Planning and Security

Overview: When you plan your network infrastructure, a number of key elements need to be clarified or determined because it is the network’s logical infrastructure that makes it possible for computers to communicate using the routes defined in the physical network topology. For the final milestone, you will provide a detailed recommendation of components that are able to meet the future communication needs of SNHUEnergy Inc.

Prompt: In this section, you will provide a future recommendation based on the information presented. In addition, analyze the information provided in the Final Project Scenario document to develop a visual representation of your recommended network architecture in a Visio diagram.

Refer to the following files when completing this milestone:

 Dallas Office Logical Design - Current  Final Project Physical Diagram - Current  Memphis Office Logical Design - Current

To complete this assignment, you must address the following critical elements:

 Summarize the future communication needs of the organization based on what you know from the scenario.  Describe in detail a network architecture that would be appropriate for supporting the ultimate growth of the organization and defend how this recommended network would improve communication across the company.  Develop a visual representation of your recommended network architecture by creating a Visio diagram. Use the provided physical network design example as a guide for creating your diagram.

Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Review each critical element and designate a bold subheading for each element followed by your review of the current network architecture. Include an introduction for this assignment that aligns with your analysis from the first milestone. Your submission should align to the current APA standards. Add the following direction: Submit your finalized network configuration as a Visio diagram. You will submit two files for this milestone.

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value Future Communication Needs Summarizes the future communication needs of the organization Summarizes the future communication needs of the organization, but summary contains inaccuracies Does not summarize the future communication needs of the organization 30

Network Architecture

Describes in detail a network architecture that would be appropriate for supporting the ultimate growth of the organization and defends how the future network would improve communication across the company

Describes a network architecture that would be appropriate for supporting the ultimate growth of the organization, but does not defend how the future network would improve communication across the company or response is cursory or illogical or contains inaccuracies

Does not describe a network architecture that would be appropriate for supporting the ultimate growth of the organization

30

Future Visual Representation

Develops a visual representation of the recommended network architecture by creating a Visio diagram

Develops a visual representation of the recommended network architecture by creating a Visio diagram, but diagram is illogical or contains inaccuracies

Does not develop a visual representation of the recommended network architecture

30

Articulation of Response

Summary is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Summary contains errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Summary contains critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%

Imagine that you are a newly hired network consultant for SNHUEnergy Inc., a quickly growing oil and gas company that has decided to expand its operation and begin developing a more efficient approach to its use of the currently available technology. As a consultant for the company, you will evaluate the current network architecture, determine any key changes that should occur, and recommend a highlevel design for future growth. The leadership team within the company has made a major commitment to the board of directors that they will begin an initiative to create a communication architecture that will allow the company to grow for the next ten years. You have been assigned the task of addressing the overall framework for the architecture and evaluating the basic structure of the network, its communication paths, and the type of traffic utilized. You will also begin to develop a basic security plan in an effort to mitigate any risk the company currently has to internal and external factors. SNHUEnergy Inc. is a medium-sized oil and gas company that is focused on the discovery and drilling of oil-based products. It wants to grow from company solely focused on exploration into a company that also provides the transportation and refinement of its discoveries. This is a big step for the company, and it wants to make sure the communication infrastructure is ready to deliver in the next 12 to 18 months. The company is currently headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and operates small facilities in the central United States. The total employee count is 120 across the organization, but this will grow by 50% each year for the next two years. Initially, you will evaluate the current logical and physical design of the network to determine the network connectivity, the traffic patterns of the organization, and what would need to occur to enable the business to grow. The network infrastructure consists of a single building with multiple floors and different divisions (human resources, IT, accounting, and operations and payroll). The company will develop a plan to expand to three additional regional offices in Kansas City and Houston. You will be asked to take the initial design and determine what traffic will need to communicate at each office and which security parameters will need to exist as the company grows. This work will consist of understanding the connectivity and traffic traversing internally and externally and developing a plan to enable end-users to access the correct communication to the key critical applications (i.e., human resources, email, and Voice over Internet Protocol [VoIP]) across the company. The infrastructure consists of network routers, switches, and firewall equipment that currently connect all the users to the internet internally and externally. All the connectivity between the users is Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) traffic, which is utilized by data, voice, and video applications across the organization. In the future, the company will extend these services across the wide area network (WAN) by using TCP/IP communication processes.