dti Publishing

When dti Publishing launched, it didn’t just join the crowded edtech field— it challenged it.

At a time when digital education was synonymous with electronic page-turners and click-through slideshows, dti Publishing asked a radical question: How do we bring this content to life? That question has guided every product decision and innovation the company has made since its inception.

Today, dti Publishing is not just an online learning provider—it is a platform builder, an innovation hub, and a pioneer of experiential learning in the IT and computer engineering fields.

At the center of dti Publishing’s offerings is LabHUB™, a comprehensive virtual lab platform tailored for IT and STEM education. From the start, it was envisioned as more than a repository of simulations—it was created to be an evolving, dynamic environment where students don’t just learn about networks and systems—they build them.

A Dual-Engine Powerhouse

Pierre Askmo, CEO of dti Publishing, believes that online learning, when leveraged properly, can surpass traditional classroom experiences.

“Pedagogy is not only enhanced but reimagined through the capabilities of the online medium,” he explains. “Digital platforms have the potential to surpass traditional learning when fully leveraged. This is because online education doesn’t just enhance pedagogy—it reimagines it. LabHUB™ brings that vision to life by offering a platform that encourages innovation, expands access, and enables new forms of engagement that makes complex IT topics accessible and immersive—even for beginners.”

LabHUB™ is built around a powerful core that combines two distinct technologies: simulation and emulation. While many platforms offer one or the other, dti has integrated both seamlessly into a single ecosystem.

The simulation engine replicates environments like Windows, Linux, and other server operating systems, offering guided exercises where students troubleshoot, optimize, and configure systems in-browser. This guided learning path is ideal for mastering core concepts in operating systems and IT support. However, dti didn’t stop there.

What truly sets LabHUB™ apart is its network emulator—a tool inspired by the advanced emulators used in enterprise environments to model massive networks before deployment. dti reimagined this concept for educational purposes, incorporating structured guidance, feedback, and pedagogical scaffolding to make the tool accessible to college-level learners.

This emulator enables students to create virtual networks with routers, switches, computers, and hubs—each reacting as they would in real-life configurations. Unlike traditional simulations, the emulator doesn’t hand-hold the student through a single "correct" solution. Instead, it allows full experimentation. Every right and wrong way of building a network exists within this sandbox, encouraging trial, error, and discovery—an invaluable path to deep understanding.

Bridging Realism with Accessibility

The approach is not only more effective but also practical. Highend networking labs are cost-prohibitive for most institutions. Real routers, switches, and cloud services like Microsoft Azure come with financial barriers that can easily prevent students from gaining meaningful hands-on experience. A single Azure lab can generate charges of several hundred dollars—a non-starter for most educational institutions.

The LabHUB™ simulation labs circumvents this by simulating the Azure (or any other cloud) environment, allowing students to practice cloud configuration tasks repeatedly without incurring costs. This makes the platform not only pedagogically superior in many respects but also economically viable on a large scale.

What distinguishes dti’s platform even further is its seamless learning flow. A student might begin a lab in the network emulator by configuring a router, move into a Windows simulation to implement services, and then return to the emulator for network testing—all within the same unified environment. This fluid transition between tools provides a depth of learning rarely achieved on conventional platforms. The student not only learns what to do but also why and how it integrates into a broader IT ecosystem.

As Askmo explains, “It offers a depth of learning that’s truly unique... students can rapidly, without spending an inordinate amount of time, reach the level of discovery that will help them achieve deep understanding.”

Stability Matters
In a recent case study, one of dti’s largest partners—an established educational publisher—faced a recurring issue. Their previously used network emulator, though powerful, was primarily designed for corporate engineers. It lacked educational features and, worse, updated frequently without warning.

As a result, many of the labs tied to their printed books broke mid-cycle, rendering them unusable and causing major disruptions for students and instructors alike.

LabHUB™ provided a compelling alternative. Its tools are not only feature-rich and accessible but also stable. dti guarantees that exercises developed at the start of a textbook’s lifecycle will remain functional through the book’s final edition. For educational institutions that build courseware around long-term curriculum planning, this kind of consistency is essential.

The LabHUB™ platform has already earned admiration from top voices in IT education. Best-selling IT author and former professor Greg Tomsho described it as the tool he’s always wished for—a way to accurately simulate networking processes without overwhelming beginners.

“LabHUB™ Network Emulator, from dti Publishing, is just such a tool,” he says. “This will be my go-to for developing virtual networking labs.”

Cengage Group, one of the world’s largest edtech companies, has also integrated LabHUB™ simulations into several of its networking and cybersecurity resources. With their Network Emulator tool and LabHUB™ Simulations, Cengage offers students industry-grade, hands-on training that is both accessible and scalable.

What’s Next?

While LabHUB™ is already ahead of the curve, dti is not resting on its laurels. The next major innovation on the horizon is Live Labs—real-time, interactive lab environments hosted in the cloud.

Once launched, LabHUB™ will support every major modality of IT labs: simulation, emulation, and live deployment. This three-pronged approach will create a true one-stop shop for IT and STEM education, unmatched in its scope and depth.

For now, dti Publishing’s hybrid approach of simulation and emulation already stands alone in the industry. It provides educators with stable, scalable, and pedagogically rich tools, while giving students the freedom to experiment, the guidance to learn, and the safety net to fail forward.