Fortinet certifications

Eight levels, and the old names are gone

Until 15 July 2026 Fortinet certified on five tiers with names such as Fortinet Certified Fundamentals and Fortinet Certified Associate. Those certificates are no longer issued. The programme now runs from NSE 1 to NSE 8, with a set of industry certifications alongside, and every level lasts two years. Holders of the old credentials were mapped onto the new levels automatically; anyone starting now enters at NSE 1 in Cybersecurity, the free successor to the old fundamentals certificate.

The lower rungs are free. NSE 1 is a general security survey, NSE 2 introduces next-generation firewalls, and NSE 3 already centres on operating Fortinet's own firewall; from NSE 4 the exams are about configuring Fortinet equipment and are paid. The shape follows the purpose: the free levels bring people into security, and the paid levels certify the people who run Fortinet networks. Where an employer or a client base uses Fortinet firewalls, the ladder leads somewhere useful; where it does not, the free levels are a sound introduction and the rest is optional.

• Expiry applies even to the free levels. NSE 1 lapses after two years unless the holder retakes its course or earns another NSE certification.
• Higher levels renew lower ones. Any new or renewed certificate from NSE 1 through NSE 7 also resets the entry level's clock, so active learners rarely think about it.
• Training counts elsewhere. Every hour of Fortinet training can be logged as an ISC2 CPE, useful for anyone maintaining an ISC2 credential.
• Check dates on any guide. Material that mentions FCF, FCA or the retired introductory courses predates the July 2026 change.