Students and professionals involved in business, information technology, computer science, information systems, engineering, health care and other industries may need to develop their network and database management skills in order to stay current in their field. Open courseware provides an economic solution by offering free not-for-credit courses that prepare individuals for training programs, college study and work in a technologically-driven society. Network management classes can be found through open courseware by searching a college or university’s computer science, IT, electrical engineering, or business departments. This collection of open courseware classes in network management features courses offered by The Open University and MIT. Students can access high quality lecture notes and study materials for free, at any time and anywhere, as long as they have an Internet connection.

Courses like Network Security, Network Optimization, Protocols in Multi-Service Networks, Network and Computer Security, and Data Communication Networks exemplify the range of courses available in the field. Students learn important skills in evaluating network and computer security, understanding and using computer terminology, working with firewalls, setting up and navigating computer operating systems, setting up domain name systems, and more. These courses can be taken as an introduction to the field or to help students and professionals refresh their memory of important network management concepts.

• Network Security [The Open University] – Get a solid background in network security in this class, which introduces students to technology terminology, security threats and more.
• Protocols in Multi-Service Networks [The Open University] – Learn about domain name systems, hypertext, transmission control and more in this course.
• Network Optimization [MIT] – This graduate-level course covers project management, finance, computer science and other concepts as they relate to network flow.
• Network and Computer Security [MIT] – Learn about firewalls, cryptography, operating systems, software protection and more in this computer course.
• Data Communication Networks [MIT] – Students gain an understanding of data communication networks in this course, from practice to theory.