Global Knowledge Checkpoint training

JDMurray

I'm been enrolled in a Global Knowledge Checkpoint training class for next week. The course name is "Check Point Security Bundle R75 (CCSA and CCSE). "

Is this the first course one-who-knows-nothing-about-Checkpoint-products would normally take? And has anyone taken this course through GK? I'm looking at GK's list of certifications and Checkpoint isn't listed.

AlexNguyen

For your first course, you should take the "Check Point Security Administration (CCSA R75)" 3-day class. The CCSE R75 3-day course teaches advanced techniques. Global Knowledge combines the two 3-day courses into a 5-day boot camp.

spiderjericho

I'm taking the course in September with the same vendor. Post back after, so I can get a good idea of what to expect or how to prepare.

JDMurray

It's a 5-day virtual course that I attend from the comfort of my own cube, so it's probably the same 5-day bootcamp.

And I'll certainly be blogging about from the perspective of someone who has never touched a Checkpoint firewall.

AlexNguyen

How can you register for the "virtual" course ? In their web site, they say that the course is delivered in classroom or on-site only.

JDMurray

I work for a very large corporation that can have any vendor doing pirouettes to train us. It wouldn't surprise me if we got vouchers to take the cert exams for free.

The class is conducted using GoToMeeting for the training and VNC is used for the online labs. I'm hoping that we get hard copies of the training materials. I'll let you know.

JDMurray

These are the two, 3-day CheckPoint CCSA/CCSE courses compressed into five days and taught by a GK instructor. It looks like there is only about two days worth of instruction in each course, and the rest is time for the set up and lab work, so five days should be plenty.

The labs are all VMs reached using a VPN and VNC. We're running SmartDashboard, SmartConsolne, SecurePlatform, and Security Management Server to start.

We are using hard copies of the Check Point Certified Security Administrator and Security Expert R75 student and lab manuals. There are some thick erratas with each lab manual because CP won't be publishing updates to the R75 manuals. The ordering of the written procedures and screen shots in the CP lab manuals are confusing and they need a complete rewrite with some usability testing.

veritas_libertas

JDMurray wrote: »

We are using hard copies of the Check Point Certified Security Administrator and Security Expert R75 student and lab manuals. There are some thick erratas with each lab manual because CP won't be publishing updates to the R75 manuals. The ordering of the written procedures and screen shots in the CP lab manuals are confusing and they need a complete rewrite with some usability testing.

Sounds like my training experience with Check Point. I can only hope that your experience will be better than mine.

spiderjericho

So what was the result? How was the class? Do you feel like you learned about Checkpoint or just learned how to pass the test?

JDMurray

The word "Certification" is in the title of the class(es), but certification itself was never mentioned. We covered so much material that I'm sure we hit all of the objectives of the CCSA and CCSE, but the material was not presented with passing cert exams in mind. Instead, it was very much design theory, operation, and troubleshooting with some history of the evolution of CP products. I did enjoy both the class and the instructor (he is also a CISSP instructor for (ISC)2). I wish that I had a copy of the slides and a recording of the instructor's lecture, but neither is part of the class' materials.

It's really impossible for me to both train at my desk and do all my work at the same time, so I ended up just listening to the lectures and taking a few notes here and there while IDPs were alarming and firewall clusters were failing-over left and right. You just can't ignore those sorts of things for the sake of training.

spiderjericho

So how comfortable do you feel with Checkpoint products? And the reason you didn't take the tests because of the nature of the class? Were vouchers included in the class?

My class isn't until the end of September, so I'll start a thread and Probably mention yours when I'm mentioning my expectations.

JDMurray

The CP exams aren't offered in the course. You have to sign up to take them separately. I personally wouldn't bother taking the exams without first acquiring 1-2 years of hands-on CP admin experience. And I didn't think to ask about exam vouchers. None were included with the books, like they are with Juniper's training materials.

i0nix

Hi guys, I am new here and this is my first post

JDMurray, I can tell you one thing about Checkpoint's exams from my experience (I am a CCSA and attempting to become a CCSE in the next 3 weeks):

If the training you undergo, are one circle, and the exam is another circle, you can bet your life that for 50% of the questions these two circles never touch each other. The courses are you give you practical knowledge of how to administer a CP firewall in the aspects of design, rulebase, VPN, clusters, upgrading etc. while the exam itself gives you questions about material you were never taught or bumped into (even if you are touching CP firewalls on a regular basis for at least 6 months before attempting the test, just like me. And let alone material you were taught in the CCSA 3-day course). If you want to get certified - My advice is download the practice exams from the CP website and read a lot of the PDFs

Good luck.

spiderjericho

I0nix, thanks for providing the feedback.After JDMurray took the course and mentioned there wasn't a test given or vouchers, I decided to ask the rep that helped me sign up for my class in September about it. And, Global Knowledge does not include a voucher or proctor the tests during the 5-day, $4,000 class. That is ridiculous, especially given your comments. I don't have access to Checkpoint equipment and was hoping the course would give me that exposure as well as the credential.

SephStorm

Thanks for the info all, ionix, is the material learned in class very useful in administering the devices in the real world?

CarlosDE

Like to go to Seminare Check Point Seminar, Schulung, Training, Lehrgang, Berlin, Hamburg, Köln. Are they certified?

SephStorm

This is a very old thread, You should start a new one.