5G
Article | September 28, 2023
Enhance your network monitoring and management expertise. Learn from the industry-recognized network monitoring certifications and courses to boost your career potential with advanced solutions.
As the demand for robust and secure networks continues to rise, organizations seek professionals with specialized network monitoring and management skills. Individuals can pursue industry-recognized certifications that validate their expertise and provide a competitive edge to demonstrate proficiency in this field. This article presents a curated list of the top 10 network monitoring certifications. These network monitoring and management certifications cover various technologies, methodologies, and tools, equipping professionals with the knowledge to monitor, optimize, and secure network infrastructures effectively.
1. AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty
The AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty course is an essential credential for network monitoring experts seeking to excel in cloud-based environments. It validates expertise in designing and maintaining network architectures within the AWS product portfolio. This is one of the best network certifications for individuals with at least five years of hands-on experience in implementing complex networking solutions. Completing this course will enhance your understanding of advanced network architectures, interconnectivity options, routing, high-availability connectivity solutions, and network security features. The certification exam requires a solid grasp of AWS technology, scripting development, and automation tools. Opting for this course will equip you with the necessary skills to implement cloud initiatives and meet the organizations' networking challenges.
2. GIAC Continuous Monitoring Certification (GMON)
Enhance the ability to detect intrusions and safeguard the network against anomalous activity with GIAC Continuous Monitoring (GMON) certification. As one of the top network monitoring certifications designed for experts to validate proficiency in defensible security architecture, continuous diagnostics and security monitoring, it will offer readers core knowledge of security architecture, endpoint security, and network monitoring. CyberLive testing ensures both theoretical knowledge and hands-on expertise for this certification. You will be able to improve your organization's security posture and respond more quickly to threats with the GMON certification. Technical managers, SOC analysts, and CND analysts must opt for the course to enhance their knowledge of implementing best network monitoring solutions and demonstrate the measures for threat protection.
3. CompTIA Network+
Learn from CompTIA Network+ skills to become a successful network engineer and security practitioner. It is one of the leading IT networking certifications that equips professionals with the skills to troubleshoot, configure, and manage networks on any platform, making it highly versatile and applicable to various environments. Completing this course and attaining the certification can enhance IT infrastructure and improve network management. CompTIA Network+ prepares you to support networks on any platform, unlike other vendor-specific network certifications. This certification is valuable for network monitoring experts looking to enhance networking fundamentals, implementations, operations, and security. Moreover, for those new to the industry, achieving this certification can open up job opportunities as a business analyst, systems administrator, MSP personnel, data center manager, IT server technician, data architect, or network security specialist.
4. PRTG Network Monitoring Course with LAB
The PRTG Network Monitoring Course with LAB is a comprehensive training program designed for network monitoring experts seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge in deploying and managing the PRTG tool. The industry experts will be able to deploy the tool and monitor all infrastructure, including network, server and applications. It is one of the best network monitoring courses that will help you learn about IT operations management solutions that allow monitoring proactively. By opting for this course, readers will benefit from 6-5 hours of practical and condensed knowledge, immediate access to videos and files, Q&A support, downloadable installation media, and valuable links and resources. Overall, the course offers three benefits: rapid detection of network issues and identification of who needs to fix it, better allocation of IT resources with network monitoring, and providing baseline data for automatic data comparison.
5. ManageEngine OPManager Plus Network Monitoring Course
This is one of the top network certification courses that trains individuals to monitor the network for performance storage, bandwidth, configuration changes, compliance and security. MachineEngine OPManager Plus is a complete course offering lab material to download. The uniquely designed course includes all key elements to understand the process of practicing VMware Workstation lab. It is a seven hours, thirty minutes course combined with practical and condensed knowledge. You will be given immediate access once you enroll for the course to collect videos, files and downloadable installation media. The required skill set to opt for the OPManager training video includes basic knowledge of Ethernet TCP/IP and the basics of Windows servers. Network monitoring experts can build a LAB-like real network through this course, analyze dashboards and graphs, and configure NCM and NTA modules.
6. Ultimate PRTG Network Monitoring with Full Lab GNS3
Learn to monitor network devices, applications, servers, and cloud and deploy custom sensors with the Ultimate PRTG network monitoring with a full lab GNS3 certification course. The course begins with an overview of PRTG's main features, covering important concepts like sensors and sensor states, as well as licensing information. It also guides participants in preparing their IT infrastructure for monitoring and provides recommendations for PRTG hardware and operating systems. This ensures a solid foundation before diving into the advanced aspects of PRTG. Opting for this course will help you delve into advanced PRTG sensors, including custom, receiver, and aggregate sensors. It will allow one to explore how to set up custom SNMP sensors, custom script sensors, and flow sensors. The course also focuses on monitoring specific areas of infrastructure, such as virtualization environments, enabling participants to gain expertise in administering PRTG effectively.
7. Network Monitoring Basics
Network Monitoring basics is a course designed to learn how to use network monitoring, it helps you gain ground level base knowledge and guides you on where to start. This course, led by expert instructor Josh Werner, equips beginners entering the networking industry with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively utilize network monitoring tools. Participants will gain practical expertise in using these open-source solutions for efficient network monitoring and management with a focus on popular software such as Wireshark, Zabbix, Nagios, OpenNMS, Obiko, and NetDisco. This certification is ideal for those seeking to establish a strong foundation in network monitoring, enabling them to monitor and optimize their network infrastructure effectively. By mastering these in-demand skills, learners will be equipped to make informed decisions and ensure the smooth operation of their networks.
8. Network Monitoring Using Nagios
Monitoring infrastructure equipment using Nagios requires training and acquiring the necessary techniques. The 'Network Monitoring Using Nagios Course' enables network monitoring experts to delve into knowledge related to Nagios deployment and configurations within IT infrastructure. To opt for the course, one must fulfil the basic requirements, including familiarity with Linux basic commands and networking essentials. Both network and system administrators, as well as IT students, can benefit from this highly regarded networking certification. The Network Monitoring Using Nagios course consists of three sections and spans two hours and four minutes. It is divided into eleven lectures covering crucial aspects of Nagios implementation and operation.
9. Junos, Associate (JNCIA-Junos)
Junos, Associate (JNCIA-Junos) course is one of the most valuable IT networking certifications for professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge of Juniper Networks Junos OS. This certification is suitable for individuals with beginner to intermediate networking expertise. The JNCIA-Junos exam evaluates your understanding of the core functionalities of Junos OS, serving as a foundational certification for various tracks, including enterprise routing and switching and service provider routing and switching. By opting for this certification, candidates understand Junos OS comprehensively, enabling them to configure and troubleshoot Juniper devices effectively. The course covers essential topics such as routing protocols, switching concepts, security features, and network management
10. CCNA certification
The CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification is a credential that enhances your expertise in navigating the dynamic world of IT. This certification encompasses a comprehensive range of topics, including networking fundamentals, IP services, security fundamentals, automation, and programmability. It equips professionals with the skills to effectively manage and optimize advanced networks prevalent in today's technology landscape. The CCNA training course provides a solid foundation for individuals seeking to advance their careers in network monitoring. It caters to network administrators, technicians, and other IT professionals involved in network operations and support. Additionally, as a CCNA-certified expert, you become part of a renowned community recognized for maintaining the highest standards of excellence in networking.
Key Takeaway
The recommended network monitoring certifications discussed in this article provide valuable insights and guidance for networking experts in the B2B sector. These resources cover various aspects of monitoring network performance, enhancing network visibility, and addressing security concerns. By delving into these monitoring courses, professionals can gain a deeper understanding of effective network performance monitoring techniques, ensuring optimal visibility across their infrastructure. With the ever-evolving networking landscape, staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices is crucial for maintaining a high-performing network. These courses offer industry-relevant knowledge and empower networking experts to make informed decisions, ultimately leading to a robust and efficient network infrastructure.
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Enterprise Mobility, Mobile Infrastructure
Article | June 16, 2023
Telecommunications conglomerate Verizon has partnered with 3D development platform Unity to create entertainment applications and enterprise toolkits that can render 3D environments almost instantaneously, without the need for expensive hardware.
In a press release, Verizon said products from this collaboration will address the demand for instantaneous content in industries such as gaming, retail, and sports, where emphasis is placed on real-time digital immersion.
“We are entering an era of technology-led disruption where 5G and MEC will not only transform the full enterprise lifecycle, it will change the way consumers experience gaming and entertainment,” said Verizon Chief Executive Officer Tami Erwin.
These products will utilise 5G and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) technology, taking the best of both worlds to enhance the digital experience for consumers.
The concept of edge computing has actually been around for roughly three decades, but it wasn't until recently that we've been able to apply it to Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Edge architecture reduces latency by moving computer services closer to the source — the "edges" — of the data. This not only decongests the centralised cloud of information, but also decreases the distance the data needs to cover to reach user terminals.
Meanwhile, 5G is the highly anticipated next generation broadband network that promises to deliver high speeds with just millisecond latencies. Despite the pandemic, its rollout hasn’t slowed down at all, with countries like China, South Korea, and the US getting a first taste of the technology.
The promise of lightning-fast connections, however, comes at a steep cost: 5G stations consume plenty of energy to work.
Though much of 5G's advantages come from its streamlined digital routing capabilities, it's also underpinned by a powerful network of hardware components — more precisely, printed circuit boards (PCBs). To answer the demand for more energy, engineers use ties to meet PCB requirements for solving the challenges that come with powering a standard board. These include considerations like signal paths and planar delays, among others. Placing the net ties at the right junctions distributes energy more evenly, thus providing efficient power delivery to 5G networks.
Despite all the touted capabilities of 5G, experts have flagged cybersecurity as one major concern. As a new innovation, 5G is still fairly unregulated, leaving loopholes and security gaps that cyber criminals can exploit. For instance, the expansion of bandwidth coverage actually opens up vulnerabilities and additional avenues for cyber attacks. Furthermore, the hyper connected nature of IoT devices makes it easier for hackers to gain access to different networks, both private and public; and unwitting users can potentially expose their contacts to virtual attackers.
Because of these threats, experts urge telecom companies to lay down a solid bedrock for 5G security before finalising the pivot towards it. For now, it remains to be seen how legislators and regulators will implement standards to guide the public in its use of 5G.
Amid this concern, Verizon and Unity are hopeful that their collaboration — and the marriage of 5G and MEC technology — will be a game changer in the gaming, retail, and entertainment industries.
“We know the world is demanding high-speed, AAA content, whether it’s an educational augmented reality application or a robot running a simulation of a digital twin,” Unity Vice President for Solutions Ryan Peterson said.
“5G is the key piece for us to facilitate these real-time 3D experiences broadly and to better meet the demands of the real-time economy.”
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Data Center Networking
Article | July 5, 2023
Despite a global pandemic and the associated economic challenges, the world has moved to 5G four times faster than it did with 4G LTE, according to 5G Americas.
In the midst of this rollout, how can industries ensure that the benefits of 5G investment warrant the long-term investment costs? Or to put it another way, how can industries leverage 5G technology to build cost-efficient connected industry on a global scale?
The answer is the intelligent edge. The intelligent edge is the analysis of data and development of solutions at the site where the data is generated. By doing this, the intelligent edge reduces latency, costs and security risks, thus making the associated business more efficient. As 5G puts compute closer to the user (whether that be a human or a device) it enables a new paradigm of capabilities with AI, machine learning and a host of related use cases.
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Wan Technologies
Article | August 23, 2022
In the United States, private networks saw the sun for the first time in the early 1970s by AT&T. The networks were majorly operated over telecommunication networks. In the 1990s, with the evolution of Internet technology, a new type of network known as virtual private networks emerged. This type of network was built on public infrastructure, and the data was encrypted to protect it from eavesdroppers.
Nowadays, networks developed by businesses are called Enterprise Private Networks (EPN) when privacy is maintained via security processes and tunneling protocols such as Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol.
The objective of an EPN is to provide high-speed internet access and data sharing within an organization. Businesses can utilize Wi-Fi in their workplaces to share internet access and resources. This type of private network also employs routers, switches, fiber optics, virtual devices, and modems. Security is also a significant factor while developing an enterprise network. Different firewalls are set at access points to ensure safe data transfer between systems.
Enterprise private networks can be built in various ways, including:
Virtual private network (VPN)
Local area network (LAN)
Wide area network (WAN)
Cloud-based networks
Let’s dive deeper into EPN.
Enterprise Private Network: Reasons to Deploy It Today!
Giving its intended objective, enterprise private networks can be considered to provide a variety of conceivable benefits to an organization.
Enhancing Network Security
A company must adhere to strict procedures to safeguard its security. Networks are vulnerable to cyberattacks, and some business data contains sensitive information that might be lost or acquired by the wrong people. However, data circulation is critical to long-term business operations, which is why incorporating an enterprise private network is a wonderful way to keep security issues at bay even while allowing the organization to more easily manage its critical operations. This is a key reason why most businesses do not hesitate to use EPN, regardless of how difficult it is to set up or the upfront costs associated with it.
Economizing Measures
Keeping overheads to a minimum is critical for achieving a convincing ROI at the end of the day. Most businesses take stringent steps to ensure that they remain profitable. Cutting major expenditures is a helpful technique to do this, and the deployment of EPN is a perfect example. Because important business data can be exchanged over the network where key stakeholders can access it, the expense of physically transferring data and resources from one place to another is reduced. Moreover, a significant amount of valuable time is saved since any type of data and resources can be uploaded across the network in a matter of minutes.
Centralization
Another important element that is essential to an organization's success is business continuity. Different departments of an organization are interconnected to one another through an enterprise private network and can effortlessly share resources with one another. As earlier stated, it enables time efficiency and allows companies to keep progressing toward gradually achieving their day-to-day demands.
Enterprise Private Network: A Catalyst to 5G Digital Transformation
Businesses now depend on technology that has undergone significant transformation in recent years. Organizations are increasingly relying on feature-rich apps to operate their operations and drive innovation. Connectivity is at the heart of keeping everything operating smoothly and effectively, and 5G is expected to provide even more pace and potential. 5G is enticing because its infrastructure differs from prior generations of cellular networks. The 3G and 4G networks were designed with hardware-based network operations in mind. 5G, on the other hand, is 'cloud-native,' with network functions stored in software as a Virtual Network Function (VNF) or Cloud-native Network Function (CNF). 5G has the ability to drive digital transformation for companies and organizations by providing faster connection speeds, reduced latency, higher capacity, and better security. Organizations can obtain significant business advantages in automation, security, and safety when 5G is used in combination with a private cellular network.
The Importance of 5G on Private Networks
Speed
5G provides better bandwidth than 4G LTE networks, which is critical for data-intensive applications.
Latency
Robotics, manufacturing, remotely operated systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle communications all need low latency.
Network Slicing
The 5G network core offers network slicing, allowing network operators to virtualize network traffic, often in a cloud-based flexible environment.
Increased Connection Density
5G will ultimately support 100 times more connected devices per square kilometer, up to one million devices.
Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC)
5G Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) moves computational power closer to the network edge, reducing the time required to send data to a centralized data center.
Wi-Fi 6
While 5G has considerable benefits over Wi-Fi, the new Wi-Fi 6 version also has greater capacity, reduced latency, and faster speeds than its predecessor, Wi-Fi 5.
Industries Leveraging EPN to Enhance Their Capabilities
With the expanding digital transformation, business interest in private networks is growing. Enterprises can deploy such networks to explore a broad range of wireless use cases and provide access to areas that are not covered by a public network. These networks can also be customized to meet the needs of certain industries and businesses. With the arrival of 5G, private networks enabled by the technology are positioned to stimulate innovation and allow next-generation enterprise transformation across a wide range of industries. Industries leveraging 5G-enabled enterprise private networks are:
Healthcare
Healthcare tops the list of rapidly growing industries, requiring private networks. The unprecedented burden caused on healthcare systems worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic has driven the need for improved connectivity and modernization of infrastructure, prompting hospitals to establish private networks.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry is undergoing a significant digital transformation, which is enabling various new use cases like automated manufacturing. In the industrial arena, private 5G networks play a critical role in increasing the density and efficiency of automation technologies like collaborative mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, AR predictive maintenance, and virtual reality remote devices.
Smart Facilities
By reducing the reliance on third-party wireless service providers, private 5G networks enable these establishments to build and install the infrastructure most suited to their digital transformation roadmap.
Logistics
Another high-potential use case for private 5G networks is the logistics industry. With increasing global e-commerce adoption, the continuous movement of products through all logistical checkpoints—including warehouses, ports, and distribution centers—must be monitored and linked through a diverse variety of corporate mobility devices.
Mining
Another industry with significant potential for private 5G networks is mining. Mine operators want dependable wireless connections in order to leverage digital technologies, but they are often unable to introduce wireless communications to underground locations while still meeting the essential connectivity demands of machinery and mobile employees in open-pit locations. Private networks, which have fewer access points than Wi-Fi, can overcome these difficulties by providing a stable and widespread internet connection to machines, vehicles, and workers throughout a mine. This leads to improved safety, increased production, and a lower carbon footprint.
Some of the other industries are Oil and gas, Education, Ports, Smart Cities, etc.
Rising Demand for Enterprise Private Network (EPN)
As per research analyst Leo Gergs from ABI Research, there are a couple of factors that are causing the surge in demand for private networks for enterprises. These factors are:
Rise in demand for automation and enterprise digitalization in every sector of the market, including industrial manufacturing, logistics, oil and gas, etc., because of COVID-19.
The private 5G network has arrived, bringing with it irresistible features and use cases for businesses from all industries.
Private networks depend on technology from both public carrier networks and business IT, bringing together two disciplines that had previously evolved in quite distinct directions. Industry digitalization, the convergence of telecom and IT, edge migration of cloud apps, and increased spectrum availability are all combined to set the scenario for exploding demand for private 5G. A private 5G network is an enterprise-specific network that offers communication connections to people or items belonging to a single company as well as unique services required for the enterprise's operations. Enterprises across sectors are crunching the math on private 5G, from factories to farms to hospitals to hotels.
According to ABI Research, heavy industrial verticals will increase demand for private network installations. Industrial manufacturing and energy production (including mining, oil and gas, and logistics) will contribute $32.38 billion in private network revenues by 2030, accounting for half of the $64 billion in total private network revenues. The need for private 5G networks is increasing as 5G arrives, allowing compelling business use cases and favorable legislative developments on spectrum availability for corporations. TBR projected that the market for private 5G networks would reach $7.5 billion by 2025, rising from $200 million in 2020.
Carving the Future
With every new cutting-edge technology comes a leap of faith. Businesses and industries can expedite their digital journeys by using 5G private networks to offer secure connections while gathering and managing huge amounts of business-critical data. Private 5G is not simply a new paradigm for network operators; it's also an incredible opportunity for public and private organizations to unleash efficiency, exploit real-time data, and boost revenue.
FAQ
How Does Enterprise Private Network Work?
An enterprise private network is a business computer network that allows business organizations with several offices to securely connect to each other through a network. The primary purpose of an enterprise private network is to share system resources.
How to Set Up Your Private 5G Network?
To build a private 5G network, businesses need to:
The first step is to get the spectrum right-to-use.
Acquire 5G equipment such as base stations, mini-towers, and small cells from network equipment or infrastructure providers.
Integrate equipment with edge devices like smartphones, routers, sensors, etc.
What Is the Cost of Building a 5G Network?
A modest tower and 5G cell site will cost between $30,000 and $50,000. If the wireless network is to function during a power failure, the cell site will also need commercial power and batteries.
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