A curated list of training materials, tools, labs, certifications, and career guidance for network engineers, system administrators, and IT professionals who want to strengthen their networking fundamentals or transition into cybersecurity.
- Networking Fundamentals
- Network Tools & Utilities
- Virtual Labs & Practice Platforms
- Certifications for Network Engineers
- Cybersecurity Transition Path
- Cybersecurity Certifications
- Security Tools for Network Engineers
- Books & Reading
- Career Development
- Contributing
https://www.netacad.com/courses/packet-tracer
Simulated Cisco networking environment for routing, switching, and labs.
https://www.gns3.com
Advanced network topology emulator for enterprise-level lab simulation.
https://www.eve-ng.net
Enterprise-grade multi-vendor network emulation.
https://subnettingpractice.com
CIDR, mask calculations, and IP addressing practice.
https://www.rfc-editor.org
Authoritative source for protocols, networking architecture, and best practices.
https://www.wireshark.org
Packet capture, protocol analysis, and flow troubleshooting.
Network throughput testing and benchmarking.
Port scanning, host discovery, and service enumeration.
Latency path analysis and routing visibility.
Internet routing visibility tools (see bgp-routing-resources).
https://proxmox.com
Virtualization platform for homelabs and multi-node labs.
https://developer.cisco.com/site/sandbox/
Free, cloud-hosted Cisco labs.
https://ine.com
Enterprise-level R&S, security, and automation labs.
Industry baseline networking cert.
Gold standard for routing & switching fundamentals.
Advanced networking & enterprise design.
Alternative networking certs for non-Cisco environments.
- Master core networking (routing, switching, VLANs, firewalls)
- Build lab experience with packet capture & traffic analysis
- Learn Linux fundamentals & scripting
- Understand identity, access, and authentication
- Develop SIEM/SOC investigation workflows
- Study attack techniques (MITRE ATT&CK)
- Learn threat intelligence fundamentals
- Build portfolio projects (OSINT, threat hunting, labs)
- Packet analysis
- EDR / SOC workflows
- Network monitoring (Zeek, NetFlow)
- Threat intelligence basics
- Cloud networking security
- Identity & access control
Best starting cert for network → cyber transition.
Vendor-specific, strong for firewall & VPN roles.
Deep, hands-on defensive security.
Practical entry-level pentesting certs.
Free entry-level cybersecurity certification.
https://zeek.org
Network security monitoring via protocol analysis.
IDS/IPS engine with high performance.
NetFlow/IPFIX flow visibility.
All-in-one SOC platform with Zeek, Suricata, and Elastic.
Collaborative defense and reputation-based blocking.
Gold standard for conceptual understanding.
Deep-dive protocol knowledge.
Real-world network engineering.
Essential for transitioning into cyber defense.
Hands-on practice with firewalls, routing, DNS, and monitoring.
GitHub repos showing tools, scripts, or analysis (exactly like you're already doing).
Great stepping stone for network engineers moving to cyber analyst roles.
Shows initiative and builds real experience.
Pull requests with additional networking, sysadmin, or cybersecurity training resources are welcome.