ALEXANDER APANYIN
SNHU
IT-640-Q4622 TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKING 23TW4
3-3 MILESTONE ONE: PROJECT ANALYSIS PLAN
MAY 2023
Introduction
Organizations constantly strive to expand their business, and as a result, they always strive to develop their resource capacity to meet the demand occasioned by business expansion. SNHUEnergy Inc., as one of the firms, wants to expand its communication reach. As a result, it wants its subsequent work to meet the anticipated traffic. Therefore, it needs to re-relook its network infrastructure. This paper presents the analysis report of the current network architecture and determines the changes the firm should consider as it prepares for expansion.
About SNHUEnergy Inc.
SNHUEnergy Inc. is an oil and gas exploration company that deals with the discovery and exploration of oil. The company looks forward to expanding its business to include transportation and refining its findings. Therefore, to ensure its expansion's success, the company wants to ensure that the infrastructure can meet emerging demands.
Network applications identification
SNHUEnergy Inc. has different offices that must communicate with others. These offices whose network infrastructure is provided are Dallas and Memphis offices. The Dallas office uses email, payroll, accounting, and HR network applications. Memphis, on the other hand, only deals with billing and operations. In addition, both offices have an implemented VoIP phone system that uses different network applications. Finally, the company is using a transport layer for the network application.
Components of the network
The current network infrastructure provision has different components within the OSI layer, including routers, switches, and firewalls. First, the switchers are provisioned in the Data link layer, the second layer is the routers, and the third layer is firewalls.
Key components description
Electronic devices such as switches, routers, and firewalls are used to construct data networks. These components are necessary for the Internet and can be used in small or large offices. Switches connect various computers and mobile devices to a network (Khan, Zaman, & Kim, 2022). To establish a connection with other networks, routers are required. Routers can connect to different networks, even within a home or office. Firewalls are also essential in this system. A firewall is a security device that acts as a filter between a local network and the internet. Its purpose is to control data traffic and allow or restrict communication between the network it safeguards and other networks (Narasimhan & Vijayakumar, 2021). Firewalls are adaptable and can be customized to block rules based on IP address, protocol, port, software applications, and services.
Network configurations
The current network setup linking the Dallas and Memphis offices requires significant improvements as it is unstable and prone to connection issues. The potential consequences of any disruption would be felt equally by both offices. While some may argue that this would affect users directly by limiting their access, the more significant issue is the tension and lost productivity it would cause. The company could benefit from new business opportunities and revenue due to this connectivity problem. From a technical standpoint, a router issue would prevent information from being transmitted between offices, including employees, servers, and various applications such as email, conferencing, payroll, accounting, and HR. These applications require real-time updates and data packet forwarding (Sengupta, Bose, & Goswami, 2022), which a problematic router would impede. If the Memphis office were to have a single router or switch, it would significantly impact their performance and bring their operations to a standstill. In addition, the network's security could also be at risk without the effective firewall that is currently in place.
Project Requirements and Deliverables Summary
The company plans to expand its services by connecting two locations through a Wide Area Network (WAN) using TCP/IP communication. Depending on their specific requirements, the WAN connections may differ in bandwidth and can be established as a direct connection or a virtual private network (VPN) over the Internet. This connection aims to enhance communication within the business while ensuring better security measures.
To guarantee reliability and redundancy at the Memphis site, the company will install an additional switch and router as a backup in case the primary ones fail. In addition, as the two sites connect, security becomes a top consideration. Therefore, the company will prioritize network security and implement higher-level protection when expanding the network.
References
Sengupta, R., Bose, S., & Goswami, M. (2022). Designing Secure Wide Area Networks Using Multi-Objective Optimization. IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management.
Khan, M. A., Zaman, S., & Kim, H. S. (2022). Virtual WAN Optimization: An Architecture for Future Applications. IEEE Access, 10, 27899-27911.
Narasimhan, R. K., & Vijayakumar, V. P. (2021). Network Security Enhancement in WAN with Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems. International Journal of Network Security & Its Applications, 13(2), 29-40
