Managing Cisco Network Security

• Authors: Michael Wenstrom
• Venue: Managing Cisco Network Security
• Year: 2001

From the Book:Computer and network security have become front-page news due to the prevalence of attacks and the realization that the Internet revolution is here to stay and is the key to prosperity of individuals and countries. Leaders of nations and companies worldwide have been forced to pay attention to the urgent need for network security. Many have realized that their networks lack even basic security measures and that there are not enough network professionals trained to implement network security. Yet network security seems to be a complex, even esoteric subject that defies understanding by any but the most elite network professionals.Many of us whose careers are focused on increasing the knowledge and competency level of networking professionals saw the need to create a holistic approach to teaching network security in order to help people get started in better securing their networks. We saw the need to jump-start people into the network security field so that many more people could develop security expertise, thereby increasing network security as a whole. We decided to create a new network security course to address the anticipated need.Early in 1997, while a developer in Cisco Worldwide Training, I was assigned by my thenmanager, Chris Berriman, to develop the Managing Cisco Network Security (MCNS) course. Although nobody had yet requested such a course, our group had the vision to anticipate the eventual exploding need for network security training. I performed an informal survey of competitive offerings and found that no other companies were offering an equivalent course.The course was intended to provide a survey of Cisco network security technology, balancing breadth of technology offering with depth of coverage on each subject. Hands-on lab exercises would cement concepts and facts. The MCNS project was launched, and a team effort led to the production of the first and subsequent versions.This book is parallel in content to the MCNS course, yet it is completely rewritten based on extensive research. The need for a comprehensive network security book is especially strong today. This book addresses the compelling need to educate many more networking professionals and associates on vital network security needs, making network security available and understandable to many more people.Mike Wenstrom Cisco Systems, Inc.August 2000