Video: Building an NSM Lab

Building a security lab is something I get asked about really often. So often, in fact, that I decided to put some of my notes together and record a short training video on the topic. This video is only a small part of a much larger series I’m developing, so if you’re interested in learning more about that when it’s available, sign up for my mailing list.

In this one hour video I discuss the importance of an NSM lab and go through a systematic approach to building your own. I go through the following topics:

• Analyzing your needs to define your inputs and desired outputs
• Modeling your lab by building a list of technologies
• The pros and cons of physical, virtual, and cloud based labs
• Choosing the right platform for your lab
• Designing your lab network
• Sourcing the right hardware for your lab
• Taking a step by step approach to designing and building the lab

Once you’re done with this video, you should have a system you can follow to build a lab that will help you test and build detection, analyze malware, and create simulations. I also provide a lot of insight to my own personal lab I use for my writing and my day job. I’ve also included some additional resources:

• Lab planning worksheet
• An exact parts list from my lab
• Two example lab network diagrams
• The network diagram for my personal lab

You can access the additional resources mentioned in the video here.