Associate → Professional → Expert

Security Stream

NGFW, Zero Trust, SASE and DFIR under India's DPDP Act.

A three-tier network-security ladder — firewalls and segmentation to Zero Trust, SASE/SD-WAN and incident response with DPDP-Act compliance. Product-aligned to Juniper (SRX, JNCIA/JNCIP/JNCIE-SEC), Cisco (Firepower, ISE) and Aruba ClearPass.

See the three-tier ladder Start at RCSA (Associate)
24 modules across 3 certifications 57 graded labs 52 weeks end-to-end
73%
of monitoring & incident-response roles are already hard to fill
The ladder at a glance
1
RCSA
Associate · 12 weeks
2
RCSP
Professional · 16 weeks
3
RCSE
Expert · 24 weeks

The three-tier progression

One ladder, three credentials — each rung a graded practical exam.

Every tier is a standalone certification with its own modules, labs and career plan. Complete them in order and the stream carries you from first job to architect-grade specialist.

01
Associate

RCSA

RKR Certified Security Associate

Build the edge, break it, and defend it — on real SRX, ASA and Firepower.

No prerequisite — the entry gate to this stream
Duration
12 weeks · 10 hrs/wk
Curriculum
7 modules · 18 labs
Comparable in rigor to
  • Juniper — Juniper JNCIA-SEC
  • Cisco — Cisco CCNA (Security foundations)
  • Multi-vendor — Vendor-neutral associate security baseline
₹49,999
full program
Explore RCSA A0 blueprint sheet
02
Professional

RCSP

RKR Certified Security Professional

Engineer zero-trust networks that assume breach — from App-ID firewalls to identity-driven segmentation at datacenter scale.

Prerequisite: RCSA
Duration
16 weeks · 10 hrs/wk
Curriculum
8 modules · 18 labs
Comparable in rigor to
  • Juniper — Juniper JNCIP-SEC
  • Cisco — Cisco CCNP Security
  • Aruba — Aruba ACCP (ClearPass Professional)
₹99,999
full program
Explore RCSP A0 blueprint sheet
03
Expert

RCSE

RKR Certified Security Expert

Architect the defense. Hunt the adversary. Run the incident. Prove it under exam pressure.

Prerequisite: RCSP
Duration
24 weeks · 12 hrs/wk
Curriculum
9 modules · 21 labs
Comparable in rigor to
  • Juniper — Juniper JNCIE-SEC
  • Cisco — Cisco CCIE Security
  • Multi-vendor — GIAC GCFA / GCTI-level DFIR & hunting depth
₹1,99,999
full program
Explore RCSE A0 blueprint sheet

The career arc, tier by tier

Where each credential takes you — with the salary band at every rung.

Each tier publishes its own career plan. Read them left to right and this is the full arc of the security stream: entry role to architect-grade specialist.

RCSA
Associate tier
Entry
SOC Analyst L1 / Security Operations Trainee
Rs 4-8 LPA
Foundation
Firewall Administrator (SRX / ASA / Firepower)
Rs 8-13 LPA
Growth
Network Security Engineer (Perimeter / VPN / NAC)
Rs 12-16 LPA
Rs 4-16 LPA
RCSP
Professional tier
On certification (0-12 months)
Network Security Engineer II — NGFW, NAC and segmentation delivery
Rs 10-16 LPA
1-2 years
Senior Security Engineer — owns firewall estate, 802.1X rollout, IPS tuning
Rs 16-24 LPA
2-4 years
Zero-Trust / SASE Lead — segmentation and SASE programs across sites and DC
Rs 22-32 LPA
4+ years (RCSE track)
Security Architect — enterprise and datacenter security architecture
Rs 32-48 LPA
Rs 10-24 LPA typical on certification, scaling to Rs 22-35 LPA in senior zero-trust and DC security roles
RCSE
Expert tier
Rung 1 - Entry point after RCSE
Senior Security Engineer / SOC Lead
Rs 18-28 LPA
Rung 2 - 1-2 years applying RCSE scope
Principal Security Engineer / DFIR Lead
Rs 26-40 LPA
Rung 3 - Design authority
Security Architect (Zero-Trust / AI Datacenter)
Rs 35-50 LPA
Rung 4 - Leadership
Chief Security Architect / Deputy CISO
Rs 45-60+ LPA
Rs 18-60 LPA (senior to architect band, security stream)
See all career outcomesStart the ladder at RCSA

Product-based depth

The vendor stacks behind this stream.

RKR certifications are vendor-aligned, not vendor-locked. These product tracks build the hands-on platform fluency that the security stream exams grade.

Cisco

Nexus, ACI and enterprise-grade product depth.

Product-based advanced training on Cisco's datacenter and security stack — Nexus NX-OS, ACI policy fabric, Catalyst, Firepower NGFW and ISE identity. Builds the hands-on product fluency behind RKR's DataCenter and Security certifications.

Nexus / NX-OSACI (APIC)CatalystFirepower NGFWIdentity Services Engine (ISE)

Aruba

AOS-10, Central and ClearPass — wireless and access, mastered.

Product-based advanced training on the Aruba stack — AOS-10 gateways and APs, Central cloud management and ClearPass NAC. Maps RKR's Wireless ladder to the ACMA / ACMP / ACMX progression, RKR-branded.

AOS-10Aruba CentralInstant OnClearPass Policy ManagerAirWave

Juniper

Junos, Apstra and SRX across DataCenter and Security.

Product-based advanced training on Juniper — Junos on QFX/MX, Apstra intent-based fabric automation and SRX security. Maps RKR's DataCenter and Security ladders to the JNCIA / JNCIP / JNCIE progression, RKR-branded.

Junos OSQFX SeriesApstra (intent-based DC)SRX SeriesMX Series

Climb the security stream — or compare all three ladders.

RCSA → RCSP → RCSE. Every tier lab-graded, every tier with a published career plan.

Begin with RCSA View all 9 certifications
Wireless Stream DataCenter Stream