Week 4 Project

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The Internet

The U.S. Department of Defense created the Internet for sharing research data. It was designed to be invulnerable to terrorist and wartime attacks. The Internet is used for information retrieval from government, corporate, and nonpro�t databases and libraries. Users can access the Internet for interactive, live conversations, public forums, and personal e-mail.

The principal Internet services include:

E-mail: Supports document sharing and person-to-person messaging. Businesses treat this facility as an essential collaboration and communication tool. Users utilize e-mail to share documents, graphic images, information, and ideas.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP): Is a tool for retrieving or transferring �les from a remote computer.

Instant Messaging and Chatting: Allows live, interactive conversations between multiple people over the Internet. Chat systems include video and voice functionality.

Internet Telephony: Uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to deliver voice service in digital form using Internet Protocol (IP) packet switching. Internet telephony avoids the tolls that circuit-switched telephone networks charge.

Telnet: Is a protocol that establishes a rapid link between two computers allowing a user to log on to one computer while performing work on another computer.

Usenet Newsgroups: Are forums in which people share ideas and information on a speci�c topic via electronic bulletin boards where anyone can post messages on the topic for others to see and respond.

Virtual Private Network (VPN): Is a secure connection between two points across a public network to transmit corporate data. VPN provides a low-cost alternative for conducting communication without purchasing or leasing a private WAN.

World Wide Web (WWW): Enables individuals to link to information resources located on different computers systems around the globe. This is achieved by providing a universal set of standards for storing, retrieving, and displaying information in a client/server browser environment. Browsers use the ability of hypertext to surf and navigate on the web. Web home pages are created for new products and services to build closer relationships with customers.

Let us now explore some Internet tools that organizations use frequently in their regular operations.