Managed small-business networks: design, access and operations

Skills you'll practise

• Compare cloud-hosted, on-premises and gateway-hosted controllers and explain what still works when the controller is unreachable
• Build a segment plan that maps each purpose to a VLAN, subnet, SSID and switch-port setting
• Write inter-segment firewall policy that allows what is needed and denies the rest, in the right order
• Set up controller and device admin access with named accounts, MFA and least-privilege roles, owned by the customer
• Identify the backups, alerts and documentation a managed network needs before it is handed over

Course outline

1. 1.Controllers, hosting and what happens when they're offlineLesson · 15 min
2. 2.Segment plan: VLANs, subnets, SSIDs and portsLesson · 18 min
3. 3.Firewall policy between segmentsLesson · 12 min
4. 4.Admin access, backups, alerts and handoverLesson · 15 min
5. 5.Managed small-business networks: design, access and operations: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 16 questions
6. 6.Printers stop working after a switch changeScenario
7. 7.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

• IEEE 802.1Q: Bridges and Bridged Networks (VLAN tagging)
• NIST SP 800-41 Rev. 1: Guidelines on Firewalls and Firewall Policy
• NIST SP 800-153: Guidelines for Securing Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)
• CIS Critical Security Controls (secure configuration, account and access control management, network infrastructure management)
• Your vendor's current documentation and release notes (menus and defaults change between versions)
• General managed-network practice for small and medium businesses