A useful firewall plan starts with the systems and traffic it needs to protect. Google’s Plan Your Cloud Next Generation Firewall Needs helps you approach that preparation through assets, traffic flows and workloads with similar security requirements.
The course is a focused planning introduction for Google Cloud networking and security learners. Its value is in organizing the questions that come before implementation, so a firewall discussion begins with the environment’s needs rather than an unexplained list of rules.
Course at a glance
| Provider | |
|---|---|
| Platform | Google Skills |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Language | English |
| Estimated time | 1 hour; individual study pace varies |
| Format | Self-paced instructional activities, a use case and a quiz |
| Access | Free instruction; sign in with a free learner account |
| Recognition | Completion badge advertised; no professional certification promised |
What you’ll learn
- Map traffic flows: understand the connections that matter when considering a firewall implementation.
- Identify critical assets: connect the systems being protected with their security and compliance requirements.
- Group related workloads: recognize workloads with similar security needs when developing an implementation plan.
- Use an asset-first perspective: follow the syllabus from a use case to examining network assets and traffic.
Skills you’ll gain
- Firewall planning
- Network traffic mapping
- Workload classification
- Security requirements analysis
- Technical planning communication
Start with the assets, then examine their connections
The public syllabus begins with getting started and a use case. Its central module, “Understanding Your VPC Network Assets,” then covers identifying critical assets and examining traffic flows, followed by a recap and quiz. This is a compact sequence built around preparation, not a collection of unrelated product demonstrations.
The two published learning objectives are mapping network traffic and categorizing workloads with similar security needs. Together, they encourage a more organized picture of the environment. It is difficult to discuss appropriate controls clearly when an application, its dependencies and its important connections are still poorly understood.
Imagine a simple customer portal with an application component and a database. The useful planning question is more specific than “does it need a firewall?” You first need to understand which components communicate and which information or service each connection supports. That hypothetical example illustrates the kind of reasoning the course’s objectives can help you develop.
It is also a reason to distinguish planning from implementation. The current activity list has instructional content and a quiz, with no hands-on deployment lab. The article therefore presents the course as a way to learn the planning concepts, without claiming it includes a configured production network.
Practice turning requirements into a clearer network picture
As an optional study exercise, draw a fictional application with three components: a client, an application service and a database. Label the connections you believe are necessary. Add a short note explaining which asset each connection serves and what you would need to verify before making a real security decision.
Then group components that appear to have similar protection needs. If two assets differ, record why rather than assuming they belong in the same group. This paper-based exercise helps you engage with the stated objectives without using sensitive organization information or changing a live firewall.
The course suits learners with some cloud networking knowledge, particularly those preparing to discuss Cloud NGFW requirements. Google labels it Intermediate. Understanding VPCs, application dependencies and basic traffic-flow concepts will make the planning material easier to follow; these are preparation suggestions rather than invented admission requirements.
Free instruction with clear scope
Google Skills currently advertises this course as Free. A free learner account is required to open activities and record progress. Its public syllabus contains five instructional links, one quiz and a completion entry, without a hands-on lab.
The page advertises a completion badge. No professional certification or academic credit is promised here. Using commercial firewall products or running your own cloud environment is separate from accessing the instruction and may incur charges.
Browse the free course catalogue for further networking and security learning once you know which foundations you want to strengthen.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from an NGFW product introduction?
This course focuses on planning needs: critical assets, traffic flows and groups of workloads with similar security requirements. It does not claim to be a complete product deployment course.
Do I need a cloud lab to study it?
No hands-on lab is listed in the current public syllabus. The instruction is offered free, with a free Google Skills learner account. Separately running cloud services may involve charges.
Does completing it qualify me to secure a production network?
The course introduces planning concepts and advertises a completion badge. It does not replace the experience, validation and organization-specific review needed for production security decisions.
Questions & discussion
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