What happens if I fail the exam?

You can retake it after a 24-hour cooldown, as many times as you need. Retakes are free, and each attempt draws a fresh random set of questions.

How long is a certificate valid?

The Safeguard Certified Practitioner credential is valid for 24 months from issue. The expiry date is printed on the certificate and shown live on its public verification page. Renewing means passing the current exam again.

Courses

Network Security Protocols: Internet Protocol Security, Transport Layer Security, Virtual Private Networks and Firewalls

AdvancedFree5 modules · 14 lessons · ~2 min

About this course

A deployment-focused tour of network security protocols: Internet Protocol Security, and the Transport Layer Security handshake and certificate trust chain. You will also cover virtual private network architectures, Secure Shell and mail security in deployment, firewall and proxy patterns, and network segmentation through to zero trust networking.

What you'll learn

Internet Protocol Security

Internet Protocol Security Architecture: Authentication Header and Encapsulating Security Payload
Internet Key Exchange and Key Management in Deployment
Internet Protocol Security in Deployment: Site to Site, Remote Access, and Where It Fits

Transport Layer Security

The Transport Layer Security Handshake, From a Deployment Perspective
Certificates and the Chain of Trust
Transport Layer Security Version History: What Is Deprecated and Why

Virtual Private Networks, Secure Shell and Mail Security in Deployment

Virtual Private Network Architectures: Site to Site, Remote Access, and the IPsec Versus TLS Choice
Secure Shell Deployment: Hardening What the Protocol Alone Does Not Guarantee
Mail Security in Deployment: Deploying Authentication Records and Message Level Encryption

Firewalls and Proxies

Firewall Architectures: Packet Filtering, Stateful Inspection, and Next Generation Capability
Proxy Architectures: Forward Proxies, Reverse Proxies, and What Sits Between the Parties
Deployment Patterns: The Demilitarized Zone and Layered Boundary Defense

Segmentation and Zero Trust

Network Segmentation: Limiting What a Single Compromise Can Reach
Zero Trust Networking, and Where Safeguard Actually Fits in This Picture

01Internet Protocol Security3 lessons

Internet Protocol Security Architecture: Authentication Header and Encapsulating Security Payload
Internet Key Exchange and Key Management in Deployment
Internet Protocol Security in Deployment: Site to Site, Remote Access, and Where It Fits

02Transport Layer Security3 lessons

Common questions

How much does Safeguard Academy cost?

Nothing. Every course, exam, and certificate on the catalog is free — including retakes. All you need is a free Safeguard account.

What are the prerequisites?

None. The flagship course, Safeguard Certified Practitioner, is a beginner-level course — basic familiarity with how software is built helps, but every exam question is answerable from the lessons themselves.