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Firewall engineer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

David Garaventa,

Dr. Heidrun Schmitzer

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical firewall engineer skills. We ranked the top skills for firewall engineers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.8% of firewall engineer resumes contained network security as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a firewall engineer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 firewall engineer skills for your resume and career

1. Network Security

Here's how firewall engineers use network security:

Provided Network Security support, security engineering and implementation on LAN/WAN for multiple enterprise customers, including second tier technical support.
Conduct network security, Pen test and vulnerability assessments, security test and evaluation, and security validation procedures.

2. Cisco Asa

Here's how firewall engineers use cisco asa:

Convert Checkpoint VPN rules over to the Cisco ASA solution, Migration with both Checkpoint and Cisco ASA VPN.
Configure, administer, and document firewall infrastructure, working with Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewalls.

3. Azure

Here's how firewall engineers use azure:

Design and implement virtual environments for customers using Microsoft Hyper-V, Server 2012R2 and Windows Azure - server modernization.
Implement and support new and existing customers on Microsoft Azure Active directory infrastructure and Microsoft IaaS, and PaaS.

4. ASA

Here's how firewall engineers use asa:

Implemented Firewall rules on the following platforms: Cisco Pix, ASA and FWSM, Check Point-1, and Net Screen/Nokia.
Support and configure Third party IPSEC VPN connectivity; these tunnels are terminated on Cisco 5585 ASA firewalls.

5. Troubleshoot

Troubleshooting is the process of analyzing and fixing any kind of problem in a system or a machine. Troubleshooting is the detailed yet quick search in the system for the main source of an issue and solving it.

Here's how firewall engineers use troubleshoot:

Create policy base and route base VPN and troubleshoot existing configuration problem Analyze and identify miss-configuration for Net-Screen router/switches.
Work with users to verify connectivity and troubleshoot Firewall related connectivity issues.

6. Switches

Here's how firewall engineers use switches:

Investigate all ports and interfaces health issues for the routers and switches connectivity with customers agreed speed, duplex and bandwidth.
Use NAM module on Cisco 6500 Switches for capture of traffic from Switch ports.

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7. Windows

Windows is a chain of operating systems that controls a computer and is developed by Microsoft. Every version of Windows consists of GUI (graphical user interface), with a desktop that allows the user to open their files.

Here's how firewall engineers use windows:

Deployed Windows NT servers, network print servers in mixed UNIX environment utilizing Ethernet and Token Ring topology.
Maintain and troubleshooting 40 Windows 2000 severs and 3 NT 4.0 servers.

8. Fortinet

Here's how firewall engineers use fortinet:

Assisted with implementation of Fortinet FortiGate 200b upgrade.

9. Linux

Linux is a Unix-like operating system. Just like Windows, Mac OS, and IOS, Linux is an operating system used by millions across the globe. Android itself is powered by the Linux operating system. Linux manages all the hardware resources that are associated with your computer. The software is famous because of the protection it grants from viruses, malware, and crashes. The Linux operating system is entirely free and is an open-source software meaning it can be altered by those equipped with the knowledge to code.

Here's how firewall engineers use linux:

Maintained global firewall log infrastructure with in a Linux environment.
Installed/upgraded Big Brother, MRTG on Red Hat Linux platform to monitor ASU firewalls.

10. Routers

A router is a device that gives a computing device the capability to connect to the internet and transfer data between different devices whether at a home or office. It may include several network ports to connect many devices at one go.

Here's how firewall engineers use routers:

Worked on WAN connectivity between CISCO routers using T1, T3, DS1, DS3 Frame relay and troubleshooting connectivity issues.
Replaced old 6500 and WAN routers from DR testing site and Installed Nexus 7K.

11. BGP

The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is a procedure that facilitates the exchange of routing information among different networks connected through the internet. It also refers to the electronic language used among internet routers, to determine how a piece of information is sent from one router to the other over the network. This process is extremely quick that occurs within mini-seconds, enabling the internet to function properly.

Here's how firewall engineers use bgp:

Worked on routing protocols like OSPF and BGP.
Maintained and managed networks running EIGRP and BGP routing protocols regularly performed firewall audits around stop Firewall-1 solutions for purchasers.

12. Security Policies

Here's how firewall engineers use security policies:

Centralized Checkpoint Firewall Policy Management using Provider -1 interfacing multiple CMA containing multiple security policies.
Design security policies on PAN firewall for controlling what traffic needs to be allowed or blocked based on customer requirements.

13. TCP/IP

Here's how firewall engineers use tcp/ip:

Utilized practical expertise in TCP/IP protocols and system administration for purposes of maintaining and troubleshooting network security measures.
Administered the network architectures TCP/IP, server hardware/software installation, configuration and support.

14. DNS

Domain Name Systems, or DNS for short, is the internet's system for converting readable language, i.e., google.com, to machine language, i.e, 192.168. For a simple analogy, some call it the phonebook of the internet. Any website has its own IP address, for example, 192.168.160. Understandably this is hard to remember. So what a DNS does is link the domain name, google.com, with its IP address, 192.168.160.

Here's how firewall engineers use dns:

Participated in verification and approval process in configuration management and DNS reviews for Change Controls/Break-fix.
Communicated with government entities and military units to ensure accurate DNS information.

15. URL

Here's how firewall engineers use url:

Subject Matter Expert for URL Content Filtering.
Configure and implement URL Filtering on Palo Alto Firewalls.

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What skills help Firewall Engineers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on firewall engineer resumes?

David Garaventa

Director, Computer Information Systems and Cybersecurity Programs, Assistant Professor, CIS, Albertus Magnus College

The skills/attributes required across a variety of jobs in the IT fields.

What soft skills should all firewall engineers possess?

Dr. Heidrun Schmitzer

Professor and Chair, Xavier University

Communication, teamwork.

What firewall engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Galen Duree

Head of the Department of Physics and Optical Engineering and Professor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

It again depends on what the graduate sees as their next step - graduate school or a job with a company or lab. If the next step is graduate school, the graduate should investigate what they are interested in pursuing and then where the best school is to get the experience that the graduate thinks he or she wants.

General reading about technologies or reading available articles about subjects the graduate is interested in will help generate questions they can ask potential graduate schools. This time would also be a chance to improve areas where the graduate may feel weak while an undergraduate. Many online resources can help them brush up on week background topics. Do not worry about transfer credits because that is usually not helpful in graduate school, but improve knowledge and experience in areas where the graduate feels weak. If the graduate has identified a graduate school and program to study in, the graduate school might have some recommendations about what to review. All of this will help improve success in graduate school.

If the next step is a job with a company or lab, taking courses to improve communication will help. Many technically competent or even technically brilliant people struggle with effective communication. Techniques about writing reports, making oral presentations, or communicating technical information will help improve success. The gap year also provides time to investigate technologies that the graduate wants to be involved in and the companies or labs in those areas.

Once the graduate has identified areas of interest and companies or labs that the graduate might want to work for, they can be contacted to either answer questions or point the graduate in a direction for further investigation.

In either case, a gap year can provide a chance to refine the graduate's choice for the next steps and help them prepare other skills overlooked during the undergraduate years.

What type of skills will young firewall engineers need?

John Ring

Director Engineering Outreach, Elon University

While our universities consistently educate engineering students with hard skills and strong engineering fundamentals, tomorrow's engineers need to be strong communicators, collaborators, and critical thinkers. Our professional environments are filled with data and information, and the constraint is typically how much time individuals can dedicate to solving a problem. At Elon University, we educate tomorrow's engineers to have the hard skills necessary to analyze the information and situations, apply critical thinking techniques to determine ways to solve the issue, and then concisely and efficiently communicate with colleagues as solutions are being set in motion.

Do you want to know more?

List of firewall engineer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a firewall engineer resume and required skills for a firewall engineer to have include:

Network Security
Cisco Asa
Azure
ASA
Troubleshoot
Switches
Windows
Fortinet
Linux
Routers
BGP
Security Policies
TCP/IP
DNS
URL
Encryption

Network Devices
Load Balancers
Firewall Rules
OSPF
Firewall Policy
Ipsec VPN
Technical Support
Tcpdump
Wireshark
Unix
IOS
MPLS
NAT
SIEM
DMZ
SSL VPN

Lan
Checkpoint Firewall
Acls
DHCP
Lan Wan
IP
Provisioning
Juniper SRX
DLP
F5 Load
PIX
Virtualization
McAfee
Bluecoat

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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