In the world of cloud computing education, virtual labs are rapidly becoming the new normal.
It's not hard to see why. Virtual labs provide learners with flexible sandbox environments where they can break things safely and deepen essential cloud computing skills. And for the employer, they skill up employees at a fraction of the cost of in-house training and with a fraction of the disruption.
A lot goes on behind the scenes to make virtual labs run smoothly for course providers and students. Above all, they have to be highly available and highly secure.
High availability is essential because learners need access around the clock. Without high levels of uptime, flexible learning becomes that bit less flexible. Done right, however, learners can access high-quality professional development without disrupting their working day.
And as for high security – well, you don't need us to tell you why security in IT is imperative.
It's not just that you want to keep your employee data safe. It's also that security breaches are now punished with costly fines under GDPR and other regulatory frameworks.
So, how are virtual labs kept safe? The answer is strict isolation and the use of NAT networking to quarantine VMs from the host machine and the public internet.
How are virtual labs kept safe?
Virtual labs need to be safe environments. Without guardrails in place, courses are vulnerable to cyber attacks. These can disrupt learning and expose course providers to security breaches.
One way virtual labs are kept safe is by providing simulations, not real-world experiments. In a virtual lab that focuses on security skills, learners can practise troubleshooting and problem-solving without exposing company infrastructure to real-world risks.
But the labs themselves need to be kept safe, too. This is done through a combination of access controls, user snapshots and the ability to reset environments to a clean slate.
Virtual machines are run within network address translation (NAT) networks. These ensure the VMs are isolated from both the host computer and the public internet. This enables malware testing without exposing real systems to security risks.
Access to virtual labs is strictly monitored and authenticated. Labs are secured with single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
SSO acts as a "key" to unlock multiple services simultaneously, eliminating the need to manage multiple passwords. Meanwhile, MFA buttresses password access with protection against phishing and unauthorised access.
Virtual labs are isolated from real-world systems. This means risks to software and data are kept behind a
cordon sanitaire. This is a much more secure way of doing things than getting learners to practise on real-world systems.
Another security measure taken to ensure virtual lab security is the use of instant resets and snapshots. This allows technicians to instantly reset compromised lab machines to a clean slate.
Finally, data protection and privacy are built into virtual labs. They ensure data privacy in line with compliance standards like GDPR. This partly involves saving work in cloud storage as opposed to local folders.
At the end of the day, virtual labs are kept safe by providing isolated environments that don't touch real-world systems. This gives learners a secure sandbox in which to deepen their skills and act out emergency situations with no practical consequences.
This robust security posture is part of what makes virtual labs so effective as a learning tool. Safe in their sandboxes, learners become confident in using complex software. Once the course is finished and they're experienced and certificated, they can apply these skills with confidence on the job.
What is VMware VEDP?
VEDP stands for "VMware education delivery partner". A VEDP is a VMware-authorised partner that delivers official training and certification programmes for the VMware software stack.
These programmes let employers leverage expertise without paying for individual consultants or laying on in-house training. The result is a new generation of cloud engineers with deep practical skills drilled in a safe environment.
Virtual labs are accessible from any location and at any time. This is highly useful in the age of hybrid working, where workforces are often geographically dispersed. It enables anyone to enrol and access learning without making them travel or otherwise disrupt their working day.
VEDP is also valued by employers for its focus on certification. It helps learners work towards certificates like the VCP-VCF (VMware Cloud Foundation Administrator) certificate. This certificate demonstrates that the holder can effectively manage complex VCF environments.
Another advantage of VEDP courses is their breadth. They cover the full VMware software stack, including vSphere (computer), vSAN (storage) and NSX (networking).
All these courses are provided in highly isolated and secure environments. This gives learners, employees and course deliverers peace of mind that their work isn't vulnerable to cyber attacks.
How we can help
Ascend Cloud Solutions was born in the cloud – in the VMware cloud, to be precise. Many of our staff are ex-VMware employees, making us ideal lab hosts for VEDP courses, as well as highly experienced cloud migration consultants.
We understand the value of training and know the importance of it running smoothly. This is why we work so hard to ensure a fluid learning experience – one that's available around the clock and that's tightly secured against cyber attack.
We provide lab hosting services for the full range of VEDP courses. These cover Cloud Foundation, vSphere, vSAN, NSX, Aria, Cloud Director, Tanzu/Kubernetes and Site Recovery Manager.
To find out more about these courses, take a look at our
course catalogue today.
Are you looking for highly secure and highly available
lab hosting services for VEDP courses? Don't hesitate to
get in touch with Ascend Cloud Solutions to discuss your needs with our experts.
