Check Point CCCS Cloud Specialist R81.20 Certification Preparation
Over two days you learn to protect cloud workloads with CloudGuard Network Security: picking an architecture, managing gateways centrally, scaling automatically, building high availability and writing the security policy, on both AWS and Azure. The course prepares you for the Check Point Certified Cloud Specialist (CCCS) R81.20 accreditation, exam 156-561. Sessions run live online, in person in Casablanca or on-site at your organization, in French or English, with labs on both clouds.
The essentials
Publisher : Check Point
Certification : Check Point Certified Cloud Specialist (CCCS) R81.20
Exam code : 156-561
Duration : 2 days
Level : Intermediate
Formats : Live virtual class · In-person in Casablanca · On-site (intra-company)
Languages : French or English
Exam facts : Exam 156-561 · Pearson VUE (test center or online)
Exam voucher: included or optional depending on the package — contact us.
Place CloudGuard Network Security within the Check Point portfolio and the shared responsibility model
Compare CloudGuard Network Security deployment architectures on AWS and Azure
Connect cloud gateways to a management server and administer them
Set up automatic scaling (AWS Auto Scaling, Azure VMSS)
Configure clustered high availability in the cloud
Write the security policy for cloud gateways, then automate its management
Diagnose common deployment and traffic issues
Program
Introducing CloudGuard
CloudGuard family
Network security challenges in the cloud
CloudGuard Network Security architectures
Deployment models
Choosing the right design
CloudGuard Network Security management
Deploying on Azure and AWS
Connecting to management
Scaling solutions
Azure VMSS
AWS Auto Scaling
Clustering in the cloud
High availability
Failover and checks
Security policy
Building rules
Installing on cloud gateways
Automation
CloudGuard automation capabilities
Hands-on lab practice
Troubleshooting
Tools and logs
Frequent issues
Prerequisites
Knowledge of Unix/Linux and/or Windows
Internet, networking and TCP/IP fundamentals
Network security and system administration experience
Hands-on experience with cloud-native deployments (AWS or Azure)
Recommended: CCSA certification
Target audience
Security engineers and administrators who deploy and manage CloudGuard Network Security
Cloud architects working with Check Point gateways
Integrator and MSSP teams
The exam
The CCCS R81.20 accreditation is earned by passing exam 156-561, taken with Pearson VUE at a test center or through online proctoring. CCCS is an Infinity Specialist Accreditation: two accreditations earned after CCSE give you CCSM, two more give CCSM Elite. Passing an accreditation also extends a valid CCSE, CCSM or CCSM Elite by one year; core certifications are valid for two years. We recommend booking the exam a few weeks after the course, once you have repeated the AWS and Azure labs on your own and reviewed the troubleshooting module.
Preparation tips
Repeat the deployments in a test AWS or Azure account
Compare how scaling works on each cloud
Practise reading failover logs on a cloud cluster
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Does CCCS cover both AWS and Azure?
Yes. The hands-on labs run on both platforms and walk through deployment, management, scaling, clustering and policy, so you practise the same tasks on AWS and on Azure.
What is the CCCS exam code?
The R81.20 exam is 156-561, delivered by Pearson VUE.
Do I need CCSA before CCCS?
Check Point recommends it but does not make it mandatory. You should already be comfortable with SmartConsole, security policy and Check Point management, because the course builds on them rather than teaching them again.
Does CCCS cover CloudGuard CNAPP?
No. The course focuses on CloudGuard Network Security, meaning virtual gateways deployed in the cloud.
How is the course delivered?
Live online, in person in Casablanca or on-site at your organization, in French or English.