Build. Break. Learn. Repeat.

In Information Security and Information Technology, there is no substitute for hands-on experience.  Certifications are helpful.  Degrees are valuable.  But nothing sharpens skills and builds true confidence like rolling up your sleeves and building something yourself.  That is where we come in.

This site was created for people like you…  curious, driven professionals who want to go above and beyond theory and turn their ambition into action.  Whether you are brand new to technology or already deep in your career, we believe that your home lab is your greatest tool for growth.  It is your playground, your test bed, and your personal innovation platform.  We want to help you make the most of it.

Our mission is simple:  to empower IT and Information Security professionals with the guidance, tools, and inspiration needed to build and evolve home labs that actually teach something.  Not just blinking boxes and half-configured virtual machines, but environments that simulate the real world… a place where you can experiment, troubleshoot, break things, fix them again, and walk away with hard-earned knowledge.

Inside, you will find curated lab guides, build walkthroughs, tool recommendations, real-world scenarios, and tips to stretch every dollar of your budget.  From setting up a domain controller to architecting and configuring a Security Operations Center to testing detection rules, our goal is to give you practical, achievable projects that grow with your skills.

This is more than a website.  It is a community of builders, learners, tinkerers, and thinkers who believe that the best way to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges is to start building today.  You will find stories from professionals like you—how they started, what they struggled with, and what they learned through a home lab.  Hopefully, you will share your journey as well!

Welcome to the lab before the lab.