This programme concentrates on the core planning skills needed to develop sound practical project plans in a team environment. This enables the plan to be modified should requirements change or difficulties arise. The programme also gives participants the confidence to practise those skills and apply them in the work environment and deliver their projects more successfully in the future. Participants learn fundamental project management concepts and terminology, demystifying the project management process, and, in particular, how to: Break a project down into manageable sections and ensure nothing is left out Understand and apply estimating techniques to develop realistic estimates Sequence work effectively and carry out critical path analysis to determine project duration and which tasks to pay closest attention to Manage project risk effectively to protect project value Monitor, control and re-plan the project to best keep it on track Close out the project and ensure the project comes to an orderly end 1 Introduction Self-introductions and personal objectives Course objectives Sharing of project issues 2 Project management concepts Characteristics of a project and what should be kept as operational responsibilities Understanding the triple and quadruple constraints - and their limitations Prioritising requirements through the MOSCOW technique Product v project life cycle Key project roles and responsibilities - the importance of sponsorship and clarity of roles 3 Starting a project, and the importance of the terms of reference / project brief Avoiding the pressure to 'just do it'! The importance and benefits of planning The best time to learn! Initial project documentation - the BOSCARDI approach 4 Breaking the work down Understanding alternative breakdown structures such as the product breakdown structure and work breakdown structure Guidelines for creating a work breakdown structure to ensure the full work scope is identified 5 Estimating Alternative estimating techniques and associated confidence levels Further considerations - loss and resource factors 6 Organising the work Use of network diagrams to develop a clear sequence of work Critical path analysis and calculating the project duration and task float - and usage 7 The management of project risk Understanding the nature of project risk The risk analysis and risk management processes How to best manage threats and opportunities Running a risk workshop Using the risk register 8 Scheduling the work The importance of the Gantt chart and understanding its limitations The Gantt chart layout and using alternative views such as the tracking Gantt Using alternative dependencies 9 Resource issues Assigning resources and resolving resource overloads Crashing and fast-tracking your project and potential issues to look out for 10 Controlling the project The control cycle and alternative feedback mechanisms Alternative progress reporting Assessing the impact The importance of re-planning The benefits of control Change control - the importance of impact analysis The steps of change control and the use of the issue register 11 Closing the project The project closure checklist Reviewing the project - things to avoid Developing meaningful lessons and ensuring they are applied effectively The post-project review - its importance to the organisation
Mikrotik routers training course description A fast paced practical hands on introduction to Mikrotik routers concentrating on basic product knowledge needed for the real world. Starts with the basics of accessing the routers through configuring static routes, RIP and OSPF, ending with firewalls. Hands on sessions follow all the major chapters. What will you learn Use Winbox. Use the Mikrotik command line. Perform basic troubleshooting. Configure Interfaces, RIP and OSPF. Perform housekeeping tasks such as: - save and load configurations - upgrade the OS - recover lost passwords Mikrotik routers training course details Who will benefit: Anyone who will be working with Mikrotik routers. Prerequisites: TCP/IP foundation for engineers Duration 2 days Mikrotik routers training course content Mikrotik routers RouterOS, RouterBoard. System resources. Getting started Accessing the router, Winbox, Webfig, Quickset. telnet. The command line interface Contexts, online help, basic troubleshooting. Configuring Interfaces Basics, Enabling interfaces. Ethernet, loopback interfaces. Adding IP addresses. Static routes Why use static routes? Configuring static routes, default routes. Configuring RIP How RIP works, configuration, troubleshooting. OSPF Configuration and troubleshooting. Housekeeping Configuration management, offline editing and FTP usage. RouterOS upgrades. Packages. Bypassing passwords. Other functions DHCP server. Firewall Connections, chains, actions, filters.
MPEG training course description This course studies the MPEG standards for video and audio compression. A major focus is on MPEG-4 and MPEG-TS. Hands on includes decoding and analysing MPEG streams. What will you learn Recognise the main MPEG standards. Describe the techniques used in MPEG video and audio compression. Compare MPEG2m MPEG4 and MPEG-H. Describe the MPEG-TS. Analyse MPEG streams. MPEG training course details Who will benefit: Anyone working with MPEG. Prerequisites: None. Duration 2 days MPEG training course contents Introduction What is MPEG? MPEG and VCEG, MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG-3, MPEG-4, MPEG-H, others, codecs and containers, licensing and patents, parts and layers (System, Video, Audio, others). MPEG2 DVD, DVB, characteristics, MPEG2 Part2, audio MPEG2 Part 7 (AAC). MPEG tools Wireshark, vlc, analysers, decoders, ffmpeg, wowzer. MPEG2 Video compression Sampling, bit rates, resolution. Inter and Intra frame coding, I, B, P frames, GOP, slices, blocks, macroblocks. Motion estimation. Hands on Analysing MPEG frames. MPEG4 Profiles and levels, Enhancements, Parts 1,2,3, Part 10 and AVC, Part 14 and mp4. Performance versus MPEG2. MPEG audio Coding, frequencies, bit rates. MPEG-TS PES, Transport Streams, TS elements, packets, PID, Programs, PSI, PAT, PMT, synchronisation, PCR, PTS. MPEG-H Part 2 HEVC, benefits, improvements. Video codecs What is a CODEC, pictures and audio, digitisation, sampling, quantisation, encoding, compressing.
RFID training course description This training course focuses on the technologies used in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). What will you learn Describe the RFID architecture. Design RFID systems. Evaluate tag types. Recognise common RFID problems. RFID training course details Who will benefit: RFID technologists and system engineers. Prerequisites: RF fundamentals. Duration 2 days RFID training course contents What is RFID? Review of RF basics, what is RFID, RFID history, RFID base system architecture, frequency bands used by RFID, comparison with barcodes. RFID applications Supply chain, asset tracking, theft reduction, retail, access control, tolls. Tags Tag features, types of tag, passive and active, chips, read only, read write, affixing tags, selecting location to affix a tag, tag orientation and location, tag stacking, impact of rate of movement, tag data formats. Interrogators/readers Interrogation zones, interrogator types, antennas, read distance tests, multiple interrogators, synchronisation, dense interrogator environment issues. RFID peripherals. Standards and regulations Global regulatory requirements, regional regulatory requirements, ISO, ETSI, FCC, EPC, safety regulations/issues. Testing and troubleshooting Read rate problems, improperly tagged items, tag failure. RFID system design Antenna types, interference, antenna location and spacing, how many antennas? How many interrogators? tag types, grounding considerations, cabling, site diagrams.
Advanced HP switches training course description A hands on course covering advanced features of HP switches. The focus of the course is on Layer 3 switching advanced features. Delegates will benefit the most from this course if they can supply us with their own configurations before the course. These configurations can then be used by the trainer in the course. What will you learn Configure and troubleshoot HP layer 3 switching. Configure and troubleshoot OSPF Harden HP switches. Explain the majority of their own configurations (if configurations are supplied to us before the course). Advanced HP switches training course details Who will benefit: Technical staff working with HP switches. Prerequisites: HP switches for engineers. Duration 2 days Advanced HP switches training course content Introduction VLAN review. Tagged and untagged ports. MSTP, PVST, UDLD, BPDU guard. Hands on VLANs, diagnostic tools debug, LLDP, remote port mirroring. L3 switching What are L3 switches? L3 lite, IPv4 and IPv6, routing protocols, routing tables. IP address on VLAN, no ip address on VLAN, connected interfaces, RIP. Hands on Routing between VLANs. Configuring and troubleshooting RIP. VRRP Default gateways, dead router detection, resilience. Hands on Configuring and troubleshooting VRRP. Static routes Why use static routes? Configuring static routes, default routes. OSPF Link state protocols, operation. Router types, LSA types, area 0. Hands on Configuring and troubleshooting OSPF. QoS Layer 2 QoS, 802.1Q, priorities, dscp mapping, rate limiting. Access lists Filtering traffic through the switch, controlling access to the switch, enabling and disabling ACLs, standard ACLs, extended ACLs Security DHCP snooping, ARP protection, STP guards, switch hardening. Summary Walkthrough of delegate configurations.
Advanced Asterisk training course description This 2 day hands-on Asterisk training course covers advanced Asterisk configuration including fault tolerant clusters, upgrading and patching Asterisk servers, firewall and NAT transversal, using databases to store Asterisk data. Practical sessions follow each major section to reinforce the theory. What will you learn Configure advanced Asterisk features. Utilise databases from Asterisk Integrate Asterisk with SIP servers. Build High Availability Asterisk clusters. Maintain and secure Asterisk servers. Advanced Asterisk training course details Who will benefit: Technical staff working with or evaluating Asterisk. Prerequisites: Definitive Asterisk for engineers Duration 2 days Advanced Asterisk training course contents Best Practice Review of basics, Channel best practice, dial plan best practise. Call Centre Features GUI, Asterisk Manager Interface, billing, CDR, advanced IVR, ACD, Vici Dial. Hands on Install Vici-Dial Asterisk and Databases MySQL, LDAP, ODBC, dial plan from a Database, storing CDR in a Database, Hands on Dial plan in MySQL, CDR in MySQL. TDM over Ethernet What is TDMoE, Asterisk to Asterisk TDMoE, Phone Bridge. Hands on * 2 * via TDMoE. High Availability Asterisk HA Linux - Virtual Servers, Fail-over steps, setting up HA Linux, configuring Asterisk for fail-over on HA Linux, Hands on Configure Asterisk HA. Advanced Dial plans Asterisk Gateway Interface, AGI IVR applications, Multiple switches sharing Dial plans, ENUM, DUNDI. Hands on Configure DUNDI. Integration Legacy PBX, SIP Proxys, OpenSER. Hands on Configure SER to work with Asterisk. Asterisk Maintenance Asterisk upgrades, implementing patches, advanced debugging, Security Firewalls, NAT, Asterisk security issues. Hands on Configure Asterisk to work through a Firewall and NAT.
Total H.248 training course description A course focusing purely on the H.248 protocol. Anyone working through the ITU standards documents can testify to the need of a training course to explain how H.248 really works. This course already assumes knowledge of other VoIP protocols and starts by positioning H.248 in relation to the other protocols. The course then looks at H.248 architectures and concepts before analysing H.248 messages and call flows. What will you learn Describe what H.248 is Recognise where H.248 fits in relation to other VoIP protocols. Explain how H.248 works. Analyse H.248 packets Total H.248 training course details Who will benefit: Technical staff working with H.248 Prerequisites: Voice Over IP. Duration 2 days Total H.248 training course contents What is H.248? Review of VoIP protocols: RTP, RTCP, SIP, SDP, H.323. The PSTN and SS7. Where H.248 fits into the picture. H.248 history. MGCP. The IETF. Megaco. ITU standards. H.248v1, v2, v3. H.248 architectures Media Gateways, Media Gateway Controllers, Gateway Control functions, Signalling Gateways. Reference architectures: IMS/TISPAN: IBCF, IWF, I-BGF, SPDF. MSF: S-SBG-NC, D-SBG-NC. GSMA: IPX Proxy. Softswitches. H.248 concepts The connection model, terminations, streams, contexts. Termination properties: descriptors, context properties. Events, signals, packages. H.248 messages Protocol stack, UDP, TCP. Message structure. Transactions, actions, commands. Requests, replies, acknowledgements. Sample message flows. Binary encoding, ASN syntax, Text encoding. H.248 commands Termination manipulation: Add, Subtract, Move, Modify. Event reporting: Notify. Management: AuditCapability, AuditValue, ServiceChange. H.248 Descriptors What are descriptors? Relationship with messages and commands. Basic descriptors, Descriptors composed of other descriptors. The 19 descriptors. Defaults. H.248 Transactions Groups of commands, transaction Ids, relationship with actions and commands. Requests and replies. H.248 wrap up What is a package? Basic packages. H.248 security. H.248 - SIP interoperation. H.248 interoperation with other protocols.
Session Border Controllers course description A hands on course covering Session Border Controllers with a focus on the technical workings of features commonly found in Session Border Controllers. Hands on practicals follow each major theory session. What will you learn Explain how Session Border Controllers work. Explain the SIP call flow using a SBC. Deploy Session Border Controllers Describe the features found in Session Border Controllers. Session Border Controllers course details Who will benefit: Technical staff working with SIP. Prerequisites: Definitive SIP for engineers Duration 2 days Session Border Controllers course contents SIP review Signalling, media, RTP, SIP, peer to peer, SIP proxies, SIP call flows. Hands on: SIP packet analysis. Session Border Controllers What is a SBC? SBC features, peering scenario, access scenario, NNI SBC, UNI SBC, enterprise SBC. Hands on: SBC call flows SBC topology hiding Header privacy, B2BUA. Hands on: Header analysis. Session control Call admissions, QoS, statistics and billing, redundancy and scalability. Hands on: SBC session control SBC and NAT NAT traversal, STUN, ICE, NAT and SIP, NAT and RTP. Hands on: SBC and NAT traversal. SBC and security DoS, access control, encryption, authentication, toll fraud, regulatory issues, lawful intercept. Hands on: Security. Interoperability mediation Manipulating SIP headers, IMS, IETF, TISPAN, SIP-I. SBC interworking.
Bluetooth training course description Bluetooth is used by many kids these days but is probably under-utilised in business environments. This hands on training course provides an overview of what Bluetooth is, how it works, what it can be used for and how to configure it on different devices. What will you learn Explain what Bluetooth is. Describe the Bluetooth protocol stack. Recognise the applications of Bluetooth. Configure Bluetooth. Bluetooth training course details Who will benefit: Anyone who needs to know more about Bluetooth. Prerequisites: None. Duration 2 days Bluetooth training course contents Classic Bluetooth Bluetooth overview Basics, standards, competing technologies. Bluetooth radio RF bands, power losses, frequency hopping. Bluetooth modulation PSK, DPSK, DPQSK. Bluetooth data transfer FH, TDD, FDMA, ACL, SCO, Bluetooth packets. Making connections Piconets, Scatternets, Pairing The protocol stack Baseband, Link Manager, L2CAP, SDP, GAP, RFCOMM. Profiles FTP, DUN, LAN, Synch, HDP, GOEP/OBEX etc. Security Authentication, authorisation, encryption, risks. Bluetooth Low Energy Introduction Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth Smart Ready. BLE device types Design goals, terminology and core concepts. BLE usage models Presence detection, data broadcasting connectionless models, gateways. BLE architecture Controller, host, applications and stack splits. BLE protocol stack Link layer, HCI, L2CAP. BLE profiles GAP roles, models, procedures, security modes, data advertising. BLE security Pairing, bonding, data signing BLE applications Devices, services, profiles, peripherals
H.323 training course description A hands on course covering IP telephony with H.323. The course starts with a brief review of knowledge students should already possess including RTP and RTCP. The main focus is on H.323 protocols though, progressing from what H.323 is through signalling, call processing and architectures, moving onto more advanced issues including security, multimedia, conferencing, and interoperability. Hands on practicals follow each major theory session. What will you learn Explain how H.323 works. Analyse H.323 packets. Deploy H.323 IP telephony solutions. Integrate H.323 with other telephony solutions. H.323 training course details Who will benefit: Technical staff working with H.323 Prerequisites: Voice Over IP Duration 2 days H.323 training course contents VoIP review Brief review of VoIP, IP, telephones and voice. RTP, RTCP, mixers and translators. What is H.323? The framework, Why H.323, history, H.323 standards and the ITU, H.323 versions 1,2,3,4, and 5, Annexes and Appendices, capabilities, services, How H.323 works, a basic call. H.323 protocol stack The overall framework, Audio codecs (H.7xx), Video codecs (H.26x), T.120 data conferencing. H.323 Architecture Endpoints: Terminals, MCUs, gateways. Gatekeepers, border and peer elements, design issues, signalling with and without gatekeepers. H.225 Packet format, ASN.1, Information elements, Call setup, Call control. Gatekeepers Gatekeeper features, admissions, address translation, bandwidth management, call routing, zones, administrative domains, gatekeeper discovery, call establishment, fast connect. RAS packet formats, RAS signalling. Alternate gatekeepers. H.245 Purpose, call control channel, relationship with H.225, message format, tunnelling. H.323 Supplementary services Conferencing: point to point, multipoint, hybrid, broadcast, H.332. H.450.x. Call transfer, diversion, hold and waiting. Remote device control (H.282, H.283). Capability exchange, Video. Security H.235. Authentication, privacy, transport layer level security. Interoperability Gateways, Inter working with PSTN, SIP and H323. H.246. Annexes and Appendices An overview.