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Frequently Asked Questions
There has never been a greater need for professionals trained in network security. Companies, governments, and organizations must guard against hackers, outsiders and even disgruntled employees who threaten their information security, integrity and daily business operations.
Fundamentals of Network Security will teach students to design and implement security solutions that will reduce the risk of revenue loss and vulnerability. As with existing courses offered by the Cisco Networking Academy, the focus of the course will combine hands-on experience, instructor-led and e-learning for students.
Section 1: Types of Academies and Their Responsibilities
Q.1.1 Which Networking Academies will teach the Network Security course, and what will their responsibilities be?
A. There is a three-tiered model for training and support. Cisco Systems, Inc. will train the Cisco Academy Training Centers (CATCs), the CATCs will train the Regional Academies and the Regional Academies will train the Local Academy instructors who will educate the students. CATCs and Regional Academies (if approved by Cisco) will have the opportunity to specialize in whatever curricula best aligns with their internal resources, and meets the needs of their own educational community.
Q.1.2 What are the Local Academy requirements to teach the Network Security course?
A. Qualifications of a Local Academy in the United States:
- Local Academy main contacts need to choose a Regional Academy that is offering Fundamentals of Network Security for their support of this curriculum. The Regional Academy will designate that Academy as offering the curriculum, thereby giving permission to that Academy to register for training, and download the curriculum.
- Instructors will need to successfully complete Network Security training at a Regional Academy
- New instructors in the Cisco Networking Academy Program will need to take an orientation course, which teaches the program's pedagogy, Best Practices and the Academy Connection
- Adhere to all requirements for Network Security as listed in the Quality Assurance Plan (QAP), including staffing, equipment, software, etc
Qualifications of Local Academy Internationally:
- Local Academy main contacts need to choose a Regional Academy that is offering Fundamentals of Network Security for their support of this curriculum. The Regional Academy will designate that Academy as offering the curriculum, thereby giving permission to that Academy to register for training, and download the curriculum. Please note: In some theatres, Local Academies may only go to their CCNA Regional for training. If their CCNA Regional is not offering training they must request an exception through their AAM.
- Instructors will need to successfully complete Fundamentals of Network Security training at a Regional Academy
- New instructors in the Cisco Networking Academy Program will need to take an orientation course, which teaches the program's pedagogy, Best Practices and the Academy Connection.
- Adhere to all requirements for Network Security as listed in the Quality Assurance Plan (QAP), including staffing, equipment, software, etc
Q.1.3 How can Local Academies add a new curriculum?
A. Local Academies who are interested in adding a new curriculum to their Academy must first establish a support relationship with a Regional Academy for the desired curriculum. To find out which Regional Academies are supporting a course, the Local Academy Main Contact should go to the Administrator Homepage:
- Click on Academy Name
- Click on View/Edit Academy Information
- Scroll down the page and look at the training and support model for the curriculum you are interested in offering.
- To offer any curriculum, one of the following checkboxes should be selected: View/Download, Register for Training, or Create Classes. If none of these are checked, this curriculum is not available in your geographic area.
- If the support model is "closed" for a curriculum that means that you must go to your "backbone" support Academy, which is the Regional Academy that supported your first curriculum offering in the Program. In most cases this will be your CCNA Support Academy. If this backbone parent is not offering the curriculum that you are interested in teaching, then you should contact your Area Account Manager to see if an exception may be made to go outside of your backbone parent for support. There is a link on your View Academy Information page to your Cisco Area Account Manager's (AAM) profile. Call the Help Desk and ask them to send a Support Model Exception Request to your AAM. The Help Desk may be reached at:
U.S. Phone: 888-327-1116
International: +1 480-558-2379
- If the support model is "open" for the curriculum, you may go to any Regional in your geographic Theater* that is offering the course(s). A search may be done for possible support Academies by using the Support Locator. You may access this locator by taking the following path: From the Administrator Homepage, click on the Academy name where you would like to add a new curriculum. Click on the link entitled Add New Curriculum to my Local Academy. You will be taken to a Support Locator. Fill in the information for the desired curriculum and press enter. The Support Locator will give you a list that matches the set criteria. Click "send email" next to the Regional Academy you are interested in contacting. The system will automatically send an email requesting more information on a support agreement for the particular curriculum you have selected in your query.
Once a support relationship has been established between a Regional and a Local Academy, the Regional Academy can then add the curriculum to the Local Academy, thereby giving permission to Instructors at that Local Academy to register for training and download the curriculum and course materials.
Q.1.5 How does a Regional Academy or Cisco Academy Training Center (CATC) sign up to offer Fundamentals of Network Security?
A. All Regionals and CATCs should contact their Area Academy Managers (AAMs) if they are interested in becoming a Training Center for Fundamentals of Network Security. In the United States, these Training Centers have been selected. Additional Regional Academies may be added in the future based on demand and geographic need.
Q.1.6 Who are the Regional Academies offering Fundamentals of Network Security and where are they located?
A. You may search the Academy Locator for a Regional near you. Also, you may access a summarized list of Regional Academies at the links listed below:
Q.1.7 How does Networking Academies offering Fundamentals of Network Security receive support?
A. The first line of curriculum support is from the Academy that your own Academy has entered into a support agreement with for Fundamentals of Network Security. A Local Academy will receive support from a Regional, a Regional Academy will receive support from a CATC and a CATC will receive support directly from Cisco training staff.
Cisco has created Online Support for curriculum, assessment and program support. In its initial offering Online Support will allow you to search a knowledge base of FAQs and also send in your queries (English only) to subject matter experts who will promptly reply within 36 hours. We will be adding other tools to this Virtual Help Desk over the next 12 months. Potential future tools for Online Support are Collaboration server, Cyber Seminars, and Community Bulletin Boards. You may access this Online Support by clicking on "Help" in the upper right-hand corner of your homepage. If Local Academies are in need of a quicker response they may still call the Help Desk at 1-888-327-1116 Domestic, or 1-480-558-2379 International. We are investigating fee schedules for this international support model.
Q.1.8 Will the Fundamentals of Network Security be offered outside the U.S.?
A. Yes. The course is created in English and will be available to all theatres.
Section 2: Curriculum
Q.2.1 What is the general course descriptions for Fundamentals of Network Security?
A. Fundamentals of Network Security will teach students to design and implement security solutions that will reduce the risk of revenue loss and vulnerability. As with existing courses offered by the Cisco Networking Academy, the focus of the course will combine hands-on experience, instructor-led and e-learning for students.
Q.2.2 How many hours of instruction does the curriculum include?
A. The curriculum contains one 70-hour block, which includes hands on skills exercises and assessments. This course should be delivered in duration up to one-year, no less than 6 weeks and no more than 12 hours per week.
Q.2.4 How is the online curriculum provided to the students?
A. The online portion of the curriculum resides on a Web server at the Local Academy. Students access the curriculum from their workstations over the classroom LAN. Students will also have access to view the curriculum during non-classroom time by logging on as a student.
Q.2.5 Where can I find a sample of the curriculum?
A. A demo chapter is available on the course catalog page.
Q.2.6 Are there any prerequisites for enrolling students or instructors?
A. It is recommended that students complete courses 1-4 of CCNA through the Cisco Networking Academy Program as a minimum or have a valid CCNA certification. Current Academy instructors should have their CCAI or at least completed all four semesters of CCNA. Instructors who are new to the Academy program should have a valid CCNA certification.
Q.2.7 What are students working towards?
A. The Fundamentals of Network Security course prepares students to take the SECUR (Securing Cisco IOS Networks) and CSPFA (Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Advanced) exams in preparation for the Cisco Firewall Specialist. These exams will also count towards the CCSP (Cisco Certified Security Professional) certification. Successful completion of the course will also prepare students for the CompTIA Security+ exam and for further network security study.
Additionally, students will acquire the following competencies:
- Select appropriate security hardware, software, and configurations based on organizational requirements to protect a network against vulnerabilities and threats.
- Develop and manage a security policy protecting against current security attacks, threats, and vulnerabilities.
- Demonstrate advanced installation, configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintenance on IOS and PIX Firewalls.
- Describe and configure basic switch security.
- Demonstrate advanced access control list configuration and troubleshooting on IOS and PIX Firewalls.
- Install and configure CSACS for AAA service on IOS and PIX Firewalls.
- Configure static and dynamic network address translation on IOS and PIX Firewalls.
- Configure site-to-site VPNs on IOS and PIX Firewalls.
- Configure remote access VPNs between Cisco VPN Clients, IOS and PIX Firewalls.
- Configure intrusion detection and monitoring on the IOS and PIX Firewalls.
- Configure failover for PIX Firewalls and advanced protocol handling.
- Install and configure PDM to manage PIX Firewalls.
- Implement various cryptography measures to ensure privacy and confidentiality.
Q.2.8 Can this course be taught to those students who do not seek certifications or a technical job post completion of the course?
A. Yes, all students, either technical or non-technical, can enjoy the benefits of taking the course.
Q.2.9 What is the status of getting the Fundamentals of Network Security curricula approved by Country/Territory/Entity education organizations?
A. Because this is the initial release of this particular curriculum, it has not yet had the opportunity to be approved by Country/Territory/Entity education organizations. Also, each Country/Territory/Entity has different requirements for curriculum approval. Cisco can provide scope and sequence documentation, learning objectives, and potential education contacts to aid any accreditation effort. Please work with your Area Academy Manager (AAM) to facilitate this process.
Q.2.11 Is this curriculum available outside the U.S.?
A. The curriculum is available in the United States and selected international sites (in English).
Q.2.12 Is this curriculum available in other languages?
A. At this time the Fundamentals of Network Security course is only available in English.
Q.2.13 What types of intellectual property controls are there on course materials?
A. The curriculum is copyrighted by Cisco Systems. Access to the curriculum should be provided only to students enrolled in Networking Academy classes and Information Systems (IS) personnel within the institution offering the program. Appropriate firewalls to protect this information from unauthorized access are required. Academies may not copy, directly or indirectly, Cisco published materials (including web pages), or any parts of the text, graphics, logos or trademarks from Cisco published materials, or engage in distribution of Cisco copyrighted material. Further, Academies are not allowed to develop courseware that is substantially similar to the one-semester online curriculum, nor are they allowed to state or imply that the curriculum is anything but Cisco property.
Section 3: Equipment
Q.3.1 What type of hardware and software will we need to purchase to offer this program?
A. In order to view and deliver the Fundamentals of Network Security course, your Academy will need to have the following equipment:
STUDENT POD:
Hardware:
- Pentium III processor, 550 MHz or faster
- 256 MB of RAM
- CD ROM
- 5GB HardDrive
- Minimum graphics resolution of 256 colors at 800 x 600 lines
- Available 32 bit PCI slot
Software for Student Pod PCs:
- Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 installed
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server, with these additional requirements: (120 day eval copy available via microsoft)
- Without Microsoft Clustering Services installed
- With Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 installed
- Window 98, 2000, XP with latest Service Pack (Several Labs using Cisco Secure ACS must be modified)
- With Personal Web server and freeware FTP server.
- Instructors will have to make adjustments as needed without assistance from the help desk or Academy support
- MacOS and Linux (requires modifications in many of the labs.)
- With a Web and FTP server
- Demo and Freeware Applications used in the labs will have to be substituted with equivalent programs.
- Instructors will have to make adjustments as needed without assistance from the help desk or academy support
SUPERSERVER:
Software for SuperServer:
- Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 installed (eval version or standard 5 or 10 user versions)
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server, with these additional requirements: (120 day eval copy available via Microsoft)
- Without Microsoft Clustering Services installed
- With Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 installed
Practice Lab Equipment:
- FNS 1.0 - Standard - the standard bundle is an economical way to purchase the minimum equipment required to deliver FNS.
- FNS 1.0 - PIX Pod - the optional PIX bundle provides a solution for academies to purchase extra PIX units to reduce the instructor/student to PIX ratio.
- FNS 1.0 - Remote Lab - this is a bundle that enables the academy to provide remote access to equipment. This is NOT associated with NETLAB.
For detailed listing and pricing, please go to the Fundamentals of Network Security Lab Configuration Pricing Guide.
Q.3.2 How much will the equipment cost?
A. The Fundamentals of Network Security Cost Calculator can help you estimate the costs for offering the course.
Q.3.2 How can I order the equipment?
A. Your Cisco Account Manager can help you when placing an order for equipment.
If your Academy is in the United States and you are having difficulty contacting your Cisco Account Manager, please email lab-bundle@external.cisco.com and we will have someone contact you.
If your Academy is outside the United States, please contact your Area Academy Manager. To find out who your Area Academy Manager is, go to your homepage and click on "View Information" under the "Teach" section.
Please include the following information in your email:
- Your Name
- Your username/userid
- Academy Name
- Academy Address
- Academy City, State/Province, Country, and Postal Code
- Academy Contact Name and Telephone Number
Q.3.3 If we already have upgraded our CCNP bundles, can some of that equipment be used in the security course?
A. There are two routers that might be repurposed but it is encouraged that you have a separate security bundle because of the time involved in reconfiguring the routers between sessions. If you are running concurrent classes for CCNA/CCNP and Security it will be very difficult to reuse equipment in the Fundamentals of Security lab exercises. If you are not running concurrent classes, a step by step description on how to reuse equipment will be available as part of the instructor guide.
Section 4: Course Delivery
Q.4.1 Is the course designed for any particular number of students?
A. It is recommended that you have no more than 5 students per PIX and 2 instructors per PIX for instructor classes. It is required that there be at least one computer to each student for viewing the curriculum portion of the class; that is a computer to student ratio of 1:1.
Q.4.2 Are the students expected to print manuals from the Web, or do they purchase manuals separately?
A. Neither students nor instructors are expected to print this curriculum from the Web. The on-line materials, including the curriculum, instructor's guides, and other support documents, are presently meeting instructor and student needs.
Q.4.3 Is there any limit on the number of classes an Academy can offer?
A. There are no limits on the number of classes an Academy can offer.
Q.4.4 Can an Academy use part of a Cisco semester in an existing course it already offers, such as a concepts course?
A. No. The curriculum may be made part of a degree program or any larger certification program, but must be delivered in its entirety. Content may be added to the program, but not deleted.
Q.4.5 Can an Academy use the Academy materials for training its administrative or IS staff?
A. This can't be the only use of the curriculum (that is, actual students of the institution must represent the majority of the students in any Academy class), however it is permissible for Academy staff to be included. Staff members familiar with the curriculum may then act as mentors to the students.
Q.4.6 How do Academies keep their grades and tests safe from students who are maintaining their networks?
A. The Networking Academy tests are stored on the Academy Assessment Server (AAS) and activated by the Academy instructor for only a specific period of time. Also, it is assumed that any secure data within the Academy is kept on a computer that has security maintained on it, such as user ID and password protection.
In order for students to complete the online exams using the Academy Assessment System, they will need to be connected to the Internet during the exam. The decision to have the classroom computers connected to the Internet during regular instruction is made by the Academy offering the curriculum. Students do not need access to the Internet to complete the Fundamentals of Network Security curriculum, only to take online exams.
Q.4.7 Does Cisco Press have any companion guides or workbooks for the Fundamentals of Network Security course?
A. Yes! There will be two publications through Cisco Press for the course: Fundamentals of Network Security Companion Guide and (2) Fundamentals of Network Security Lab Companion and Workbook. Publications dates have not been set for these titles yet.
Section 5: Instructor Training
Q.5.1 How are instructors at Cisco Academy Training Centers for Fundamentals of Network Security trained?
A. Cisco will train the Cisco Academy Training Center (CATC's) for Fundamentals of Network Security instructors. Thereafter, Cisco will coordinate the placement of CATC instructors at a designated CATC for training. CATC instructors in the United States who need to be trained on the Fundamentals of Network Security courses should contact Rick Vogt, Curriculum Training Manager, at rvogt@cisco.com. CATC instructors outside the U.S. should contact their Area Academy Manager (AAM) for more information.
Q.5.2 Where can I register for Fundamentals of Network Security Instructor training?
A: CATC Instructors should contact Rick Vogt (rvogt@cisco.com) for a Cisco approved instructor. Regional Instructors may register at any CATC Academy within their geographic theater that is offering Fundamentals of Network Security training. Local Academy Instructors may register for classes at their support Regional Academy if they are in a closed training model. If they are in an open training model, they may register for classes at any Regional Academy within their geographic theater that is offering Fundamentals of Network SecurityUNIX training.
Please Note: Before a Local Academy Instructor may register for training, a support relationship must be established and the Regional Academy must add the Fundamentals of Network Security curriculum to the Local Academy's curriculum offerings.
To find out which Regional Academies are supporting a course, the Local Academy Main Contact should go to the Administrator Homepage:
- Click on Academy Name
- Click on View/Edit Academy Information
- Scroll down the page and look at the training and support model for the curriculum you are interested in offering.
- To offer any curriculum, one of the following checkboxes should be selected: View/Download, Register for Training, or Create Classes. If none of these are checked, this curriculum is not available in your geographic area.
- If the support model is "closed" for a curriculum that means that you must go to your "backbone" support Academy, which is the Regional Academy that supported your first curriculum offering in the Program. In most cases this will be your CCNA Support Academy. If this backbone parent is not offering the curriculum that you are interested in teaching, then you should contact your Area Account Manager to see if an exception may be made to go outside of your backbone parent for support. There is a link on your View Academy Information page to your Cisco Area Account Manager's (AAM) profile. Call the Help Desk and ask them to send a Support Model Exception Request to your AAM. The Help Desk may be reached at:
U.S. Phone: 888-327-1116
International: +1 480-558-2379
- If the support model is "open" for the curriculum, you may go to any Regional in your geographic Theater* that is offering the course(s). A search may be done for possible support Academies by using the Support Locator. You may access this locator by taking the following path: From the Administrator Homepage, click on the Academy name where you would like to add a new curriculum. Click on the link entitled Add New Curriculum to my Local Academy. You will be taken to a Support Locator. Fill in the information for the desired curriculum and press enter. The Support Locator will give you a list that matches the set criteria. Click "send email" next to the Regional Academy you are interested in contacting. The system will automatically send an email requesting more information on a support agreement for the particular curriculum you have selected in your query.
Q.5.3 How many days is instructor training for the Fundamentals of Network Security?
A. Instructor training will be 10 days for the Fundamentals of Network Security. Instructors need to be aware that the Fundamentals of Network Security is a rigorous course of study. The Fundamentals of Network Security instructor must become completely proficient with the course materials and labs before teaching for the first time and must be able to set up and troubleshoot the lab equipment as needed. This requires a solid understanding of key CCNA concepts (e.g. VLANs, 802.1q trunking, routing, ACLs, cabling, addressing and network services). The course is very lab-intensive and goes well beyond the usual ping and telnet method to test configurations and services. Once the lab bundle is set up and tested to work properly, very little time is required to maintain the equipment throughout the course. Most time will be spent assisting students during lab exercises and teaching difficult security concepts. Instructors should be prepared to study and research topics (e.g. NAT, EIGRP) as needed since
they will face questions in many areas of networking security.
Q.5.4 What are the instructor requirements for teaching Fundamentals of Network Security?
A. Instructors need to have completed their CCNA certification. If they are new to the Cisco Networking Academy Program, they will also need to complete the Orientation course. Instructors should be aware that the Fundamentals of Network Security (FNS) is a rigorous course of study. The instructor must be completely proficient with the course materials and labs before teaching for the first time and must be able to set up and troubleshoot the lab equipment as needed. This requires a solid understanding of key CCNA concepts (e.g. VLANs, 802.1q, trunking, routing, ACLs, cabling, addressing and network services). The course is very lab-intensive and goes well beyond the usual ping and telnet method to test configurations and services. Once the lab bundle is set up and tested to work properly, very little time is required to maintain the equipment throughout the course. Most time will be spent assisting students during lab exercises and teaching difficult security concepts. Instructors should be prepared
to study and research topics (e.g. NAT, EIGRP) as needed since they will face questions in many areas of networking security.
Q.5.5 What different type of trainings are being offered and when?
A.
| CATC Training |
 |
| Training |
Availability |
Remote/In Person |
| Orientation |
Available at selected CATCs worldwide
Remotely and In person |
100% Remote/In person |
| Fundamentals of Network Security |
Contact Rick Vogt rvogt@cisco.com in the U.S. and your AAM for International CATC classes |
In person |
|
| Regional Academy Instructor Training |
|
| Training |
Availability |
Remote/In Person |
| New Instructor Orientation |
Available at selected CATCs worldwide |
100% Remote* |
| New Instructor Orientation |
Available at selected CATCs worldwide |
100%In Person |
| Fundamentals of Network Security |
Available at selected CATCs worldwide |
In person |
| Fundamentals of Network Security |
TBD |
Remote/In person |
|
| Local Academy Instructor Training |
|
| Training |
Availability |
Remote/In Person |
| New Instructor Orientation |
Available at CATCs and Regional Academies worldwide |
100% Remote* |
| New Instructor Orientation |
Available at CATCs and Regional Academies worldwide |
100%In Person |
| Fundamentals of Network Security |
Available at CATC and Regional Academies worldwide |
In person |
| Fundamentals of Network Security |
TBD |
Remote/In person |
|
Q.5.7 What does the instructor training cost?
A. Training will be done by the Cisco Academy Training Centers offering Fundamentals of Network Security as well as Regional Academies that have been authorized to teach the curriculum. Regional Academies have different support/training packages available based on their own cost recovery model. All travel expenses will be the responsibility of the Local Academy.
Section 6: Certification, Assessment, and Employability
Q.6.1 What Cisco certifications will Fundamentals of Network Security map against?
A. The Fundamentals of Network Security will map to the Cisco Qualified Specialist Security - Firewall certification which is comprised of two exams 642-501 SECUR and 642-521 CSPFA. A valid CCNA is required before you can take the two exams
Q.6.2 Does the Fundamentals of Network Security map to a vendor neutral certification?
A. Yes, Fundamentals of Network Securirty will map to the CompTIA Security+ certification.
Q.6.3 Are there any prerequisites to receive the Cisco Firewall Specialist certification other than the SECUR and CSPFA exams?
A. Yes. You will need to have a valid CCNA before you are eligible for the Cisco Firewall Specialist certification.
Section 7: General Program Questions The Fundamentals of Network Security will be very similar to the CCNA curriculum model in regards to general program questions. See CCNA FAQs.
We will post changes to the FAQs as information becomes available
* The Worldwide Education team of Cisco Systems, Inc. organizes its business globally into six different geographic areas known as Theaters:
Asia Pacific (AsiaPac- also includes Australia and New Zealand)
Canada
Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)
Japan
Latin America
United States of America (U.S.)
Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. |
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