Memo 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Running head: MEMORANDUM 1

MEMORANDUM 4

Memorandum

To:

From:

Date: October 23, 2019

Subject: WAN infrastructure upgrading

This memo addresses the issues that comes with Viola's I intentions of upgrading its WAN network infrastructure. A wide area network is a telecommunication network that is used for computing purposes that can extend to a larger geographical region. Through the use of WAN, it becomes easier for businesses to carry out their activities regardless of the location or region (FitzGerald & Dennis, 2009). WAN connections usually come with different bandwidth which enables them to serve customers with different needs, WAN connections can either be done using direct connections as VPN through the use of the internet. Though both ways are effective the organization wishes to connect all its centers with WAN internet to achieve better connections and communication. To ensure this is done, the organization will first choose it, provider. To connect other sites and centers, first the headquarter will be connected with WAN and it will act as a "mother ship". This is where the core WAN infrastructure that is required to connect other offices will be stored such as the databases and servers (FitzGerald & Dennis, 2009). The branch offices will be connected with the WAN internet from the mother ship and will only require a limited number of infrastructure. This will ensure that the remote offices and centers access similar network resources through the centralization of IT infrastructures.

WAN also increases the company's privacy especially when it comes to sharing sensitive data to all the sites as it eliminated the use of the internet. Also, there are increased speeds with the use of WANS that uses leased lines that are characterized by offering several pulses. Although expanding the WAN infrastructures is attributed to the above advantages it is also important to consider the drawbacks associated with this technology. One of the major con of WAN expansion is that it requires high setup costs as it is a complex and complicated tax (Jr. & 15311, 2012). There are some security issues associated with WAN which include information theft, unauthorized use as well as malicious file damage meaning there should be proper management of information from the main control centers. Lastly, maintenance of WAN infrastructure is challenging especially when it comes to ensuring that data is available all times as well as reducing downtime that may arise from failures.

To reduce the costs of maintaining the leased lines as well as the high costs of bringing online stores the organization Viola needs to consider other modern options such as MPLS. MPLS is currently been adopted by several companies due to their ability to allow connectivity with only a few additional hardware and thus minimizing costs. Also, with MPLS there is no need for adding new hardware at the mother ship. The organization may also consider the MPLS option due to several advantages that come with MPLS which includes better and improved uptime, better bandwidth, there is less network congestion with MPLS as well better and improved user experience (Jr. & 15311, 2012). The organization should also consider the drawback that comes with MPLS which includes security issues because MPLS does not provide any data protection. With the emergence of cloud services, the organization needs to start planning to provide internet to locations that are likely to benefit from it. To achieve this the organization needs to come up with better plans which include identifying a good internet provider, the regions and areas that need to be connected, the required resources as well as security measures that should be put in place. Through proper internet network, it will be possible for Viola to expand its VOIP to most of its branches and thus reduce its communication costs (Ecom, 2005). Through the use of the WAN network especially in Viola's branches, it will be easier to introduce VOIP as WAN provides fast and secure network services that support VOIP.

References

Eom, S. B. (2005). Inter-organizational Information Systems in the Internet Age. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

FitzGerald, J., & Dennis, A. (2009). Business Data Communications and Networking. John Wiley & Sons.

Jr., T. G., & 15311, J. C. (2012). Application Acceleration and WAN Optimization Fundamentals. Indianapolis, IN Cisco Press.