If you’ve wanted to learn about VMware NSX, a L2-L7 networking and security virtualization platform entirely in software, and didn’t know where to start, this is the guide for you. Already an NSX user, and want to improve on your skills? This is also a great resource to becoming an NSXpert!

Reintroducing the VMware NSX Networking and Security Portfolio

VMware NSX is a network virtualization and security platform that offers a rich, full-stack of L2-L7 networking services such as routing, switching, load balancing, and firewalling to connect, protect, automate, and manage workloads across private, public and hybrid cloud environment as well as branch and cloud edge environments.

VMware NSX Networking and Security Portfolio 2019

The VMware NSX portfolio consists of a complete set of networking and security offerings designed to address customer use-cases supporting workloads based on virtual machines (VMs), containers, and bare-metal.

Here are the core components of the NSX portfolio:

  • NSX Data Center is the flagship NSX platform designed to connect and protect workloads in and across data center environments.
  • NSX Cloud extends the networking and security capabilities of NSX to workloads running natively in public clouds such as AWS and Azure.
  • NSX Distributed IDS/IPS is a fully distributed software intrusion detection and prevention solution to easily achieve compliance, create virtual security zones, and detect lateral threat movement on East-West network traffic.
  • NSX Advanced Load Balancer provides multi-cloud load balancing, web application firewall, and application analytics across on-premises data centers and any cloud.
  • VMware Tanzu Service Mesh, built with VMware NSX, using the open-source Istio as a foundation, provides application-level visibility, control, and security for enterprise-grade micro-services.

Getting Started with VMware NSX

They say “you have to start somewhere,” and, well, this is it: the beginning. Before you do anything else, get yourself familiar with the VMware NSX Portfolio offerings.

Beginner and Intermediate VMware NSX Resources

Once you’ve gotten the hang of what NSX can offer, it’s time to dive into a class or two to get up to speed on all things network and security virtualization. To “teach you how to fish,” we’ve curated our favorite links to VMware’s official educational materials— plus a few more.

Network Virtualization for Dummies Guide

This comprehensive introductory guide covers:

  • Why now is the right time to virtualize your network
  • How network virtualization works
  • Best practices, tips, and ways to save time

Click to download the Network Virtualization for Dummies Guide now.

On-demand NSX Webinars

Below is a list of NSX webinars that cover a variety of topics highlighting features and use cases such as internal firewalling, network automation, multi/hybrid cloud networking and more. All webinars are available on demand.

Networking and Security Architecture with VMware NSX on Coursera

This eight-week online course equips learners with the basics of network and security virtualization with VMware NSX.

To get the most out of this course, you should have familiarity with generic IT concepts such as routing, switching, firewalling, disaster recovery, business continuity, cloud, and security.

Click to learn more about the NSX on Coursera course.

Visit the VMware NSX YouTube Channel

Within the VMware NSX YouTube channel there are several curated playlists to check out. Here are a few playlist recommendations:

VMworld Networking and Security Sessions On-Demand

During VMworld 2019 the networking and security business unit delivered 91 breakout sessions! Read the VMworld US 2019 networking and security recap blog post for a list of technical sessions to watch on-demand.

Visit the VMworld on-demand video library for all the recordings of networking and security breakout sessions, showcase keynotes and more from VMworld.

Try NSX Hands-on Labs

Ready to test drive NSX? NSX Hands-on Labs (HOL) is a series of labs created directly from VMware product experts. HOLs allow you to evaluate the features and functionality of NSX for free, with no installation required.

Here are a few labs to get you started:

  • NSX-T Getting Started: learn how to configure logical switching, routing, load balancing and distributed firewall in a multi-hypervisor environment.
  • Integrating Kubernetes with NSX-T: learn about Kubernetes Namespaces, services and ingress rules, and security with NSX-T.
  • NSX-T Distributed Firewalling: see how easy it is to use NSX-T to configure distributed firewalls.
  • NSX Cloud: learn how NSX Cloud delivers consistent networking and security policies across enterprise, AWS, & Azure.

Click for more NSX HOLs

Advanced VMware NSX Resources

VMware NSX Certification

Once you’re up to speed, consider getting certified. VMware Network Virtualization certifications are designed to gauge your level of skill designing, implementing, and managing a VMware NSX environment. With a certificate, you can take your career to the next level.

Enroll in the 5-day NSX-T Install, Configure, Manage (ICM) course that covers the key features and functionality of NSX such as overall infrastructure, logical switching, routing, services micro-segmentation etc.

Visit our NSX certification site for more information on network virtualization certifications.

VMware NSX-T Reference Design Guide

The NSX-T reference design guide document provides design guidance and best practices for NSX.

Address Challenges of Migrating Data Center Solutions to the Cloud

Download the free guide to learn how VMware Cloud on AWS with NSX networking and security provides a hybrid cloud solution.

What’s Next to Becoming a VMware NSX Expert?

Stay up-to-date on the latest from the VMware NSX team by: