ABOUT SMENODE LABS

We Don't Just Sell
Workbooks.
We Get You Certified.

Built by engineers who passed the hard way, so you don’t have to. Real labs, current blueprints, honest prep.
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OUR STORY

How It All Began

SMEnode Labs was born out of frustration. Our founders, a group of network engineers holding four combined CCIE certifications, spent years watching talented candidates fail their certification exams. Not for lack of skill. They failed because the study materials on the market simply weren’t good enough.

After paying for overpriced boot camps that recycled outdated content, and working through PDFs that hadn’t been refreshed in three years, they decided to build something better. Something honest. Something that actually matched what the real exams test.

In 2018, the first SMEnode workbook was written at a kitchen table by engineers who’d just cleared their own CCIE lab. It was raw, technical, and brutally accurate. Students noticed right away. Word spread fast across Reddit threads, Discord servers, and study groups worldwide.

Today, SMEnode Labs publishes over 30 hands-on certification workbooks covering Cisco, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Mikrotik, Fortinet, Huawei, and DevOps tracks. Same kitchen-table standard. Bigger team. Better labs.
“We didn’t set out to build a company. We set out to build the resource we wished had existed when we were studying.”

Saeid Ghobadi, Co-Founder & Lead Author

AWS Solutions Architect workbook with hands-on labs for cloud certification.
AWS Solutions Architect workbook with hands-on labs for cloud certification.
AWS Solutions Architect workbook with hands-on labs for cloud certification.

OUR JOURNEY

Milestones That Shaped Us

2018
2020
2022
2023
2025

2018

Founded

SMEnode Labs launched with a single CCNA workbook, written by two engineers the week after they passed their own exams.

2020

First CCIE Book

Released our flagship CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure workbook, the most detailed lab guide available at the time.

2022

5K Students

Crossed 5,000 active students. Proof that quality content builds a community without a dollar of paid marketing.

2023

AWS & Azure

Expanded beyond Cisco into cloud certifications with dedicated AWS and Azure workbook lines, written by practising cloud architects.

2025

10K+ Students

Surpassed 10,000 students across 30+ titles, with a 4.9-star average rating across every workbook in the catalogue.

What Sets Us Apart

What Makes Our
Workbooks Different

Every certification prep company claims to be “the best.” Here’s what we actually do differently — with specifics, not marketing slogans.

12

Months Max

Written By Engineers Who Just Passed

No retired instructors. Every author clears the target exam within the last 12 months before writing a single line of content.

0

Simulations Used

Configs Tested on Real Hardware

All labs run on physical gear or EVE-NG with licensed images. Zero simulations. Zero surprises on exam day.

72

Hour Updates

Updated Within 72 Hours of Exam Changes

When Cisco, AWS, or Fortinet shift the blueprint, the workbook follows fast. No waiting six months for a new edition.

100%

Output Coverage

Every Show & Debug Command Included

Full CLI output for every scenario, so you know exactly what a healthy config looks like before walking into the exam.

Decision Trees

Built-In Visual Decision Trees

Step-by-step diagrams walk you through any failure scenario in a logical sequence.

50+

Peer Reviewers

Peer Reviewed Before Every Release

50+ certified engineers validate each update before it reaches your screen.

MISSION & VALUES

What We Stand For

Every decision we make traces back to a single goal: getting more engineers certified, faster.

Our Mission

Making World-Class Certification Prep Accessible to Every Engineer

Regardless of geography, budget, or background. We deliver the most accurate, current, and lab-focused certification study materials in the industry. No gatekeeping. No fluff. Just content that respects your time and gets you across the pass line on the first or second sitting.
0+ Students
0+ Downloads
4.9★ Rating
0+ Books

Lab-First Approach

We build every workbook around real lab topologies. If you can't configure it with your hands, you don't truly understand it.

Always Current

Exams evolve. So do we. Every workbook is reviewed and updated with each major vendor blueprint revision, at no extra cost to existing buyers.

Community Driven

Our best product improvements come from students who've used the books and passed their exams. We listen, on every chapter, every lab, every explanation that wasn't clear enough. This feedback loop is why our materials improve faster than any traditional textbook publisher.

Honest Pricing

No hidden upsells. No subscription traps. You buy a workbook, you own it, and you get free updates for life when the exam changes.

Zero Gatekeeping

Advanced content shouldn't be locked behind enterprise pricing. Our full CCIE workbook costs less than a single hour of many boot camps.

Student-Led Roadmap

What we publish next is voted on by the students who depend on us. Your exam queue shapes our release calendar, not a marketing team's forecast.

MEET THE TEAM

The Engineers Behind the Books

Every author on our team holds active certifications and works full-time in the field they write about.

EXPERTISE & VENDORS

Every Platform. Every Cert.

Our certification workbooks cover the full spectrum of enterprise IT certifications, from entry-level through expert tier.

Cisco

 CCNA, CCNP, CCIE

AWS

SAA, SAP, DVA, SOA

Mikrotik

MTCNA, MTCRE, MTCINE

Fortinet

NSE4 to NSE8

DevOps

Docker, K8s, Terraform

Open Source

 Wazuh, SIEM, Securit

Huawei

HCNA, HCNP, HCIE

TESTIMONIALS

Straight From Our Students

Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what certified professionals have to say.
"I failed my CCIE lab twice with other study materials. After switching to the SMEnode workbook, I passed on my third attempt with a 90% score. The lab topologies are frighteningly accurate. I recognised three scenarios from the actual exam, almost verbatim. If you're serious about passing, this isn't optional."
Raj Patel
Senior Network Architect @ Equinix
"The CCNP Enterprise book saved me six months of guesswork. Every config example ran on the first try. Every debug output matched what I saw in my own lab. That level of accuracy is rare in this market."
Marcus Bell
Network Engineer @ Rogers
"I cleared AWS Solutions Architect Professional on my first sit. The scenario-based practice in the SMEnode workbook was the closest thing I've seen to the real exam. Better than the $300 bootcamp I also paid for."
Priya Shankar
Cloud Engineer @ Shopify
"Mikrotik MTCINE is a niche cert. Nobody writes proper prep content for it. SMEnode did. The workbook got me through, and the community forum answered every question I had along the way."
Daniel Okoye
ISP Operations Lead @ MainOne

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