Taking networks on the road: portable solutions for security educators

As an alternative to traditional solutions, we developed the portable educational network (PEN). PEN systems provide several advantages over permanent, fixed classrooms, and they´re in use today at several universities in support of undergraduate, graduate, and professional education in topics that have heretofore required specialized laboratories. Their flexibility makes PENs suitable for use with a variety of content - operating systems, networking, security, and forensics, for example - and they allow educators to easily reconfigure systems while maintaining physical segmentation, thus preventing any possible cross-contamination among courses. Indeed, teachers can safely use them for multiple courses over a given time period, using course-specific supplemental equipment as needed.