscape breach costs, asset identification and risk management.

3.2. Academic Track Course List

The Academic Track courses align to the U.S. National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)
framework and cybersecurity work roles.
● CyberSecurity Foundation Course (CSF)
▪ 1 Credit
▪ 15 Contact Hours
● CyberSecurity Gateway (CSG) Course
▪ 3 Credits
▪ 45 Contact Hours
● CyberSecurity Essentials (CSE) Course
▪ 3 Credits
▪ 45 Contact Hours
● CyberSecurity Infrastructure Configuration (CIC) Course
▪ 3 Credits
▪ 45 Contact Hours
● CyberSecurity Prevention & Countermeasures (CPC) Course
▪ 3 Credits Technical Cybersecurity Concepts
▪ 45 Contact Hours
● Secure Business Systems: Administration Course
▪ 3 Credits
▪ 45 Contact Hours
● Secure Business Systems: Operations Course
▪ 3 Credits
▪ 45 Contact Hours
● Secure Business Systems: Management Course

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▪ 3 Credits
▪ 45 Contact Hour

3.3. Technical Track Courses

The Technical Track courses align to Palo Alto Networks job roles and the courses must be taught over an
academic term (4-week minimum). They are intended to allow non-traditional students to obtain
certification-based training.

● Firewall Essentials – Configuration and Management (FE 210)

▪ 4 Credits
▪ 60 Contact Hours
● Optimizing Firewall Threat Prevention (OFTP 214)
▪ 3 Credits
▪ 45 Contact Hours
● Managing Firewalls at Scale (MFS 220)
▪ 2 Credits
▪ 30 Contact Hours

4. Certification Overview

The Palo Alto Networks professional certifications help validate technical competencies and knowledge of
the Palo Alto Networks Security Operating Platform.
All the certification exams are proctored by the third-party testing company Pearson® VUE. Exams are for
anyone prepared to demonstrate a deep understanding of Palo Alto Networks technologies.

4.1. Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate Certification (PCCSA)

A Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate (PCCSA) possesses knowledge of cutting-edge
technology available today to manage the cyber threats of tomorrow.
The PCCSA certification validates your up-to-date knowledge on cyber-threats and cyber-security.

4.2. Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA)

A Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA) can operate Palo Alto Networks
next-generation firewalls to protect networks from cutting edge cyber threats.
The PCNSA certification validates your ability to configure the central features of Palo Alto Networks Next
Generation Firewall and capability to effectively deploy the firewalls to enable network traffic based on
who (User-ID), what (App-ID), and when (Policy), all while ensuring security (Content-ID).

4.3. Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE)

A Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) is capable of designing, deploying,
configuring, maintaining and trouble-shooting the vast majority of Palo Alto Networks Operating Platform
implementations.
The PCNSE certification validates your knowledge of the Security Operating Platform, ensuring you can
make use of its full functionality to benefit your company and showcase your expertise.

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4.4. Discounted Certification Exam Vouchers

The Cybersecurity Academy provides 40% off exam vouchers to any instructor/student taking one of
these certification exams.

5. Supported Student Academy Curriculum Based Lab Pod Set Up Options

Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy provides structured labs that correspond to all the Academy
Moodle courses except for the Cybersecurity Foundation course and for the Security Business courses.
Listed below are the available structured lab pod setups for the relevant Moodle courses.

5.1. Cybersecurity Essentials and Cybersecurity Gateway Courses

5.1.1. Lab Pod Hosted on Network Development Group’s (NDG) Online NETLAB+ Appliance and
Accessed Via the Moodle Course
The structured lab pods for these two courses are provided for free through June 2021. (Normally, $39.95
(USD) per learner for 6 months of access.) We are working to extend this indefinitely. Students access
their lab pod by clicking an LTI Web link in the corresponding Moodle course. After clicking the link
students’ Web browsers will be directed toward NDG’s online NETLAB+ appliance where they can access a
lab pod and complete the structured lab assignment.

5.1.2. Lab Pod Hosted on Institutions Own NDG NETLAB+ Appliance and VMware ESXi Datacenter
Academies can host the Essentials and Gateway Moodle courses’ lab pod on their own NDG NETLAB+
appliance connected to their own VMware ESXi datacenter. Institutions can obtain the NETLAB+ lab pod
master virtual machines and installation instructions form the Center for Systems Security and
Information Assurance (CSSIA).

5.2. Cybersecurity Infrastructure Configuration, Cybersecurity Prevention and Countermeasures

and Firewall Essentials - Configuration and Management (210) Moodle Courses

5.2.1. Purchased Access to Lab Pod Hosted on NDG’s Online NETLAB+ Appliance
Students can purchase 6 months of online access to the firewall essentials lab pod and structured labs
from NDG. The current cost is $50 (USD) per students per 6 months. Academy bookstores may purchase
bulk subscriptions from NDG and resell them to students.

5.2.2. Lab Pod Hosted on Institutions Own NDG NETLAB+ Appliance and VMware ESXi Datacenter
Academies can host the firewall essentials lab pod on their own NDG NETLAB+ appliance connected to
their own VMware ESXi datacenter. Institutions can obtain the NETLAB+ lab pod master virtual machines
and installation instructions form the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA).

5.2.3. Lab Pod Hosted on VMware Workstation

Academies can deploy the firewall essentials lab pod on lab computers or on student laptops using the
VMware Workstation application. The setup instructions and lab pod ova’s download link are available in
the corresponding Moodle courses.

5.3. Optimizing Firewall and Threat Prevention Moodle Course

5.3.1. Lab Pod Hosted on VMware Workstation

The OFTP Moodle course structured labs uses the same lab pod topology as the firewall essentials lab
pod. The OFTP VM-50 firewall appliance virtual machine is different so students and instructors will need
to download OFTP VM-50 virtual firewall appliance ova and after importing it into VMware Workstation

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use this appliance to replace the firewall essentials lab pod VM-50 virtual machine. The setup instructions
and lab pod ova’s download link are available in the OFTP Moodle course.

6. Unsupported Student Academy Lab Pod Setup Options

6.1. Hypervisor Datacenter Lab Deployment

Academies are welcomed to create their own custom lab pods and lab assignments on their institution’s
lab hypervisor(s) and lab data centers. The Cybersecurity Academy support team will provide licenses for
as many firewall appliances as your institution needs for your student lab environment. Please keep in
mind that the Cybersecurity Academy support team only supports hypervisor deployment using NDG’s
NETLAB+ Appliance

6.2. Hardware Appliance Lab Deployment

Academies can purchase selected hardware firewall appliances from ConvergeOne at a discounted price
and deploy them in their student lab. Please keep in mind the Cybersecurity Academy support team does
not provide licenses and or technical support for your purchased hardware appliances.

7. Faculty Authorization & Resources

7.1. Faculty Authorization to Teach Curriculum

Faculty are required to become authorized in order to teach the available academy curriculum.

For the Cybersecurity Moodle Palo Alto Networks certification track courses listed above, if you already
have a fundamental knowledge of networking and cybersecurity you may skip the Cybersecurity Associate
courses and start your authorization training by completing the CIC E-Learning faculty authorization
course or by attending and completing the online, synchronous CIC faculty authorization course. After
you have completed the CIC authorization course, you may teach this course and any of the Cybersecurity
Associate (CSF, CSG, and CSE) courses.

Faculty with limited knowledge of networking and cybersecurity and will either need to complete the E-
Learning Cybersecurity Associate courses (CSF, CSG, and CSE) or attend and complete an online,
synchronous Cybersecurity Associate faculty authorization course before taking the CIC faculty
authorization course.

In order to teach the CPC and FE 210 courses, faculty are required to be authorized to teach the CIC
Moodle course and required to complete the CPC E-Learning faculty authorization course. The CPC
faculty authorization course is currently only available as an E-Learning course.

In order to teach the OFTP 214 course, faculty are required to be already authorized to teach CIC/CPC and
required to complete the OFTP 214 E-Learning faculty authorization course. The OFTP 214 faculty
authorization course is currently only available as an E-Learning course.

For the Cybersecurity Moodle Palo Alto Networks Secure Business Management certificate track courses
listed above, faculty are required to complete the Secure Business Management E-Learning course for
each course they want to teach in this track. In addition, it is recommended that faculty fist complete the
Cybersecurity Foundation E-Learning course prior to taking any of the Secure Business Management E-
Learning courses. The Secure Business Management faculty authorization course are currently only
available as E-Learning courses.

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7.2. Academy Resources for Faculty: Moodle Course Creation Request and Virtual Firewall
Appliance License Request

The private Fuel Cybersecurity Academy Community provides a “one stop shop” for faculty of institutions
that participate in the Cybersecurity Academy program to get resources (such as VM-50 licenses, academy
Moodle course shells request form, program logo, etc.) , stay up-to-date with the Cybersecurity Academy
curriculum, learn about upcoming events and collaborate. You will be provided with directions of how to
enroll in the ‘Welcome / Next Steps for Getting Started’ email notice of acceptance into the Cybersecurity
Academy.

7.3. Palo Alto Networks Learning Center

The Palo Alto Learning Center is available to all academy faculty and students. The Learning Center
provides non-directed self-study training about the Palo Alto Networks Security Operating Platform. After
self-registering as a Cybersecurity Academy member on the Web portal, faculty and students can do the
following activities on the Learning Center:
● Search, browse and access digital learning
● Print certificates of completion
● Access study guides and accreditation exams

8. Program Promotion

We are proud to have you as a member of the Cybersecurity Academy program. Below are the
opportunities to immediately publicize your association with Palo Alto Networks.

8.1. Program Mark and Description

One of the many benefits provided to Cybersecurity Academy partners is the use of the program logo. For
your convenience, the below program description is provided for optional use with the logo.

The Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy provides a comprehensive set of courses that match the
training needs of educational institutions from high schools to universities. The Academy curriculum is
aligned with the U.S. National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) framework and work roles.

8.2. Cybersecurity Academy Partner

Once you are officially a Cybersecurity Academy, Palo Alto Networks will add you to the list of
participating institutions on paloaltonetworks.com. Click here to view the list which is updated quarterly.

9. More Information & Resources

9.1. Websites & Documents

● Cybersecurity Academy Website
● Cybersecurity Academy Locator
● Questions, contact us at academy@paloaltonetworks.com

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10. Acronyms

PCCSA Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate

PCNSA Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator
PCNSE Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer
TTT Train-the-Trainer
NDG Network Development Group
CSF CyberSecurity Foundation
CSG CyberSecurity Gateway
CSE CyberSecurity Essentials
CIC CyberSecurity Infrastructure Configuration
CPC CyberSecurity Prevention and Countermeasures
FE Firewall Essentials – Configuration and Management
OFTP Optimizing Firewall Threat Protection
MFS Managing Firewalls at Scale

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