Great Day Fitness Tracking Final Plan

Small Office Area Network

Name

Institution

Factors to consider when choosing appropriate network hardware and software

There are several things to take into consideration before choosing appropriate network hardware and software. First, there will be needed to analyze the network infrastructure to get a rough idea of how many devices, interfaces, or measurement points needed to monitor (Raj & Tolety, 2012). With most network hardware and software, license costs are calculated in accordance with the number of measurement points or the number of network devices to be monitored. The PRTG Network Monitor goes a step further: its license costs are determined solely by the number of measurement points (each measured and monitored value requires one “sensor”). Every PRTG license comes with the software’s full range of features and below are a few more things to consider:

· Will the software run on your operating system?

· Does the software support all the major protocols (SNMP, NetFlow, packet sniffing, etc.)?

· Will the software monitor the vital elements in your network?

· Are you happy with the software’s graphics and charts?

· Do you want a tool with an intuitive user interface or a tool you can configure yourself? For the latter, make sure you or someone at your company has the technical know-how to configure the software.

· Do you need detailed, long-term analyses and statistics?

· Does the manufacturer offer adequate technical support?

Finally, I will make sure the solution I am looking at is compatible with what I want to do and that it has future growth to it; not just a pinpoint solution but a solution that is part of a bigger vision. I do not want to buy a product that does just this one thing and then must buy another product to do something else. Moreover, I will make sure it has interoperability and integration points with some of my bigger infrastructures.

Possible approaches to managing the data for easy access and security

Data security is described as the protection of information from unauthorized access. Therefore, data security is in a focus of attention in recent years, mostly because of the Internet, which opens doors of opportunities for criminals to make use of it (Takabi, Joshi & Ahn, 2010). However, to ensure the security of information one needs to apply a complex set of techniques and solutions to prevent the potential threats that can arise. Even following basic security hygiene significantly reduces the risk (Takabi, Joshi & Ahn, 2010). For me, the preventive measures that I would recommend to take for data protection and management include:

· Back up the data or devices will help to restore the information in case of loss. - Create long and complex passwords or use password managers that will do it for you. - Regular software update helps to close the loopholes in outdated software which hackers exploit - Two-factor authentication is an additional layer for account protection, which is hard to tamper For companies, which are more desirable targets for hackers, there are additional factors to consider, especially if they deal with customer data. - Network security software protects the workstations from spyware and ensures the company’s data is shared and kept secure. - Data encryption became a standard tool for storing data safely. It’s one of the cheapest and efficient ways to protect information - Role-based access technologies limit access to sensitive data. Employees that do not require this data to fulfill duties don’t need to have access to it. Considering the effectiveness of phishing, it could be a great solution - Hardware-based password management is a new word in the cybersecurity space.

Possible networks that might be used to support business needs

The possible networks that might be used to support business needs include

1. Local Area Network:

Local Area Network is a network that is spread inside a similar area or building. Inside an office, when various devices are associated with data exchange and asset sharing, this may frame a Local Area Network (Shih & Aaboen, 2019). Most of the businesses use LAN for record sharing and the exchange of different business files. When various LANs should be connected, a switch is utilized. The part which gives the real correspondence between devices in LAN is a layer 2 Ethernet switch.

2. Personal Area Network:

This sort of network centers around an individual’s workspace. It comprises of devices, for example, smartphones, tablets, and computers. Single user actualizes this sort of computer network for their simplicity. This network can be established by a computer repair Dallas expert also (Shih & Aaboen, 2019). Numerous users additionally use PAN during their work. Fundamentally, a remote modem is utilized to build up this network. This network has been around for a long while, however, not applied too generally.

3. Wide Area Network:

WAN associates different LANs connected to various networks, within a country or around the globe. You may require a specialist to build up a WAN. WANs have ISP which helps in correspondence in more extensive regions. This is a sort of computer network services that are utilized for giving internet access (Shih & Aaboen, 2019). Devices like, modems and switch are required by the specialists to build up a WAN. WAN uses layer 2 Ethernet, fiber optics, and others for the connection.

4. Wireless Local Area Network:

The network of computers provided within a short area wirelessly is known as WLAN. Through WLAN, portable clients can get to the web easily. No cable is expected to make the connection. The WLAN utilizes passages that go about as network focuses for the customers.

5. Virtual Private Network:

VPN gives secure connectivity to your network. In the VPN, an encrypted passage is set up for an end to end connectivity. Information encryption methods are utilized to make sure about your documents and sensitive information. Numerous organizations that have sensitive information use VPN for information sharing.

6. Metropolitan Area Network:

A huge network utilized in a large land zone is known as the Metropolitan Area Network. This system incorporates various LANs and connections. It is another class of network presented. It can give the network connectivity to an entire city. It comprises of various equipment, devices, and transmission media (Shih & Aaboen, 2019). At the point when various LANs are connected to form a MAN, different assets can be shared through LAN to LAN.

A system diagram with software of my choice showing possible internal connections as well as those between the site and the potential customers

I will try to revamp the business’ networking setup and dedicate a fiber internet 20/20 going into our business building to a simple 5-port switch, which will then be split into 2 Routers. The routers connect to each room via a 24-port switch and patch panel as shown below. Each room will have 2 Ethernet ports and there are roughly 30+ rooms and each client will then have their own router. Furthermore, each room will basically be a separate client, they do not require any networking or printer sharing within the office just a reliable internet connection as shown below.

Source: Shih & Aaboen, 2019

References

Raj, C. R., & Tolety, S. B. (2012, December). A study on approaches to build cross-platform mobile applications and criteria to select appropriate approach. In 2012 Annual IEEE India Conference (INDICON) (pp. 625-629). IEEE.

Shih, T., & Aaboen, L. (2019). The network mediation of an incubator: How does it enable or constrain the development of incubator firms' business networks?. Industrial Marketing Management, 80, 126-138.

Takabi, H., Joshi, J. B., & Ahn, G. J. (2010). Security and privacy challenges in cloud computing environments. IEEE Security & Privacy, 8(6), 24-31.