Mastering SASE with Prisma Access: A Comprehensive Guide to the Palo Alto EDU-318 Course 

While remote and hybrid work models offer flexibility and convenience, they also introduce new security challenges, particularly regarding cloud security. Some reasons for this include policies like ‘Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)’, unsecured hardware and wireless networks, and increased entry points. 

A recent survey by Redaccess underscores this concern. The 2023 State of Hybrid Work and Browsing Security Report — which polled 300 CISOs in the US and UK — revealed that a significant 72% of respondents felt hybrid work models had weakened their organization’s overall security posture.

This is why more and more security-conscious companies are investing in cloud-based security platforms like Palo Alto’s Prisma Access SASE to protect their distributed teams and remote networks. 

Via Palo Alto

If you’re looking to master Prisma Access, then Prisma Access SASE Security: Design and Operation (EDU-318) can be a great starting point for you. Ideal for both IT security and network professionals, it can show you how to use Prisma Access for securing remote workforces and applications within a SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) framework.

Let’s dive in! 

Why Take the EDU-318 Course?

Before we get into the course specifics, here are some ways that Prisma Access SASE Security: Design and Operation can help you, particularly with growing your career. 

• Better job opportunities: Remote and hybrid work models are here to stay. Learning to secure these environments with Prisma Access demonstrates your ability to protect company data — making you an asset for any remote or hybrid company. 
• Better understanding of SASE: This course not only helps you master Prisma Access but also concepts like Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) — helping you understand the broader SASE principles and best practices. 
• Networking opportunities: A side benefit to attending instructor-led courses like EDU-318 is the chance to connect with like-minded peers, so you can build a valuable professional network.

Finally, professional certifications are a great way to show your current (and future) employers that you prioritize professional development and are committed to continuous learning.

Prisma Access SASE Security: Design and Operation: Course Overview

Let’s quickly review how the course works and what you need to do before signing up for the course —

Enrolling in the course

This four-day program is delivered by Palo Alto Networks Authorized Training Providers (ATPs). Here’s how you can register for it:

• Visit the Palo Alto Networks training page and select “EDU-318” from the course catalog
• Narrow down your search by filtering them based on the following criteria:
  • Region: Find a course conveniently located near you
  • Language: Choose a course delivered in your preferred language
  • Time Zone: Attend a course that fits your schedule
• Once you’ve identified the ideal EDU-318 course, click on it to be directed to the Palo Alto Authorized Training Provider’s (ATP) website. There, you’ll be able to easily register for the course and complete your payment

For example, Datacipher Education Services has been conducting around six virtual programs on EDU-318 every month for the last several months, and you can find them by choosing “Datacipher Solutions” in the Authorized Training Partner (ATP) dropdown. 

Not just that, Datacipher Education Services also conducts in-person classes upon request — making them a popular choice for educational institutions and companies in the APAC region requiring a traditional learning experience.

Target audience

This course is perfect for IT professionals in network security who want to master SASE concepts and get a better understanding of modern security architectures.

This includes: 

• Security Engineers
• Security Administrators
• Security Operations Specialists
• Security Analysts
• Network Engineers

Prerequisites

As this is an advanced course and deals with some of the more complex features in Panorama and Prisma Access, you need to have a solid understanding of firewall management.  For this, Palo Alto recommends two courses —

• Panorama: Managing Firewalls at Scale (EDU-220)
• Firewall Essentials: Configuration and Management (EDU-210)

While the first is an introductory course that gives you an overview of how Panorama works, the second one shows you how to configure and manage Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls. 

Both of these courses are instructor-led and the enrollment process is similar to that of the EDU-318 course. So you can register for them on any ATP’s website, including Datacipher Education Services. 

Training credits

As the EDU-318 course is instructor-led, it comes under the Palo Alto Training Credits Program — a prepaid system that allows you to pay for courses and certifications with credits that are worth $100 each. 

How training credits work

The Training Credits Program streamlines the training process for both organizations and educational institutions with a large number of security professionals and comes with two key benefits:

• Reduces administrative work so you don’t have to make frequent purchases or reimburse people individually
• Better flexibility as security engineers can choose the courses that best suit their individual career goals 

A breakdown of the EDU-318 course modules

Let’s take a look at what you’ll learn during the 4-day course and how exactly it’ll set you up for success. 

Course objective

Put simply, the EDU-318 course aims to help network security professionals become SASE experts. 

By the end of the four days, you’ll learn how to transform traditional security models to secure hybrid and remote work environments using Prisma Access. This includes things like implementing access controls to avoid cybersecurity threats and using SASE to secure your remote networks and mobile devices. 

Course modules

The Prisma Access SASE Security: Design and Operation consists of 14 modules that can be divided into 4 sections:

• Day 1: You’ll get an overview of the Prisma Access platform and learn how to plan and design SASE solutions
• Day 2: You’ll get some hands-on experience activating and configuring Prisma Access for deployment within your environment — mainly Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) Connectors and Security Processing Nodes
• Day 3: This section is all about mobile devices and how you can secure your remote networks by integrating Prisma Access with Cloud Secure Web Gateways
• Day 4: The final day of the course — here, you’ll be shown how to use advanced Prisma Access features like ADEM (Advanced Endpoint Detection and Mitigation)

The best part — this course comes with a dedicated “What’s Next” session where your instructors will guide you on what you can do after the course to improve your knowledge of these concepts and grow your career.

(You can find the entire list of modules covered in this datasheet.)

Each student will also be given a guide and lab exercise manual in the form of a PDF. You can get access to it from the third-party digital learning platform—KorText.

Next steps

Once you’re done with the course, you can supplement it with a professional certification from Palo Alto. Something like the Palo Alto Certified Network Security Engineer (PCSNE) can help you showcase your overall expertise in network security. 

Another option is the Prisma Cloud Certification Security Engineer (PCCSE) certification which focuses on cloud security. 

Become a Prisma Access (and SASE) Pro with Datacipher Education Services

Datacipher Education Services is a leading Palo Alto Networks Authorized Training Partner (ATP) in the APAC region and has been training IT security professionals in Palo Alto platforms for more than a decade now. 

With DES, you can enroll in in-person and virtual classes on Prisma Access SASE and learn from expert instructors. Plus, we also share digital and print copies of all study materials and a recording of the class so you can revise the modules at any time — like the day before a job interview or if you need to troubleshoot a SASE solution at work.  

Also, if you’re enrolling through your company, you can pay the course fee using training credits or share the invoice with your accounting team to get it reimbursed. 

Ready to become an expert in Cortex XSOAR? Get in touch with our team here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is Prisma Access?

Prisma Access is a cloud-based security service by Palo Alto that helps organizations secure their applications, remote networks, and mobile devices using a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) approach.

2. Why is SASE important for hybrid companies?

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a cloud-based security model that combines multiple network functions into a single, unified platform. This reduces the number of endpoints, increases overall security, encrypts all data, and reduces operational costs for hybrid companies which have employees working from different locations and unsecured WiFi networks.