Top 12 Network Designer Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the fast-evolving field of network design, standing out to potential employers requires showcasing a blend of technical prowess and soft skills on your resume. Highlighting the top 12 network designer skills effectively communicates your expertise and adaptability in designing robust, efficient networks in a competitive job market.

Network Designer Skills

1. Cisco IOS
2. Juniper Junos
3. BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
4. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)
5. MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)
6. IPv6
7. QoS (Quality of Service)
8. SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN)
9. Network Security
10. Cloud Networking
11. Wi-Fi 6
12. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

1. Cisco IOS

Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) is the proprietary operating system that runs on most Cisco routers and switches, providing a comprehensive set of networking protocols, services, and functions for data, voice, and video traffic management in enterprise and service provider networks.

Why It's Important

Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) is crucial for a Network Designer because it provides a standardized interface and command set for configuring and managing a wide range of Cisco networking devices, enabling consistent, efficient, and scalable network design and operations.

How to Improve Cisco IOS Skills

Improving Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) involves enhancing performance, security, and functionality within a network design. Here are concise steps for a Network Designer:

1. Upgrade to Latest Version: Ensure you're running the latest IOS version for improved features and security. Cisco Software Download provides the latest releases.

2. Optimize Configuration: Streamline configurations for efficiency. Use Cisco Feature Navigator to identify necessary features and reduce complexity.

3. Implement Security Best Practices: Apply security guidelines to protect the network. The Cisco Guide to Harden Cisco IOS Devices offers essential steps.

4. Enable NetFlow: For enhanced network visibility and performance monitoring, enable NetFlow. Instructions can be found in the Cisco NetFlow Configuration Guide.

5. Regularly Review and Audit: Regularly audit your network and configurations to identify inefficiencies or security gaps. Tools like Cisco Network Assistant can facilitate this process.

6. Educate and Train Teams: Ensure your team is knowledgeable about IOS features and best practices. Cisco's Learning Network offers resources and courses.

By following these steps and continuously monitoring for new updates and features from Cisco, a Network Designer can ensure an optimized, secure, and efficient network environment.

How to Display Cisco IOS Skills on Your Resume

2. Juniper Junos

Juniper Junos, for a Network Designer, is a high-performance network operating system that powers Juniper Networks devices, providing robust routing, switching, and security features designed for complex, scalable network infrastructures.

Why It's Important

Juniper Junos is important for a Network Designer because it provides a stable, scalable, and secure network operating system that supports automation and simplifies complex network configurations, enabling efficient design and deployment of sophisticated networks.

How to Improve Juniper Junos Skills

Improving Juniper Junos for a Network Designer involves enhancing configuration management, network security, and performance monitoring. Here are concise strategies:

1. Leverage Automation: Use Junos automation scripts with PyEZ for efficient configuration and management. Automate repetitive tasks to reduce human errors and save time.

2. Optimize Security: Implement Junos Space Security Director for centralized security management. Enhance firewall configurations and ensure regular updates to security policies.

3. Performance Monitoring: Utilize Juniper Networks J-Web Interface and Junos Space Network Director for real-time monitoring and reporting. This aids in identifying network bottlenecks and improving overall performance.

4. Network Design Optimization: Use Juniper Design and Architecture Center for best practices and design guides tailored to optimize network architecture.

5. Educational Resources: Continuously update your knowledge through Juniper Networks Learning Portal for courses and certifications on Junos OS and network design strategies.

By focusing on these areas, a Network Designer can significantly improve the efficiency, security, and reliability of networks powered by Juniper Junos.

How to Display Juniper Junos Skills on Your Resume

3. BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)

BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is the primary exterior gateway protocol designed to exchange routing and reachability information among autonomous systems (AS) on the Internet, enabling efficient, scalable global routing decisions. For a Network Designer, BGP is crucial for designing network architectures that ensure optimal path selection, redundancy, and traffic flow control between different networks owned by various organizations.

Why It's Important

BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is crucial for Network Designers because it enables efficient, scalable global routing by allowing different autonomous systems to exchange routing information, thus ensuring internet connectivity and optimal data path selection across disparate networks.

How to Improve BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) Skills

Improving BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) for a network designer involves enhancing security, stability, and performance. Here's a concise guide:

1. Implement BGP Security Best Practices: Use mechanisms like RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure) to validate route origins, BGPsec for path validation, and implement strict filtering policies to prevent route hijacking and leaks. BGP Best Current Practices

2. Optimize Route Policies: Design efficient routing policies to manage traffic flows effectively, reduce latency, and avoid unnecessary path changes. Employ route aggregation and damping strategies. BGP Optimization

3. Enhance BGP Convergence Time: Improve the network's response to topology changes by tuning BGP timers, leveraging BGP PIC (Prefix Independent Convergence) for faster recovery from failures, and using BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) for rapid failure detection. BGP Convergence Improvement

4. Deploy BGP Multi-homing and Traffic Engineering: Utilize multiple connections to different ISPs for redundancy and load balancing. Implement advanced BGP features like MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator), AS_PATH prepending, and community attributes for precise traffic control. BGP Traffic Engineering

5. Monitor and Analyze BGP Performance: Continuously monitor BGP sessions, prefixes, and route changes. Use tools and platforms for real-time visibility and alerts to detect anomalies quickly. BGP Monitoring Tools

6. Educate and Collaborate: Stay informed about the latest BGP developments and collaborate with the internet community. Participate in forums like NANOG (North American Network Operators Group) and engage with initiatives like MANRS (Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security) to adopt best practices and contribute to the overall security and stability of the internet. NANOG | MANRS

Implementing these strategies can significantly enhance the performance, reliability, and security of BGP in your network.

How to Display BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) Skills on Your Resume

4. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)

OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) is a dynamic routing protocol used in IP networks to find the shortest path for data packets to travel between nodes. It uses a link-state routing algorithm and is designed for scalability and rapid convergence, making it suitable for large and complex network topologies.

Why It's Important

OSPF is crucial for a Network Designer because it enables dynamic routing, ensuring optimal data paths, scalability, and efficient network traffic management, essential for designing robust and high-performance networks.

How to Improve OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) Skills

To improve OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) in your network design, consider the following concise strategies:

1. Hierarchy with Multiple Areas: Divide your network into multiple OSPF areas to reduce routing overhead, limit the size of the routing table, and minimize SPF calculations. OSPF Area Types and Configuration

2. Properly Design Backbone Area (Area 0): Ensure that all areas connect to the backbone area (Area 0) directly or through virtual links to maintain route propagation efficiency. Understanding OSPF Areas

3. Use of Stub Areas: Implement stub areas where external route advertisements are unnecessary. This reduces memory and CPU usage on routers within those areas. Configuring OSPF Stub Areas

4. Optimize Timers: Adjust OSPF timers (hello and dead intervals) according to the network's requirements to speed up route failure detection and recovery. OSPF Timers

5. Route Summarization: Use route summarization at area boundaries to reduce the size of routing tables, which improves overall network performance and scalability. OSPF Route Summarization

6. Load Balancing: Utilize OSPF's ability to perform equal-cost multi-path (ECMP) routing for load balancing traffic and maximizing bandwidth utilization. OSPF Load Balancing

7. Use of Passive Interfaces: Designate interfaces with no OSPF neighbors as passive to enhance security and decrease unnecessary OSPF traffic. Configuring OSPF Passive Interface

By carefully planning and implementing these strategies, you can optimize the performance, scalability, and efficiency of OSPF in your network.

How to Display OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) Skills on Your Resume

5. MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)

MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) is a high-performance telecommunication network protocol that directs data from one node to the next based on short path labels rather than long network addresses, avoiding complex lookups in a routing table and speeding up traffic flow. For a Network Designer, MPLS provides a way to create efficient, scalable, and flexible networks, allowing for traffic engineering, quality of service (QoS) management, and improved redundancy and network resilience.

Why It's Important

MPLS is important for a Network Designer because it provides efficient, scalable, and flexible routing and data carriage across wide-area networks, enabling prioritization of traffic, improving bandwidth usage, and reducing network congestion.

How to Improve MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) Skills

Improving MPLS efficiency and performance in a network design involves several strategies aimed at optimizing routing, enhancing security, and ensuring high availability. Below are concise recommendations:

1. Optimize Routing: Implement traffic engineering (TE) to control the path traffic takes through the network, thus maximizing bandwidth utilization and improving performance. Cisco MPLS Traffic Engineering

2. Enhance Security: Strengthen MPLS VPN security by using robust authentication and encryption methods. Implementing MPLS Layer 3 VPNs with IPsec can provide end-to-end encryption. MPLS VPN Security

3. Ensure High Availability: Design the network with redundant paths and implement fast reroute (FRR) mechanisms to minimize downtime during link or node failures. MPLS Fast Reroute

4. Quality of Service (QoS): Apply QoS policies to prioritize critical applications, ensuring that important traffic is delivered with the necessary bandwidth and low latency. MPLS QoS Design

5. Scalability: Plan for future growth by designing a scalable label distribution protocol and considering the impact of adding new sites or services on the MPLS infrastructure. Scaling MPLS Networks

6. Monitoring and Management: Use network monitoring tools to track MPLS performance and troubleshoot issues proactively. MPLS Monitoring Best Practices

By focusing on these areas, a network designer can significantly improve the efficiency, reliability, and security of an MPLS network.

How to Display MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) Skills on Your Resume

6. IPv6

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP), designed to address the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses. It uses 128-bit addresses, allowing for a vastly larger number of networked devices. For a Network Designer, IPv6 offers enhanced features such as improved routing and network autoconfiguration capabilities, better security protocols directly integrated, and the elimination of the need for Network Address Translation (NAT), simplifying network design and management.

Why It's Important

IPv6 is crucial for a Network Designer because it provides a vastly larger address space to accommodate the explosive growth of internet-connected devices, ensuring scalability, and supports improved routing efficiency, security, and address auto-configuration capabilities, essential for modern network design and management.

How to Improve IPv6 Skills

Improving IPv6 design and implementation involves several key strategies tailored for Network Designers to enhance performance, security, and usability across networks. Here's a concise guide:

1. Plan Addressing Carefully: Design a scalable and logical IPv6 address plan. Utilize structured addressing to simplify routing and management. IPv6 Address Planning offers guidelines for creating an efficient structure.

2. Enhance Security: Implement robust security measures. IPv6 includes IPsec for encryption and authentication but ensure it's properly configured. Incorporate additional security tools and practices. Cisco's IPv6 Security Best Practices is a valuable resource.

3. Optimize Routing: Use efficient routing protocols that support IPv6, like OSPFv3 or BGP, to improve network performance and reliability. Cisco offers insights on Optimizing IPv6 Routing.

4. Deploy Dual Stack: Transition smoothly from IPv4 to IPv6 by running both protocols simultaneously. This approach minimizes disruption. The Internet Society provides a comprehensive guide on Running IPv6 and IPv4 Together.

5. Educate and Train Staff: Ensure your team is knowledgeable about IPv6 features, security implications, and management practices. Offer training resources such as IPv6 Training to stay updated.

6. Monitor and Manage: Use network monitoring tools that support IPv6 to keep track of network performance and troubleshoot issues promptly. Consider tools like SolarWinds or Nagios for IPv6 Network Monitoring.

7. Test Extensively: Before full deployment, conduct comprehensive testing for compatibility, performance, and security across all network devices and applications. Tools like Ixia provide IPv6 testing capabilities.

By focusing on these areas, Network Designers can enhance their IPv6 networks, ensuring they are secure, efficient, and ready for the future demands of internet communications.

How to Display IPv6 Skills on Your Resume

7. QoS (Quality of Service)

QoS (Quality of Service) is a networking technique used to manage and prioritize data traffic to ensure the performance, reliability, and priority of specific types of data (e.g., voice, video) over a network, enhancing the user experience by reducing latency, jitter, and packet loss.

Why It's Important

QoS is essential for a Network Designer because it ensures optimal performance and prioritization of critical applications and services by managing and allocating network resources efficiently, thus guaranteeing user satisfaction and meeting business objectives.

How to Improve QoS (Quality of Service) Skills

Improving Quality of Service (QoS) in a network involves prioritizing certain types of traffic to ensure high performance for critical applications. Here's a concise guide for a Network Designer:

1. Identify Critical Traffic: Determine which applications and services are most important to your organization. Cisco - Identifying Network Traffic

2. Classify and Mark Traffic: Use tools and protocols like Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) to classify and mark packets based on priority. Juniper - Understanding Class of Service

3. Implement Traffic Shaping and Policing: Control the rate of traffic transmission and enforce bandwidth limits for lower-priority traffic. TechLibrary - Traffic Policing and Shaping

4. Configure Queuing Strategies: Use queuing mechanisms like Low Latency Queuing (LLQ) and Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ) to manage packet scheduling. Cisco - Congestion Management Overview

5. Enable Congestion Avoidance: Implement congestion avoidance techniques such as Tail Drop or Random Early Detection (RED) to prevent network congestion. Cisco - Congestion Avoidance Overview

6. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor network performance and adjust QoS settings as needed to maintain optimal service levels. SolarWinds - Network Performance Monitor

By following these steps and utilizing the recommended resources, a Network Designer can effectively improve QoS, ensuring that critical applications and services run smoothly and efficiently.

How to Display QoS (Quality of Service) Skills on Your Resume

8. SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN)

SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) is a networking approach that uses software-defined networking (SDN) principles to automatically manage and optimize WAN connections, improving bandwidth efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing network agility and performance across multiple locations and cloud environments.

Why It's Important

SD-WAN is crucial for a Network Designer because it provides simplified management, improved application performance, increased network agility, and cost reduction by optimizing WAN traffic across multiple connection types (like MPLS, broadband, and LTE) based on the application's needs. This enables more efficient and flexible network designs.

How to Improve SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN) Skills

Improving SD-WAN involves enhancing network efficiency, reliability, security, and management. Here are concise strategies:

1. Optimize Traffic Routing: Implement dynamic path selection based on real-time network conditions to ensure optimal application performance. Cisco offers insights into optimizing traffic.

2. Enhance Security: Integrate advanced security features like next-generation firewall (NGFW), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and secure web gateways directly into the SD-WAN solution. Fortinet provides solutions for secure SD-WAN.

3. Improve Visibility and Control: Utilize centralized management platforms for better visibility and control over the network. Tools like VMware SD-WAN can aid in managing network traffic effectively.

4. Cloud Integration: Ensure seamless integration with cloud services for improved performance and scalability. Aryaka specializes in cloud-first SD-WAN solutions that enhance cloud application performance.

5. Network Redundancy: Design the network with redundancy in mind to ensure high availability and reliability. Silver Peak, now part of Aruba, offers solutions focused on building a resilient network.

Implementing these strategies requires a comprehensive understanding of both the existing network infrastructure and the specific business requirements. Always consider the scalability, security, and manageability of the SD-WAN solution to ensure it aligns with the organization's long-term goals.

How to Display SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN) Skills on Your Resume

9. Network Security

Network security is the practice of implementing measures and protocols to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility of computer networks and data from unauthorized access, attacks, or disruptions, aimed at ensuring safe and reliable network operations and data communications.

Why It's Important

Network security is crucial for a Network Designer as it safeguards data integrity, prevents unauthorized access, and ensures reliable, secure connectivity across the network, vital for organizational operations and trust.

How to Improve Network Security Skills

Improving network security involves a multi-layered strategy to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of network infrastructure and data. Here are concise strategies for a network designer:

1. Implement Strong Access Control: Use robust authentication methods and limit user access based on roles to ensure only authorized users can access network resources.

2. Use Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): Deploy firewalls and IDS to monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an organization’s security policies.

3. Secure Wireless Networks: Ensure wireless networks are secure by using strong encryption (WPA3), hiding SSIDs, and regularly changing passwords. Refer to FCC's Tips for Wireless Security.

4. Regularly Update and Patch Systems: Keep all software and hardware up to date with the latest patches to protect against vulnerabilities. The Center for Internet Security provides guidelines on maintaining system security.

5. Encrypt Sensitive Data: Use encryption for data both at rest and in transit to prevent unauthorized access. Tools like OpenSSL can help in implementing encryption.

6. Educate and Train Employees: Conduct regular training sessions on security best practices and phishing awareness. Resources from Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are valuable for training materials.

7. Implement Network Segmentation: Divide the network into segments to limit an attacker’s ability to move laterally within the network. The SANS Institute offers guidance on network segmentation.

8. Regularly Conduct Security Audits and Assessments: Periodic audits help identify vulnerabilities and gaps in security policies. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides frameworks for assessing and improving network security.

By following these strategies, network designers can significantly enhance the security of their networks against various threats.

How to Display Network Security Skills on Your Resume

10. Cloud Networking

Cloud networking is the design and management of a network infrastructure that delivers network services, resources, and applications from a pool of cloud-based resources, rather than from traditional on-premises hardware and software. It enables scalable, flexible, and cost-effective network solutions for connecting users to applications and data, regardless of their location.

Why It's Important

Cloud networking is crucial for a Network Designer because it enables scalable, flexible, and efficient network infrastructure management across distributed resources, ensuring optimal performance, reliability, and security for diverse applications and services.

How to Improve Cloud Networking Skills

Improving cloud networking involves enhancing performance, security, scalability, and reliability. As a Network Designer, focus on the following concise points:

1. Design for Scalability: Opt for scalable network architectures like VPCs that can grow with your demand. AWS VPCs are a good example (AWS VPC).

2. Optimize Performance: Use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to reduce latency. Consider Cloudflare (Cloudflare CDN) or Akamai (Akamai) for global content delivery.

3. Enhance Security: Implement robust network security measures including firewalls, encryption, and IAM policies. Cisco offers comprehensive cloud security solutions (Cisco Cloud Security).

4. Utilize Software-Defined Networking (SDN): SDN offers flexible network management and automation. Check out VMware NSX for a comprehensive SDN solution (VMware NSX).

5. Integrate Monitoring and Management Tools: Use tools like SolarWinds or Nagios for network performance monitoring (SolarWinds, Nagios).

6. Consider Multi-Cloud Strategies: This enhances redundancy and avoids vendor lock-in. Google Anthos is a platform to manage apps across different clouds (Google Anthos).

7. Adopt Automation: Automate repetitive network tasks for efficiency. Ansible by Red Hat provides automation capabilities (Ansible).

8. Embrace Zero Trust Architecture: Minimize threats by verifying every user and device. For a starting point, see Google's BeyondCorp (BeyondCorp).

Focusing on these areas and continuously adapting to new technologies and best practices will significantly improve cloud networking capabilities.

How to Display Cloud Networking Skills on Your Resume

11. Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, is the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology designed to improve network efficiency, support a higher density of devices, and deliver faster speeds. It introduces features such as OFDMA, MU-MIMO, and TWT to enhance connectivity in crowded environments and reduce latency for a better user experience.

Why It's Important

Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, is important for Network Designers because it offers increased network efficiency, higher capacity, and improved performance in dense environments, ensuring a better user experience and supporting a greater number of devices simultaneously.

How to Improve Wi-Fi 6 Skills

To improve Wi-Fi 6 performance for a network designer, consider the following concise strategies:

1. Optimize Placement: Ensure Access Points (APs) are centrally located and avoid physical obstructions. Wi-Fi Alliance

2. Channel Planning: Use a Wi-Fi analyzer tool to select channels with the least interference. MetaGeek

3. Band Steering: Encourage devices to connect to the less congested 5GHz band. Cisco Band Steering Explanation

4. Enable OFDMA: Ensure Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access is enabled for efficient bandwidth use. Qualcomm OFDMA Overview

5. Update Firmware: Regularly update AP and device firmware to ensure optimal performance and security. Linksys Firmware Update Guide

6. Limit Legacy Devices: Reduce or isolate legacy devices that do not support Wi-Fi 6 to avoid slowing down the network. Aruba Networks

7. Quality of Service (QoS): Configure QoS settings to prioritize critical traffic and manage bandwidth. IEEE 802.11e QoS

8. Network Security: Implement WPA3 for enhanced security and device connection integrity. Wi-Fi Alliance Security

By applying these strategies, a network designer can significantly enhance Wi-Fi 6 performance, ensuring a robust, efficient, and secure wireless network.

How to Display Wi-Fi 6 Skills on Your Resume

12. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is a network protocol designed for managing devices on IP networks. It enables network designers to monitor network performance, detect network faults, and configure network devices from a central location.

Why It's Important

SNMP is crucial for a Network Designer because it provides a standardized framework to monitor and manage network devices efficiently, enabling proactive maintenance and optimization of network performance and security.

How to Improve SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) Skills

Improving SNMP in network design involves enhancing security, efficiency, and scalability. Here are concise strategies:

1. Upgrade to SNMPv3: For enhanced security, transition to SNMPv3, which offers authentication and encryption. Cisco SNMPv3 Guide.

2. Use Network Management Software: Implement comprehensive management tools that support SNMP efficiently, like SolarWinds or Nagios. SolarWinds NPM.

3. Optimize Polling Intervals: Adjust polling intervals to balance between timely updates and network load. Optimizing SNMP.

4. Limit Access with ACLs: Apply Access Control Lists (ACLs) to restrict SNMP access to authorized devices and IPs. Configuring SNMP ACL.

5. Deploy SNMP Agents Strategically: Position SNMP agents to minimize performance impacts and maximize coverage. SNMP Agents.

6. Regularly Update and Patch: Keep SNMP agents and managers up-to-date to mitigate vulnerabilities. CERT SNMP Vulnerabilities.

7. Utilize SNMP Traps Wisely: Employ SNMP traps for critical alerts to reduce polling overheads. Understanding SNMP Traps.

8. Monitor SNMP Traffic: Regularly analyze SNMP traffic to identify anomalies and optimize performance. Monitoring SNMP Traffic.

By following these strategies, a network designer can significantly improve the efficiency, security, and scalability of SNMP within their network architecture.

How to Display SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) Skills on Your Resume