Course Content

1. Introduction to Network Security and Fortinet Firewalls

– Overview of network security principles
– Introduction to Fortinet and FortiGate firewalls: Roles and importance
– Understanding FortiGate’s basic concepts and architecture

2. Initial FortiGate Setup

– FortiGate installation and initial configuration
– Configuring interfaces, IP addressing, and basic connectivity
– Lab: Basic FortiGate setup and initial connectivity tests

3. Network Segmentation and Zones on FortiGate

– Understanding network segmentation and zones in FortiGate
– Configuring internal, external, and DMZ zones on FortiGate
– Lab: Implementing network zones and testing inter-zone communication

4. Basic FortiGate Firewall Policies

– Creating and managing basic firewall policies in FortiGate
– Allowing and blocking traffic by IP address, port, and protocol
– Lab: Configuring simple allow/deny policies and verifying functionality

5. Advanced Policy Management in FortiGate

– Prioritizing and ordering policies
– Introduction to Stateful and Stateless filtering in FortiGate
– Lab: Configuring complex policies and troubleshooting conflicts

6. NAT Configuration on FortiGate

– Understanding NAT, Port Forwarding in FortiGate
– Configuring NAT rules and Virtual IPs (VIPs)
– Lab: Setting up NAT for internal network access to external resources

7. FortiGate VPN Configuration – Part 1

– Introduction to VPNs: Types and purposes
– Setting up site-to-site IPsec VPN on FortiGate
– Lab: Configuring and testing a basic IPsec VPN connection

8. FortiGate VPN Configuration – Part 2

– Configuring SSL VPN for remote access on FortiGate
– Integrating VPNs with firewall policies
– Lab: Implementing SSL VPN and testing remote connectivity

9. User Authentication and Access Control in FortiGate

– Configuring user authentication (RADIUS, LDAP) in FortiGate
– Implementing role-based access control (RBAC)
– Lab: Setting up user authentication and testing access policies

10. FortiGate Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IPS)

– Introduction to IPS/IDS on FortiGate and their configuration
– Customizing IPS signatures and alerts
– Lab: Setting up IPS/IDS and analyzing security events

11. Application Control and Web Filtering in FortiGate

– Understanding FortiGate’s application control and web filtering features
– Configuring application layer filtering and deep packet inspection (DPI)
– Lab: Implementing application filtering and testing traffic control

12. Traffic Shaping and Quality of Service (QoS) in FortiGate

– Introduction to QoS and traffic shaping in FortiGate
– Configuring bandwidth management and traffic prioritization
– Lab: Implementing QoS policies and analyzing traffic flow

13. FortiGate Logging and Monitoring

– Configuring logging and monitoring on FortiGate
– Setting up real-time alerts and monitoring tools
– Lab: Monitoring FortiGate traffic and analyzing logs

14. High Availability (HA) and Load Balancing with FortiGate

– Concepts of high availability and load balancing in FortiGate configurations
– Configuring HA and load balancing features
– Lab: Setting up and testing firewall redundancy and failover mechanisms

15: Securing FortiGate Access

– Best practices for securing FortiGate administrative access
– Configuring secure access protocols (SSH, HTTPS) on FortiGate
– Lab: Implementing and testing secure access controls

16. Advanced FortiGate Policy Configuration

– Implementing time-based policies and schedules
– Configuring custom security policies and exceptions
– Lab: Setting up advanced policies and verifying their impact on network security

17. FortiGate Backup and Restore

– Strategies for backing up and restoring FortiGate configurations
– Automating backups and ensuring disaster recovery
– Lab: Performing a backup and restoring a FortiGate configuration in a lab environment

18. FortiGate Firmware Updates and Patch Management

– Importance of regular updates and patch management for FortiGate
– Applying firmware and software updates on FortiGate
– Lab: Updating FortiGate firmware and testing for post-update stability

19. Handling Common FortiGate Challenges

– Troubleshooting common FortiGate issues (connectivity, policy conflicts, etc.)
– Diagnosing and resolving network security breaches on FortiGate
– Lab: Simulating and resolving common FortiGate problems

20. Real-World FortiGate Configuration Scenario

– Applying learned concepts to a complex real-world scenario
– Designing and implementing a FortiGate configuration for a business network
– Lab: Group project on configuring a FortiGate for a simulated company environment

21. Network Security Testing with FortiGate

– Conducting penetration testing on FortiGate configurations
– Using tools like Wireshark, Nmap, and FortiAnalyzer for testing
– Lab: Performing security assessments and analyzing results on FortiGate

22. Compliance and Best Practices with FortiGate

– Understanding FortiGate compliance with industry standards (e.g., PCI-DSS, GDPR)
– Best practices for maintaining FortiGate security
– Lab: Configuring FortiGate settings to meet compliance requirements

23. Fortinet Certification Preparation – Part 1

– Overview of Fortinet certification paths (NSE 4, NSE 5, etc.)
– Reviewing key concepts and exam objectives
– Lab: Practice scenarios aligned with certification exam topics

24. Fortinet Certification Preparation – Part 2

– Mock exam: Simulating Fortinet certification exams
– Detailed review of mock exam results and key areas for improvement
– Final course review and preparation strategies for Fortinet certification exams