As Ethernet applications progress from 10BaseT to 10Gb and beyond, IC components are becoming more complicated with different kinds of Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) techniques. As a result, the circuits are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of lightning, electrostatic discharge and switching transients. Protecting equipment such as switches, routers, and network cards while maintaining performance presents a challenge to design engineers. In addition, high frequencies, low power consumption and a reduction of board space play a role in the difficulty of choosing the right type of transient protection device. This training module discusses protection solutions for high-speed Ethernet network equipment and identifies specific devices for circuit protection in terms of lightning and electrostatic discharge.