| This book is meant for anyone who wants a comfortable introduction to a broad variety of networking topics. That's not to say this book doesn't tell you some important technical details, because it does. Primarily, this book is purposefully designed for people who want a solid understanding of the basics of networking, plus a good working knowledge of the terminology that networking professionals use every day. That said, there are a few specific types of people who come to mind that will especially benefit from this book: People who are beginning their quest to become networking techies. Anyone who wants to work in the computer networking arena has to start learning somewhere, and this book is an excellent starting point. Whether you are in school and using this book as part of a course, or you are learning on your own, this book can start you on a career in networking. IT professionals who are looking to know more about networking. If you're already in the IT arena but don't know a lot about computer networking, this book can help you as well. You've probably already heard a fair amount of the lingo used by networking types, but now you want to know what they really mean by it all. This book is for you! It covers hundreds of terms with explanations in the context of how you normally build a corporate network. People who need to talk to the people who build networks, but who have no need to know how to build networks themselves. Lots of people have jobs that require them to have a general idea about how networks work, but without needing to make them work. For instance, businesses that sell networking hardware and software have people who work for themsalesmen, accountants, operations, consultants, customer service reps, and administratorsand all of them can benefit from knowing a little about networking. Also, some companies don't sell hardware and software, but they sell services that rely completely on networking. Insurance companies, banks, shipping companies, and many others rely on their networks for the core business functions. If you want to understand what the network engineers are saying, this book will help! People who want to pass networking certification exams but who need more background. If you want to get some good résumé material so that you can get a job in networking, you should try to get some networking certifications. Many people need a little more background before diving into the books and courses related to entry-level networking certifications, and this book can help.
Still Hungry? Try Another First-Step Some of you might be thinking something like, "Well, I already know something about networking, and maybe this book can fill in some holes. I really like the approach and comfort of using this book, but what I really want to know a lot about is security, and there are only two chapters on security. What I really need is a First-Step book on computer security!" Well, if you really thought that, the book Network Security First-Step is meant for you. Cisco Press introduced the First-Step Series in the spring of 2004. You can check http://ciscopress.com/firststep for more information on any new titles. The goal of the First-Step books is to provide an easy first step into whatever networking technology is covered by the book. Each First-Step> book meets you at the beginner stage for the technologies in the book. For instance, Network Security First-Step covers some of the basics of a protocol called TCP/IP, but it focuses specifically on network security. | 