Network Specialist Foundations: TCP/IP and Network Security

Understanding how data travels across the internet and how to secure it is the absolute foundation of any IT career. This text-based course guides you through the essential concepts of network engineering, helping you transition from a beginner to understanding how modern networks function, how protocols interact, and how to protect infrastructure from threats. What you'll learn: - Understand the core layers of the OSI model and TCP/IP protocol suite - Configure basic IP addressing, subnetting, and routing protocols - Analyze network traffic flows and common communication handshakes - Apply fundamental network security principles, including firewalls and encryption - Explore modern zero-trust security concepts and cloud networking basics - Practice diagnosing common connectivity issues using standard network utility commands The course begins with foundational networking definitions and protocol basics before moving into practical routing scenarios, security architectures, and modern network troubleshooting methods. Designed for beginners looking to enter network administration or prepare for foundational network specialist exams, this course requires no prior networking experience. Start reading today to build your network engineering expertise from the ground up.