Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Design and implement highly resilient and scalable enterprise network topologies.
• Master advanced routing protocols, VPNs, and wide-area network technologies.
• Apply Zero Trust principles and advanced security controls at the network layer.
• Develop a comprehensive network capacity and performance management plan.
• Evaluate and deploy Software-Defined Networking (SDN) solutions.
• Implement quality of service (QoS) to prioritize critical business traffic.
• Manage and troubleshoot complex network issues efficiently using standardized tools.
• Integrate network services with cloud platforms and hybrid environments.

• Network Engineers and Administrators
• IT Infrastructure Managers
• Network Architects and Security Specialists
• Telecom and Data Center Operations Staff
• IT Service Delivery Managers
• Professionals preparing for advanced network certifications

• Scenarios involving complex network troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
• Group activities to design a secure network architecture with SDN principles.
• Workshops on configuring QoS to meet VOIP requirements.
• Case studies on major network breaches and their prevention.
• Individual exercises on creating a network device hardening checklist.

Unit 1: Enterprise Network Architecture

• Designing for redundancy (physical and logical) and failover.
• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) optimization and multi-layer switching.
• Implementing Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) and HSRP.
• Segmenting networks using VLANs, subnets, and security zones.

• Overview of modern WAN technologies (MPLS, VPN, SD-WAN).
• Best practices for establishing site-to-site and remote access VPNs.
• Implementing and managing Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN).
• Optimizing WAN bandwidth for high-latency applications.

Unit 2: Network Security and Access Control

• Designing firewall and intrusion prevention/detection systems (IPS/IDS).
• Implementing network access control (NAC) and 802.1X.
• Developing a network security monitoring and logging strategy.
• Applying Zero Trust networking principles.

• Integrating security services (VPN, web filtering, anti-malware) at the network edge.
• Designing network segmentation and micro-segmentation strategies.
• Managing Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection.
• Implementing secure configuration baselines for all network devices.

Unit 3: Network Performance and Monitoring

• Defining and prioritizing critical business application traffic.
• Implementing mechanisms (e.g., queuing, shaping, policing) for QoS.
• Troubleshooting common QoS configuration issues.
• Monitoring QoS performance and effectiveness.

• Developing a continuous network performance monitoring strategy.
• Using NetFlow, SNMP, and specialized tools for data collection.
• Analyzing network latency, jitter, and packet loss.
• Capacity planning based on trending utilization data.

Unit 4: Modern Network Technologies

• Introduction to the SDN architecture (control and data planes).
• Benefits and challenges of implementing SDN in the data center.
• Overview of key SDN controllers and standards (e.g., OpenFlow).
• Automating network provisioning and configuration.

• Connecting on-premises networks to public cloud VPCs/VNets.
• Managing virtual network appliances in the cloud.
• Securing cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-premises connectivity.
• The role of the network in hybrid cloud strategies.

Unit 5: Operational Excellence and Management

• Implementing a centralized network configuration management system.
• Developing a rigorous change control process for network infrastructure.
• Automating network configuration backups and restoration.
• The importance of standardized network documentation.

• Systematic troubleshooting methodologies for complex network incidents.
• Using advanced diagnostic tools (e.g., sniffers, protocol analyzers).
• Developing a network incident response plan.
• Integrating network monitoring with IT Service Management processes.