Taking the Network on the Road: Portable Network Solutions for Computer Security Educators

Educational institutions that wish to implement a specialized teaching laboratory often have a variety of obstacles to overcome. Some of these obstacles are related to adapting existing classroom infrastructure, building the laboratory, and meeting the demands for multiple-use classrooms to maximize the return on investment. In some cases, such as computer security, they must also maintain a controlled environment. Portable educational networks of computers allow teaching specialized topics that have heretofore required specialized laboratories in existing classrooms. Their flexibility allows them to be used for a variety of content--operating systems, networking, security, and forensics. These systems are in use today supporting undergraduate, graduate, and professional education.