BTEC HND Computing Unit 29 Network Security Assignment Answer Guide

This BTEC HND Computing Unit 29 Network Security answer guide covers unit M/618/7443, a 15-credit Level 5 unit in the Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals in Computing (RQF). It explains criteria P1 to D2 across all four learning outcomes and shows how to research, design, configure and test a secure corporate network, with model paragraphs and a worked addressing plan, firewall rule set and test plan.

What the Unit 29 Network Security assignment asks you to do

Unit 29 asks you to act as a network security specialist for an organisation that needs a secure network. Your centre supplies the scenario — often a company with several departments, remote staff and sensitive customer data. The work usually has two parts:

• Research report (LO1): discuss network security devices, examine security protocols and cryptographic types, compare at least two major protocols, and evaluate why network security matters to an organisation.
• Design, build and test (LO2–LO4): investigate the scenario’s requirements, choose hardware and software, produce a secure network design, configure it (most centres use Cisco Packet Tracer, GNS3 or physical lab kit), justify your configuration, test it against a test plan you write, and critically evaluate the whole process.

Evidence is a written report plus diagrams, configuration screenshots or exported configs, a completed test plan with results, and a critical evaluation.

Learning outcomes for Unit 29

Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria explained

How to answer LO1: principles, protocols and standards

1. Start with the CIA triad and defence in depth.
2. Security devices: packet-filtering and stateful firewalls, next-generation firewalls, IDS versus IPS, VPN concentrators, proxy servers, unified threat management and network access control.
3. Protocols: TLS for web and VPN traffic, IPsec (AH and ESP, with IKEv2 for key exchange), SSH for device management, WPA3 for wireless, 802.1X with RADIUS for port-based authentication, SNMPv3 for secure monitoring.
4. Cryptography: symmetric (AES), asymmetric (RSA, elliptic curve), hashing (SHA-256) and how they combine in digital certificates and key exchange.
5. Standards and law: ISO/IEC 27001, the UK Cyber Essentials scheme, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Computer Misuse Act 1990, and the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018 for essential services.
6. M1 comparison and D1 evaluation.

How to answer LO2: designing the secure network

Begin with requirements (P3) taken directly from your scenario: number of users per department, servers to protect, remote access, wireless guests, and any regulatory needs such as card payments or personal data. Then select equipment and software (P4) — router, firewall, managed switches, wireless controller, RADIUS server, endpoint protection, logging — and give a reason for each choice.

For M2, produce a clear diagram with security zones: internal LAN segmented by VLAN, a DMZ for public-facing servers, a management network, and a separate guest wireless network with internet-only access.

How to answer LO3: configuring security

• VLANs and inter-VLAN access control lists.
• Firewall rules with a default-deny policy.
• Switch port security, disabling unused ports, and DHCP snooping.
• Secure management: SSH instead of Telnet, strong local passwords, enable secret, login banners.
• Site-to-site or remote-access VPN.
• WPA3 or WPA2-Enterprise wireless security.

Worked example

Addressing plan. A small company is given 192.168.10.0/24 and needs four segments of up to 60 hosts each. Borrowing two host bits gives a /26 mask (255.255.255.192) and four subnets of 62 usable hosts:

Firewall rule set (processed top to bottom):

Test plan extract (P6):

Record actual results with screenshots. If a test fails, say why and what you changed — that analysis is your M4 evidence.

Common mistakes that cost marks

• Describing security devices in general without linking them to the scenario.
• Confusing encryption with hashing, or symmetric with asymmetric keys.
• A design diagram with no addressing plan or security zones.
• Configuration screenshots with no explanation of what each setting does.
• A test plan that only checks connectivity, not that blocked traffic is really blocked.
• Using only “pass” in the results column with no evidence.
• A D2 section that just repeats what was done instead of judging it.

How to move from Merit to Distinction

For D1, go beyond “security is important”: evaluate the consequences of a breach — regulatory penalties under UK GDPR, downtime, loss of customer trust — against the cost of controls, and conclude what level of security is proportionate for your scenario. For D2, critically evaluate every stage. Did your requirements analysis miss anything? Were the simulation tools able to show real-world behaviour, such as IPS signatures or endpoint protection? Which tests were missing (for example, vulnerability scanning)? What would you do differently in a real deployment? Support each point with evidence from your own work.

FAQs

Is Unit 29 Network Security Level 4 or Level 5?

It is a Level 5 unit worth 15 credits, so it counts towards the HND in Computing rather than the HNC.

Can I use Cisco Packet Tracer for the configuration?

Most centres accept it. Mention its limits in your evaluation, as some security features are simplified or missing compared with real equipment.

Which two protocols are best for the M1 comparison?

IPsec and TLS are the most common choice because both secure data in transit in different ways. SSH against Telnet or WPA2 against WPA3 also works if you go into enough technical depth.

What should a network security test plan include?

Test number, purpose, method, test data or source and destination, expected result, actual result, evidence reference and any action taken.

How is this different from Unit 5 Security?

Unit 5 is a broader Level 4 unit on IT security risks, procedures and policy. Unit 29 is a practical Level 5 unit focused on designing, configuring and testing a secure network.

Need one-to-one support from a subject specialist? Our BTEC Level 5 (HND) assignment help service covers planning, feedback on drafts and referencing.

If your configuration or test results are not working as expected, you can get expert help with your BTEC assignment. For the Level 4 security unit, see our BTEC HND Computing Unit 5 Security answer guide.