Observations of Instructor Led Training with Real Hardware

TechNow has heard many students talk about virtualized/remote training that TechNow Does Not Do.  While training our most recent offering of PA-215: Palo Alto Networks Firewall Essentials FastTrack a student told his story of how he endend up in our course.  His story we have heard for other technologies like Cisco, VMware, BlueCoat and other products.

A large percentage of training is moving to the virtualized/remote lab environments.  Students are asked to use some variant of remote access software and remote into the training company's lab environment. Our student in our Palo Alto Networks Firewall course informed us that he went to a very costly offering of that course from the vendor and was not able to perform any labs.  There were either network connectivity issues, or issues with the remote access software, or other problems.  The whole training experience was very frustrating and not productive.

We keep our labs open to students if they would like after hours, or before hours access.  Repeatedly going through a lab engrains that knowledge for later recall.  Touching hardware is so critical in understanding the problems that arise when a cable comes loose, or a cable gets plugged in the wrong port.  There are other scenarios such as just pulling the power cable, or turning off a power strip, or accidently overwriting a configuration.  These disaster scenarious requires hands-on physical access to hardware.  Preventing and recovering from disasters is what it's all about, and that requires hands-on, instructor led, real hardware.

Palo Alto Networks Firewall Training Course Lab

Working with the TechNow lab for the PA-215: Palo Alto Networks Firewall Essentials FastTrack course has been nothing less than a techie's idea of fun.  When students come in we are immediatly configuring the Cisco 3750 switches for access ports, VLANS, and trunks.  We then cable the switch to the Palo Alto Networks Firewall.  Each student gets their own Palo Alto Firewall Pod of hardware and software.  What we find as fun is the VLAN environment, with an array of virtual machines hosted on an ESXi server that can really exercise the abilities of the Palo Alto Firewall.  The DMZ VLAN hosts virtual machines that support enterprise services and also potentialy vulnerable web services.  The Trust VLAN has Windows and Linux clients.  The UnTrust VLAN has Web services and a VM of Kali. The hardware Firewall is additionally connected to a Management VLAN.  All those VLANs are trunked into an ESXi server where the student also has a VM-Series Palo Alto Networks Firewall for High Availability.  

After configuring all the trunking, VLANs, and network interfaces we learn about the firewall and configure it for the lab environment.  Using Metasploitable and Kali/Metasploit nefarious penetration attempts are executed.  Using packet captures, custom APP-ID's  and custom signatures are generated.  Custom logging and reporting are created to similate and enterprise and assist the desired Incident Response.  It is always fun in a training environment to learn all about the controls available in a product, even though specific controls may not be used in the operational environment.  In the end we have a good understanding of the Palo Alto Networks Firewall.

TN-765: Automating Administration with Windows Powershell

 

Course Overview:

This course provides students with the fundamental knowledge and skills to use PowerShell for administering and automating administration of Windows servers. This course provides students the skills to identify and build the command they require to perform a specific task. In addition, students learn how to build scripts to accomplish advanced tasks such as automating repetitive tasks and generating reports. This course provides prerequisite skills supporting a broad range of Microsoft products, including Windows Server, Windows Client, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft 365. In keeping with that goal, this course will not focus on any one of those products, although Windows Server, which is the common platform for all of those products, will serve as the example for the techniques this course teaches.

Attendees to TN-765: Automating Administration with Windows Powershell will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Course Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

 

  • Describe the functionality of Windows PowerShell and use it to run and find basic commands
  • Identify and run cmdlets for server administration
  • Work with Windows PowerShell pipeline
  • Describe the techniques Windows PowerShell pipeline uses
  • Use PSProviders and PSDrives to work with other forms of storage
  • Query system information by using WMI and CIM
  • Work with variables, arrays, and hash tables
  • Write basic scripts in Windows PowerShell
  • Write advanced scripts in Windows PowerShell
  • Administer remote computers
  • Use background jobs and scheduled jobs
  • Use advanced Windows PowerShell techniques

 

Course Prerequisites:

 

  • Experience with Windows networking technologies and implementation.
  • Experience with Windows Server administration, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

 

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TN-835: Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) Preparation Seminar

Course Overview:

Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), is for professionals responsible for an organization's risk management program.  Students looking to acquire CRISC qualify themselves as IT security analyst, security engineer architect, information assurance program manager and senior IT auditor.  CRISC certified professionals manage risk, design and oversee response measures, monitor systems for risk, and ensure the organization's risk management strategies are met.

The CRISC exam will primarily align with the terminology and concepts described in The Risk IT Framework, The Risk IT Practioner Guide, and COBIT 5.  This will include applications in the evaluation and monitoring of IT-based risk, as well as the design and implementation of IS controls. 

The CRISC exam covers four domains that are periodically updated to reflect the changing needs of the profession:

  • Domain 1: Risk Identification 
  • Domain 2: Risk Assessment
  • Domain 3: Risk Response and Mitigation
  • Domain 4: Risk and Control Monitoring and Reporting

This course is designed to assist in your exam preparation for the CRISC exam.

Attendees to TN-835: Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) Seminar will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Dates/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 5 Days

Course Objectives:

  • Risk IT Framework—Purpose and Principles
  • Essentials of Risk Governance, Evaluation, and Response
  • Risk and Opportunity Management Using CobiT, Val IT and Risk IT
  • The Risk IT Framework Process Model Overview
  • Managing Risk in Practice—The Practitioner Guide Overview
  • Overview of the Risk IT Framework Process Model 
  • The Risk IT Framework

Prerequisites:

A minimum of at least three (3) years of cumulative work experience performing the tasks of a CRISC professional across at least three (3) CRISC domains is required for certification. There are no substitutions or experience waivers.

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User: tracycampbell

Instructor comments: Dave had great command of the class and the flow of information. The lessons seem relevant to the exam and the course material should assist greatly with passing. As a bonus, his breakdown of PKI helped with my current job requirements.

Facilities comments: The Home2Suites by Hilton was FANTASTIC!

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VM-335: VMware Cloud Essentials and vCloud – Architecting the VMware Cloud FastTrack

 

Course Overview:

This FastTrack course combines combines two VMware courses (VMware Cloud Essentials and vCloud Architecting the VMware Cloud) into a single week course that adds extra exercises and labs to exemplify the techniques presented.  The course begins with how to adopt, operate, and govern the cloud. The course enables participants to successfully complete the associated CompTIA Cloud Essentials™ Exam to become a Cloud Essentials™ Professional(CEP). This course also covers the subject matter specified by the VCP-Cloud certification.

This course is designed to guide students through the decision points and policy choices available for designing and implementing a VMware vCloud environment. Detailed labs and exercises for VMware vSphere™, VMware vCloud Director, VMware vCenter™ Chargeback, and the VMware® vShield Edge capability that is included with vCloud Director. A comprehensive VMware cloud design is demonstrated and discussed.

Attendees to VM-335:  VMware Cloud Essentials and vCloud – Architecting the VMware Cloud FastTrack will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Course Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

  • Understand the common terms and definitions of cloud computing.
  • Understand the business benefits and business considerations of cloud computing.
  • Understand cloud computing from a technical perspective and recognize the various techniques, methods, challenges, and types of clouds.
  • Understand the impact and changes of cloud computing on IT service management.
  • Explain typical steps that lead to the successful adoption of cloud computing and understand the implications for organizations.
  • Recognize the compliance, risk, and regulatory consequences of cloud computing and its financial and strategic impact on an organization.
  • Evaluate and design a multitenant environment to address both private cloud and public cloud customer needs.
  • Configure vCloud providers that can accommodate heterogeneous server, storage, and network resources
  • Design a network infrastructure optimized for vCloud.
  • Integrate vCloud Director security with existing LDAP systems and design appropriate security hierarchies with security rolesnderstand the common terms and definitions of cloud computing.
  • Understand the business benefits and business considerations of cloud computing.
  • Understand cloud computing from a technical perspective and recognize the various techniques, methods, challenges, and types of clouds.
  • Understand the impact and changes of cloud computing on IT service management.
  • Explain typical steps that lead to the successful adoption of cloud computing and understand the implications for organizations.
  • Recognize the compliance, risk, and regulatory consequences of cloud computing and its financial and strategic impact on an organization.
  • Evaluate and design a multitenant environment to address both private cloud and public cloud customer needs.
  • Configure vCloud providers that can accommodate heterogeneous server, storage, and network resources.
  • Design a network infrastructure optimized for vCloud.
  • Integrate vCloud Director security with existing LDAP systems and design appropriate security hierarchies with security roles.
  • Design a vCenter Chargeback implementation.

Course Prerequisites:

  • VM-315  or equivalent experience.
  • Managing or administering at least one of UNIX, Windows, databases, networking, or security.

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