Vendor-Specific

Certifications from major technology vendors including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Check Point, and others. These focus on specific vendor products and platforms.

Vendor-Specific at a glance

This category covers 8 cybersecurity certifications, with top reported salaries reaching $170,000. Each certification below maps to a specific role and skill profile — pick the one whose target audience and career paths match where you are or where you want to be.

The certifications

• Cisco CCNA Security Cisco · Intermediate
  • Cost$330 exam fee
  • Study time4-8 weeks study time
  • Salary$115,000 - $165,000
  • DemandHigh - Cisco security
  • Validity3 years

  Network security professionals, Cisco specialists

  Career paths: Network Security Engineer · Cisco Specialist · Security Engineer

• Palo Alto PCNSE (Certified Network Security Engineer) Palo Alto Networks · Intermediate
  • Cost$400 exam fee
  • Study time4-8 weeks study time
  • Salary$120,000 - $170,000
  • DemandHigh - Palo Alto security
  • Validity3 years

  Palo Alto security engineers, network security professionals

  Career paths: Palo Alto Security Engineer · Network Security Engineer · Architect

• Fortinet NSE (Network Security Expert) Fortinet · Intermediate
  • Cost$350 exam fee
  • Study time4-6 weeks study time
  • Salary$115,000 - $165,000
  • DemandHigh - Fortinet security
  • Validity3 years

  Fortinet security engineers, network security professionals

  Career paths: Fortinet Security Engineer · Network Security Engineer · Architect

• Check Point CCSE (Certified Check Point Security Expert) Check Point · Intermediate
  • Cost$400 exam fee
  • Study time4-8 weeks study time
  • Salary$120,000 - $170,000
  • DemandHigh - Check Point security
  • Validity3 years

  Check Point security engineers, network security professionals

  Career paths: Check Point Security Engineer · Network Security Engineer · Architect

• Microsoft AZ-104 (Azure Administrator) Microsoft · Intermediate
  • Cost$165 exam fee
  • Study time4-6 weeks study time
  • Salary$120,000 - $170,000
  • DemandVery High - Azure roles
  • Validity1 year

  Azure administrators, cloud professionals

  Career paths: Azure Administrator · Cloud Administrator · Solutions Architect

• Red Hat RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer) Red Hat · Intermediate
  • Cost$480 exam fee
  • Study time6-12 weeks study time
  • Salary$110,000 - $160,000
  • DemandHigh - Linux roles
  • Validity3 years

  Linux engineers, system administrators

  Career paths: Linux Engineer · System Administrator · DevOps Engineer

• IBM Security Certified Specialist IBM · Intermediate
  • Cost$350 exam fee
  • Study time4-6 weeks study time
  • Salary$115,000 - $165,000
  • DemandModerate - IBM focus
  • Validity3 years

  IBM security specialists, security engineers

  Career paths: IBM Security Specialist · Security Engineer · Architect

• Juniper JNCIS-SEC (Juniper Networks Certified Internet Specialist - Security) Juniper · Intermediate
  • Cost$350 exam fee
  • Study time4-6 weeks study time
  • Salary$115,000 - $165,000
  • DemandModerate - Juniper focus
  • Validity3 years

  Juniper security engineers, network security professionals

  Career paths: Juniper Security Engineer · Network Security Engineer · Architect

How to choose

Start with the cert whose target audience matches your current role and the level matches your experience. Among those, the practical filter is usually cost and study time — pick what you can realistically commit to over the next 6 months. The career paths section tells you which roles each cert opens up; the salary range is a rough industry signal but varies heavily by region and employer.

See the full roadmap

All 14 categories and 74 certifications →

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