NexusSec Virtual Labs (NSVL) is a browser-based lab platform at labs.nexusseclabs.com. You build topologies on a canvas and open a console on any device, all in the browser, running against real routers, switches and firewalls. "Virtual" describes how you reach the equipment — over the network, from anywhere — not the equipment itself. The hardware is genuine, and it is the same class of kit NexusSec Labs supplies as refurbished stock.
NSVL NexusSec Virtual Labs
NexusSec Virtual Labs —
real kit, remote access.
Hands-on lab environments running on genuine Cisco, Fortinet, Sophos, Palo Alto and MikroTik equipment. Built for certification practice, design validation and rehearsing a change before it reaches production.
- Realhardware, not simulators
- 24/7remote console access
- Savedconfigs between sessions
- Custombuilt to your syllabus
01 About the labs
What NexusSec
Virtual Labs is.
A reserved slice of real enterprise networking and security equipment, reachable over the internet, with a saved starting topology and guided scenarios.
It is not a simulator, an emulator, or a video course. There is no scripted "correct path" and nothing is faked: if you misconfigure a routing protocol the network genuinely breaks, and you diagnose it the way you would at 2am in a live environment. It is also not a managed service — we build and reset the lab, you do the work.
02 Virtual vs physical
The difference
that actually matters.
Three ways to get hands on enterprise kit. Each has a place — this is an honest comparison, including where our own labs are the wrong choice.
Simulator
Packet Tracer, GNS3, EVE-NG
- Free or cheap, runs on a laptop
- Fine for learning command syntax
- Idealised timing and convergence
- No real licensing or feature limits
- Cannot reproduce hardware faults
NexusSec Virtual Labs
Remote access to our physical racks
- Genuine platform behaviour and timing
- Real licensing states and feature limits
- No capital outlay, no power or noise
- Reset to a clean topology on demand
- Needs a working internet connection
Your own physical lab
Buying the hardware outright
- Yours permanently, cable it any way
- Best for long-term, daily use
- Upfront cost per platform
- Power, cooling, noise and space
- You own every hardware failure
Straight answer: if you will use a platform daily for years, buy it — and we sell it. If you need a specific platform for a certification push, a design decision or a migration rehearsal, renting lab time costs a fraction of the equipment and you are not left owning a firewall you needed for six weeks.
03 Technologies
Technologies available in
NexusSec Virtual Labs.
Hands-on labs covering industry-leading networking and cybersecurity platforms — the vendors you actually meet in enterprise and service-provider environments.
Cisco
IOS and IOS-XE. CCNA 200-301 and CCNP ENCOR/ENARSI blueprints — VLANs and trunking, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, HSRP and VRRP, ACLs, structured troubleshooting.
Fortinet
FortiOS policy and NAT, FortiGate SD-WAN, security profiles, SSL inspection and FortiManager workflows. NSE 4 and NSE 7 practice.
Sophos
XG and XGS policy, NAT, IPS tuning, web and application control, site-to-site IPsec and remote-access SSL VPN on a live appliance.
MikroTik
RouterOS addressing and masquerade NAT, firewall filter chains, queue trees for QoS, a PPPoE access concentrator with client isolation, and site-to-site IPsec. MTCNA practice.
Palo Alto Networks
PAN-OS zones and security policy, App-ID, User-ID, decryption, GlobalProtect and Panorama. PCNSA and PCNSE preparation.
Also available: SD-WAN overlay design, MPLS L3VPN on a provider-style core, F5 BIG-IP application delivery, VMware ESXi and vCenter, and Linux server labs. Mixed-vendor topologies are built on request.
04 Why use a lab
Because production is
a bad place to learn.
Four reasons people book time, in the order we hear them.
-
01
Certification needs muscle memory
Reading a blueprint does not build the reflex of finding a broken adjacency under time pressure. Lab repetition does. Our topologies follow the published exam blueprints so practice maps to what is assessed.
-
02
Designs fail in ways diagrams do not show
Convergence timing, asymmetric routing, MTU and fragmentation, licensing limits — these appear when real equipment is under real load, and rarely on a whiteboard.
-
03
A rehearsed migration is a shorter outage
Running the cutover once in a lab turns unknowns into a checklist. It is the cheapest insurance available on a maintenance window.
-
04
Owning every platform is not realistic
A firewall you need for six weeks is not worth buying, powering and eventually reselling. Lab time costs a fraction of the appliance.
05 Who it is for
Three people book
lab time, for three reasons.
Each gets a different build, a different scenario set and a different booking shape.
Certification candidates
Students and working engineers preparing for CCNA, CCNP, NSE, PCNSA, PCNSE or MTCNA.
- Blueprint-aligned scenarios
- Booked by day or week
- Reset to clean start any time
Network & security teams
Integrators, MSPs and in-house teams validating a design or rehearsing a cutover before the maintenance window.
- Design validation
- Migration rehearsal
- Fault reproduction
Training providers & colleges
Institutions running a cohort who need per-student topologies without buying a rack per classroom.
- Multi-seat scheduling
- Per-student topologies
- Built to your course outline
06 How it works
Booked, built,
and connected.
Everything runs in the browser. There is nothing to install, and no VPN client to configure.
- 01
Request access
Register on the lab platform with your name, work email and what you plan to build.
- 02
An engineer reviews it
Every request is reviewed by a person, not a signup script. Your environment is sized and provisioned on approval.
- 03
Sign in and build
Drag nodes onto a canvas, cable them, and open a console in the browser. No client software, no local resources consumed.
- 04
Save, snapshot, reset
Topologies and configurations persist between sessions. Wipe back to a clean lab whenever a build gets away from you.
07 Common questions
Before you
book a lab.
Anything else, message us on WhatsApp or email [email protected].
Is this real hardware or a simulator?
Real hardware. NexusSec Virtual Labs gives remote access to physical Cisco, Fortinet, Sophos, Palo Alto and MikroTik equipment in our racks. "Virtual" describes how you reach it — over the network — not the equipment. Simulators reproduce command syntax; they do not reproduce real convergence timing, licensing states or hardware failure modes.
What is the difference between a virtual lab and a physical lab?
A physical lab is equipment you own: full control and no internet dependency, but upfront cost, power, cooling, noise, space, and every hardware failure is yours. A NexusSec virtual lab is the same class of equipment accessed remotely: no capital outlay, no running costs, reset on demand, and a wider platform range than most people could justify buying — but it needs a working internet connection and is booked for a period rather than owned.
Which certifications do the labs support?
Cisco CCNA 200-301 and CCNP ENCOR/ENARSI, Fortinet NSE 4 and NSE 7, Palo Alto PCNSA and PCNSE, and MikroTik MTCNA. Topologies follow the published exam blueprints, so practice maps to what is assessed.
What do I need to connect?
A modern browser. The lab platform runs the topology canvas and every device console in the browser over HTML5, so there is no client to install, no VPN to configure and nothing running on your own machine. A stable connection matters more than a fast computer.
Do my configurations survive between sessions?
Yes, for the length of the booking. You can also reset to the clean starting topology at any point, so a broken configuration never costs you the rest of your lab time.
Can you build a lab to our own design or syllabus?
Yes. Custom topologies are built to a certification syllabus, a training course outline, or a specific migration or design that needs validating — including mixed-vendor environments. Tell us the goal and we confirm what is reproducible before you commit.
How does this relate to NexusSec Labs hardware?
Same business. NexusSec Labs supplies tested refurbished enterprise hardware; NexusSec Virtual Labs rents remote access to that same class of equipment. If a lab convinces you to own the platform, we sell it. Neither is deployment, managed services or cybersecurity consulting — those belong to the parent business, NexusSec.
08 Getting access
Two doors.
Take the right one.
Most people should register directly on the platform. The enquiry form is for the things a signup form cannot arrange.
Try it free for 48 hours
Give us an email address and we send you credentials for a real lab seat. You are on genuine Cisco, Fortinet, Sophos, Palo Alto or MikroTik equipment in a couple of minutes — no card, nothing to cancel, nothing to install.
- 48 hours on real hardware, not a simulator
- Runs entirely in the browser — no VPN, no client
- Configurations persist; reset to clean whenever you like
Credentials are emailed. Demo seats are limited — if none is free we queue you rather than send a login that does not work.
Register on the platform
Create an account on the lab platform itself. Tell us your name, work email and what you intend to build. An engineer reviews every request — this is not an auto-approve signup — and your environment is provisioned once approved.
- Individual study and certification practice
- Evaluating a platform before you buy it
- One person, standard topologies
Opens labs.nexusseclabs.com — the platform runs there.
Cohorts, custom topologies & procurement
Some things need a conversation before an account exists: seats for a class, a topology built to your own design, a purchase order, or a GST invoice raised against an institution.
- Multi-seat access for a cohort or classroom
- A custom topology built to your syllabus or design
- GST invoicing, tender or procurement paperwork
- Evaluating whether to rent lab time or buy the hardware
We reply in writing, usually within one business day.
Book time on
real equipment.
Tell us the platform and the goal. We confirm availability, what the lab reproduces and the rate — in writing, usually within one business day.