Enroll Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/introduction-to-fortigate-firewall/

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, robust network security is paramount. Firewalls act as the first line of defense, and Fortigate firewalls are a leading solution in the market. If you’re looking to gain practical, hands-on experience with configuring and managing these powerful devices, the ‘Introduction to Fortigate Firewall’ course on Udemy is an excellent starting point.

This course, updated for 2023 with the latest FortiOS 7.2 firmware, is designed to equip you with the essential skills needed to deploy and support Fortigate firewalls effectively. Whether you’re a seasoned Network Security Engineer aiming to deepen your Fortigate expertise or a Network Administrator seeking to enhance your troubleshooting capabilities, this course offers valuable insights.

The curriculum is impressively comprehensive, covering everything from the basic functions of firewalls to advanced configurations. You’ll learn how to download Fortigate images and install them on various platforms, including VMWare Workstation, GNS3, Amazon AWS EC2, and EVE-NG. The course also delves into obtaining and applying permanent trial licenses, a crucial aspect for practical learning.

A significant portion of the course is dedicated to hands-on labs. These labs will guide you through the process of securely configuring your Fortigate infrastructure for production environments. Key configuration topics include setting up firewall policies, routing (including VLAN trunking and static routes), and connecting your Fortigate directly to the internet as an edge firewall.

Beyond basic configuration, the course explores critical security features such as building Site-to-Site IPSec VPNs for connecting remote offices, understanding and implementing Network Address Translation (NAT) scenarios, and creating authentication portals (Captive Portals). For enhanced resilience, you’ll learn how to configure Highly Available (HA) Fortigate clusters and set up SSL-VPN for remote user access.

Troubleshooting is another strong suit of this course. You’ll be introduced to quick tips and methods for resolving common Fortigate issues, including how to kill and restart processes or services. The course also covers essential administrative tasks like backing up and restoring configurations and performing software upgrades.

One of the standout features is the module on creating GUI or SSL-VPN certificates using the free Let’s Encrypt ACME service, a timely addition given its June 2023 update. Understanding how virtual switches work and how to manage interfaces is also covered, providing a well-rounded view of Fortigate’s capabilities.

**Recommendation:**

For anyone looking to gain practical, actionable skills in Fortigate firewall management, this course is highly recommended. The hands-on approach, combined with up-to-date content and coverage of diverse deployment scenarios (local and cloud), makes it an invaluable resource. It’s particularly beneficial for those preparing for Fortigate certifications or seeking to improve network security posture within their organizations.

**What You Will Learn:**

* Fortigate installation on various platforms (VMware, GNS3, AWS, EVE-NG)
* FortiOS 7.2.1+ permanent trial license application
* Firewall policy creation and flow
* Routing, VLAN trunking, and static routes
* Edge firewall configuration for direct internet connectivity
* Configuration backup and restore
* FortiOS software upgrades
* Let’s Encrypt certificate creation for GUI/SSL-VPN
* Process and service management on Fortigate
* Site-to-Site IPSec VPN configuration
* Network Address Translation (NAT) scenarios
* Fortigate Captive Portals
* Highly Available (HA) Fortigate clusters
* SSL-VPN client configuration
* Virtual switch functionality
* Common Fortigate troubleshooting techniques

Enroll Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/introduction-to-fortigate-firewall/