Cisco Networking Academy – Network Configuration & Packet Tracer Labs

Structured Cisco Networking Academy program pairing conceptual coursework with lab work in Cisco Packet Tracer and hands-on device configuration. The goal was applied fluency in how enterprise networks are actually built, addressed, and secured — not passive study.

Move from concept to configuration: design working IP schemes, bring Cisco IOS devices up cleanly, verify connectivity end to end, and reason about the security posture of the resulting network.

Student practitioner executing every lab and Packet Tracer activity, then translating each into repeatable troubleshooting habits carried into enterprise support work.

• Completed up to 25 Cisco Packet Tracer activities covering device configuration, addressing, and protocol behavior.
• Executed 7 hands-on labs on physical and virtual Cisco equipment.
• Configured routers and switches through the Cisco IOS command line.
• Calculated IPv4 addressing schemes and subnets for small networks.
• Implemented DHCP and validated address assignment across clients.
• Analyzed ARP, DNS, Ethernet framing, and core network protocols during connectivity testing.
• Built and tested small wired and wireless networks end to end.
• Applied endpoint security, wireless security, and system integrity concepts to lab designs.
• Worked with virtualization, Windows Server, and Linux systems as part of the security foundation coursework.

1. 01

   Plan the addressing scheme

   Work out the IPv4 addressing and subnet plan before touching a device.

2. 02

   Bring up Cisco IOS devices

   Baseline configuration on routers and switches through the Cisco IOS CLI.

3. 03

   Configure services

   Implement DHCP and validate address delivery across the lab network.

4. 04

   Wire up the topology

   Assemble the wired and wireless segments in Packet Tracer or on physical gear.

5. 05

   Test and analyze

   Verify connectivity and inspect ARP, DNS, and Ethernet behavior to confirm the design works as intended.

6. 06

   Apply security concepts

   Layer in endpoint, wireless, and system-integrity considerations on top of the working network.

Coursework and lab artifacts are described at a high level; specific lab identifiers and instructor materials are intentionally omitted.

Translates directly into enterprise support work: faster reasoning about connectivity issues, comfort reading and following network configurations, and a stronger security foundation supporting the identity, endpoint, and Microsoft 365 work that drives the rest of the portfolio.

• Applied networking skill — configuration, addressing, and verification, not just theory.
• Discipline to complete a structured multi-course program end to end.
• Growing cybersecurity capability grounded in endpoint, network, and wireless fundamentals.
• Ability to connect networking foundations to real enterprise infrastructure work.