Good introductory material on network security is easy to find, but most of it is either shallow blog posts or paid courses. One option that sits in between is often overlooked: Fortinet, the network security vendor, runs a public training portal and gives away its entry-level Network Security Expert (NSE) courses for free. No trial period, no credit card, no catch. 🔐
The first three levels of the NSE program are open to anyone:
- NSE 1 covers security awareness: the threat landscape, common attack types, and how to protect yourself and your data.
- NSE 2 introduces the technology families used to defend networks, such as firewalls, endpoint protection, and cloud security, and explains what problem each one solves.
- NSE 3 gives an overview of how these technologies come together in real products and use cases.
You do not need to be a Fortinet customer, and the first two levels are largely vendor-neutral. NSE 1 in particular is a solid security awareness course for anyone who uses a computer at work, not just engineers.
Getting started takes a few minutes:
- Create a free account at training.fortinet.com. The login page has a sign-up option for new users.
- After logging in, open the Library from the navigation.
- Find the NSE 1, NSE 2, and NSE 3 courses and enroll yourself. Enrollment is self-service and free.
⚠️ Heads up: after completing registration you may land on support.fortinet.com instead of the training portal. If that happens, just type training.fortinet.com back into the address bar and you are in. This friction only exists during registration; once your account exists, logging in is straightforward.
Each course is self-paced, split into short lessons with quizzes at the end. Passing a level earns you a certificate you can download and share. If you are starting out in IT, mentoring someone who is, or just want a structured way to learn the basics of network security, this is a low-friction place to begin. 💡
If you want to keep going after NSE 3, be aware that the free ride ends there: the NSE 4 certification requires a proctored exam delivered through Pearson VUE, which means scheduling an appointment at a test center (or online proctoring) and paying an exam fee. The first three levels remain the no-cost way to build your foundation before deciding whether that investment is worth it for you.