CPUG University
Expert Training From CPUG: The Check Point User Group

Get CCSA or CCSE Certified In Six Days In Beautiful San Francisco!


CCSA CCSE Certification Training

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

About The Course:

Q:  How does the course differ from the official Check Point course?

A:  Check Point offers an R70 CCSA and CCSE training course through their Authorized Training Centers (ATC’s).  Our courses are different (and better!) in two significant ways.

First, we have a much more sophisticated and useful lab configuration.  Each student gets their own enterprise network, including a Check Point firewall protecting a web server, a mail server, an ftp server, a telnet server, and everything is monitored by sophisticated network monitoring software.

Secondly, our course focuses on teaching you the material and focusing on getting you through the CCSA or CCSE exam, which we offer right in the classroom as part of the course.

Q:  What OS platform does the course use?

A:  The course is run on Windows Server and SecurePlatform because these are the most popular platforms for Check Point Firewall-1.  Students who wish to prepare themselves to administer Firewall-1/VPN-1 on Solaris, Nokia, or Linux should understand that the user interface and configuration issues are 99% identical across all platforms.  Once the product is installed, it looks and feels exactly the same on all platforms.  Studying and practicing Firewall-1 on Windows Server and SecurePlatform is a perfectly good method for becoming proficient with Firewall-1/VPN-1 on all platforms.

Q:  What version of Firewall-1 will be taught?

A:  The course is always taught using the very latest current version of Firewall-1/VPN-1, including all the current Hot Fix Accumulators.  Currently, this means VPN-1 R70.x.

Q:  What course materials are used in this course?

A.  The course makes use of seven parallel data streams for learning:

  1. Lecture
  2. PowerPoint Presentation (each student has a printed copy for note-taking)
  3. Instructor Demonstrations
  4. Course Textbook
  5. Official Check Point manuals (these are provided in both printout and electronic format)
  6. Lab Exercises in our sophisticated “Each student manages their own enterprise” lab
  7. Workstation and Lab Experimentation

Q:  What is the daily schedule for the course?

A:  Because this is a boot camp course, we start at 8:30 AM, take breaks, including an hour or so for lunch and dinner, and go until about 7:30 PM. The final exam is offered at 1:00 PM on the sixth day, and camp concludes after the exam.  It’s an intensive schedule.

About The Instructor:

Q:  Who is the instructor?

A:  Barry Stiefel (“Stee-ful”) is a Check Point Firewall-1 practitioner and instructor and is the founder of Information Engine, Inc., a Silicon Valley internet security consulting firm.  He holds a B.S., an MBA, and a Certificate in Internet and E-Commerce Security from the University of California.  He is CCSA, CCSE, CCSE+, CCSI, RCSA, RCSE, RCSE+, RCSI, CCNA, MCSE, A+, CISSP, FCSE and NSA IAM certified.  He is co-author on three books on Check Point Firewall-1.  He is the former President and Program Director of the Windows NT Engineering Association, and is the founder and President of CPUG, the Check Point Users Group (www.cpug.org).  In his lab, he has more routers and firewalls than he needs, but not as many as he wants.

About The Exams:

Q:  What exams are included in the price?

A.  Right in the classroom, we offer and proctor the CCSA (Check Point Certified Security Administrator) or CCSE (Check Point Certified Security Expert) exams.

Q:  What is the passing rate on the exams?

A. This is our ninth year of teaching Check Point certification boot camps.  We have a 98% success rate in getting students through the CCSA exam, and a 96% success rate in getting students through the CCSE exam.  This calculation includes all students who attended the lectures and labs and took an in-class make-up exam if necessary.

Q:  What version of the product do the exams test on?

A.  The current versions of the exams offered by Check Point are on version R70.x.

Skill, Experience, and Preparation Prerequisites For Students:

Q:  What are the skill and experience prerequisites for students wanting to take this course?

A:  See separate document “Students’ Required Preparations”

Q:  What are the specific preparations a student needs to complete before arriving at the course?

A:  See separate document “Students’ Required Preparations”

Setting Students’ Expectations:

Q:  What else should students know before enrolling in this course?

A:  A few things:

  • The student needs to have the base level of skills and experience necessary to participate and do well in this course.
  • The student needs to have completed the specific preparations for this course before arriving.
  • See separate document “Students’ Required Preparations”