Modeling and evaluation of VPN laboratory exercises for Information Technology curricula

Establishment of a secure connection over Internet in industrial and commercial environments is very important. Considering that, information technology (IT) professionals are in charge for implementing the appropriate technologies. Therefore, the efficient IT security training inclusion in the university courses has the crucial role. The creation of VPN laboratory exercises for industrial Ethernet and business communication is presented in this paper. The VPN exercises are implemented on two laboratory sets for teaching VPN, the first one based on Allen-Bradley communication equipment in combination with other hardware and software components, and the second platform based on Cisco routers. The qualitative study was conducted in order to analyze student's experiences. Research findings indicate the importance of students experience in using learning materials and scenarios, experience in problem solving and using laboratory sets for mastering VPN technology.