IIS Networking Infrastructure Design - Essay Example

? Business Case IIS Networking Infrastructure Design [Group Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Project Overview 5 1 Project Overview 5 2Project Description 6 1.3 Alternatives Considered 8 1.4 Recommended Solution 8 1.5 Risks 9 Project Description 10 2.1 Project Background and Opportunity 10 2.2 Business Needs 10 2.3 Project Objectives 11 2.4 Organizational Benefits 12 2.5 Project Scope 12 2.6 Out of Scope 13 Alternatives and Cost/Benefit Analysis 15 3.1 Introduction to Viable Alternatives 15 3.2 Synchronized Optical Network (SONET) 15 REFERENCES 16 Executive Summary IIS Networking Infrastructure Design Intelligent Imaging Solutions (IIS) is a corporate organization that designs, engineer, manufacture and distribute consumer-oriented navigation systems (GPS). There are two basic divisions of the corporate operations; consumer products and military products. The military products division needs isolation and special security classification owing to its top secret nature of operations. However, the present network infrastructure does not provide this isolation and security. The proposed corporate network is required to provide a complete solution for various offices of the IIS Corporation including Dallas Headquarter, Shanghai, Fairfax Va and London regional office and allied facilities. A three-layer Enterprise Network Infrastructure (ENI) is proposed to IIS management. The proposed solution designed to be cost-effective, efficient and future-proof. The Dallas Headquarter will be prepared from scratch to a state-of-the-art ENI solution while other business locations will be upgraded partially to ensure ENI operations. The whole solution is planned to be completed within a six month period and will cost $2.5 Million. In order to avoid any risk of additional costs to the project the equipment purchases will be the started as soon as the proposal is finally approved by the CEO IIS Corporation. The project will be completed by Newage Network Solutions; the company will also provide staff training and maintenance facilities to the IIS Corporation. The project will start on 1st October, 2011 and will be handed over to IIS Corporation for full scale operations on 31st March, 2012. Section Project Overview 1 1.1 Project Overview Intelligent Imaging Solutions (IIS) is a corporate level organization involved in designing, engineering, manufacturing and distribution of consumer-oriented navigation systems (GPS). The corporate operations of IIS are basically divided into consumer products and military products. The military products division needs isolation and special security classification owing to its top secret nature of operations. The military division of the corporation operates from Fairfax Va, facility whereas the consumer products division is subdivided into Dallas and Shanghai locations. The corporation does not have consolidated network infrastructure due to gradual business expansion and most of the locations have heterogeneous network provisions. Presently, the corporate headquarter is situated in Dallas. This headquarter operates from three separate buildings, along with a prototype manufacturing facility, a warehouse and at-Home Sales Offices. Moreover, a corporate sales, support and distribution office in London covers business in European region. London office operations are supported by a warehouse, at-Home Sales Offices and a outsourced Customer Care Centre. Networks have recently got enormous stake in organizational success, rather more accurately we can say, “Organizations have become highly dependent of their network infrastructure.” (Iniewski, Carl & Daniel, 2008, p.479). The business operations of IIS are presently supported by loosely integrated heterogeneous network infrastructure. Most of the time the operations are conducted in isolation of other business location which are later on required to be incorporated with the main database. Miscellaneous, network connection at different location causes speed and concurrency bottlenecks for corporate environment. Specially, the company headquarter is not able to get rapid response from distant branch offices and overseas offices which causes managerial and operational complications. The IIS Corporation is required to adopt a centrally controlled integrated network infrastructure with a companywide e-mail system to ensure rapid response and easy communications facilities. The new network infrastructure is required to adopt a fault tolerant, hi-speed WAN connectivity for its regional and overseas offices. Moreover, the Fairfax Va facility requires a highly secure network infrastructure in order to accommodate the needed secrecy of information while ensuring its integration with rest of the corporate network infrastructure. The IIS Corporation is required to have centrally managed information systems for HR, Management, Accounts, Benefits, Business Intelligence and Corporate Culture departments. The new network infrastructure is aimed to increase productivity and efficiency through rapid information interchange, centrally managed information systems, a corporate e-mailing infrastructure, enhance security, better threat tolerant infrastructure, unified communications facilities and a broad machine and platform independent support for Windows, Linux and MAC operating systems. The proposed will not only result in quick resolution of customer support issues but will also provide management with a quick feedback on various ongoing projects. Companywide online training and courses will increase the overall efficiency of employees in a cost effective manner. 1.2 Project Description The project is supposed to address the present network and communications issues in a cost effective manner while ensuring an enhanced and futuristic corporate network and communication facility. The project will encompass state-of-the-art communication facilities over a reliable network infrastructure. This will not only provide the company with an advance level enterprise network but will also enable the IIS to capture more business through better customer support, distribution and online sales and support operations. The company will be in a better position to utilize the existing manpower in an efficient manner through better training, promulgation of company culture and various other capacity building measures supported by the high-tech communication, network technologies. However, to achieve these results the project team is required to carefully assess the available resources and technological support along with manpower to plan, implement and maintain the project in its true sense. The project is designed to be headed by a project manager with at least three or more successful corporate level network implementations on his credit. The project manager will have full authority to finalize the project details with the help of various team leads and customer representatives. The project manager will also act as the chief liaison officer for the project. A team of two network professionals head by a Network Requirement Engineer will initially assess the operations presently being performed using the corporate network and will assess the future requirements in order to ensure efficient and collaborated network operations. The requirements gathered by this team will be discussed with the customer and after detail deliberations and discussions a final requirement document will outline all future needs of the IIS Corporation. A copy of the requirement analysis document will be provided to the customer and this document will serve as a reference point throughout the project implementation phase to ensure structured advancement towards the ultimate goal of enterprise level network environment. Another team of core network professionals will finalize the cabling, switching, routing and other infrastructural details for the enterprise network under consideration. The best alternative finalized for the IIS Project is a three-layer network infrastructure. The infrastructure is planned, designed and maintained by several network managers and known for it fault tolerance. The integration of various corporate branches through implementation of Wide Area Network (WAN) and Virtual Private Network (VPN) technologies is also a part of the infrastructure design. The security of network is will be enhanced through incorporation of 802.1X network environment. The design will implement a three-tier network security infrastructure to ensure maximum security and utilization of network resources. The network infrastructure will support the integration of wireless network adapters and Access Points to ensure the access of network resources through mobile communication devices. 1.3 Alternatives Considered There were several alternatives available for the selected three-layer network design. One of the most latest and competent design is considered to be Synchronized Optical Network (SONET). However, despite being competent the network implementation was not considered cost-effective. Similarly, highly virtualized network architecture was considered on the basis of its cost effectiveness but it pose considerable threat to network optimization because of its resource hungry nature of operations. The three-layered architecture is not as cost effective as that of a virtualized network but it is more reliable and offer sufficient redundancy and efficiency. Cost-conscious network managers have to keep in mind that cutting costs is a delicate decision and require sufficient insight into the effects it might bring to the throughput of a network infrastructure. “A network that is maximally cost-effective will not generally be the one with the highest intrinsic availability. Therefore, the designer needs to perform an engineering analysis that deals with an overall compromise of the various parameters in question.” (Iniewski, Carl & Daniel, 2008, p.480) 1.4 Recommended Solution The recommended three-tier network security infrastructure is considered to be most appropriate network infrastructure alternative. It is highly scalable, efficient and cost effective. The network infrastructure is skillfully designed for reliability, redundancy and tolerance. The network architecture provides sufficient abstraction among various tiers of the network and each network layer can implements security in its respective domain. The proposed three-layered architecture was initially introduced as Cisco Enterprise Architecture. The architecture consists of core, distribution and access layers. The core layer provides the network backbone, the distribution layer provides aggregation of switches and access layer is the front end of the network where end users and servers are connected to the network. (Hutton, Mark & Diane, 2010, p.239). The solution is considered most appropriate for the IIS Corporation because it offers the scalability, reliability, redundancy and security at each layer of the network. 1.5 Risks The Cisco three-layered network architecture poses maximum risk in poorly managed and least redundant network environments. The connection between aggregation switch and access layer server is the most vulnerable point and to combat any such failure each connection to aggregation switch is designed with redundant connection within infrastructure and to implement this redundancy teaming provisions of Network Interface Cards (NICs) are used with both devices. Despite, some inbuilt risk factors the network infrastructure is designed for 7 x 24 hours operation. Section Project Description 2 2.1 Project Background and Opportunity The present network infrastructure of IIS Corporation is a good example for a bad network management. There had not been a consistent IT policy to govern IT infrastructural planning, implementation and purchases. This resulted in a mix and match of equipment and technologies which further aggravated the network complexity. The policy was not designed with future advancements and expansion in IT installations. In short we can say that the policy was not future-proofed to take care of IT expansions. “A future-proofed network vision emphasizes the ability to add blades, line cards, or other modules to cost-effectively meet new requirements and avoid the expenses of having to rip and replace components down the road.” (Brocade, 2009, p.3). In the absence of a central policy for infrastructural changes local, regional and international corporate offices had been inducting IT infrastructural devices based on their specific requirements which caused an overall mix and match of equipment and frequent compatibility issues among corporate branches. 2.2 Business Needs Under the circumstances discussed above in detail following business needs are identified; A detail requirement analysis of all IT and network services being used in any of the corporate offices to ensure the availability of same service or an alternative in the proposed Enterprise Network Infrastructure (ENI) Planning an enterprise level three-layers network infrastructure Incorporation of advance facilities into proposed ENI Ensure a cost-effective plan Designing a future-proof ENI Standardization of services and infrastructure throughout the enterprise Ensuring a highly-available network for round-the-clock operations Bridging the communication delays through an enterprise level e-mail system Zero-tolerant network security Best performance through automated network optimization 2.3 Project Objectives Formulation of the Requirement Team by 1st October, 2011 Requirement analysis of three facilities at Dallas to be completed by 15th October, 2001 Requirement analysis of Shanghai, Fairfax Va and London facilities is to be completed by 30th October, 2011. A detail consolidated report on requirement analysis of all IT and network services being used in the any of the corporate offices to ensure the availability of same service or an alternative in the proposed Enterprise Network Infrastructure (ENI) is required to be presented to Project Manger by 5th November A final proposal is to be presented to IT management, corporate offices, domain experts and other stakeholders by the end of 20th November, 2011. This document will serve as reference point for the whole project A tentative financial report is to be presented to the CEO of IIS corporation along with project proposal in order to ascertain formal approval of the CEO by 25 November, 2011 Backbone and infrastructure cabling requirements are to be met by 25 January, 2012. Procurement of infrastructure equipment is to be started simultaneously by the Procurement Team headed by Marketing Manager of IIS Corporation. This team will finalize all procurement deals along with technical demos of the equipment by 25 January, 2012. Deployment of infrastructure devices along with VLANs, WAN, LAN, VPN configurations and customizations to be finalized by 25th February, 2012 Preparation of network servers and their deployment in infrastructure with all software installations and configuration is to be carried along with installation of infrastructure devices by 25th February, 2012 Network operational testing, fine tuning and optimization are to be completed by 5th March, 2012. As soon as network is tested for various functional and optimizations parameters, preparation of redundant servers is required to be completed by 20th March, 2012 Project completion report is to be submitted to the CEO on 31st March, 2012 2.4 Organizational Benefits The implementation of ENI will enhance the utility of available resources and this will result in better user and customer experience The standardization will reduce the cost of network maintenance The employers and customer will be able to assess the required information in a timely fashion The ENI will maximize the usability and utility of IT equipment Optimization will enhance the organizational efficiency The implementation of ENI will ensure the consolidation of various services and central management of IT operations Enhanced information security Fault tolerant and smooth provision of services to the end-user Support for advance services and technologies Remote access and control of network and information resources Round-the-clock business operations Tangible benefits can be usually be quantified by expressing the benefit in monetary values. Better user experience State-of-the-art network environment Enhance customer support Future-proof design ensure compatibility of advance technologies Rapid communication and feedback from customer Economy through standardization Improved goodwill Employees confidence and trust in the organizational strength 2.5 Project Scope The project is a targeted effort to establish an enterprise network infrastructure for IIS Corporation. The corporation is operating inland and abroad, however the present network infrastructure is insufficient to support the enterprise level business. The proposed ENI will not only provide support to present and future application compatibility but it will be a cost-effective project that will result in low maintenance costs and higher usability, efficiency and productivity. The proposed ENI project is planned to be implemented from scratch with state-of-the-art equipment support. No equipment from the existing Dallas office is to be used; however, the regional offices will be modified to support the ENI operations. The project will ensure compliance the ISO 802.1X standard which guarantees port-level security. Home-based clients will be connected to corporate using VPN technology and the infrastructure will establish a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). DMZ can be defined as a buffer zone that contains machines and servers used to respond external clients of a system while internal LAN of the company is kept beyond the reach of threats common to the Internet. “The DMZ sits the Internet and internal network’s security shield and contains a combination of firewalls and bastion hosts. A bastion host is designed to defend against attacks aimed at the inside network.” (Newman, 2010, p.152). A most common application of DMZs is to provide a pathway to corporate partners and other reliable businesses for accessing and sharing information in a secure way. The project is estimated to complete within six months, starting form 1 October, 2011 to 31st March, 2012. The project is to be launched in new building IIS headquarter in Dallas. There are three technical teams; Requirement Team, Procurement Team, Implementation Team. Each team has members from specific network domains headed by a team lead who reports to Project Manager. There is a team of five network engineers two of these engineers are from Dallas Headquarter, one each from Shanghai, Fairfax Va and London offices. 2.6 Out of Scope The IP telephony services and video conferencing services are not a part of this project, however the Enterprise Network Infrastructure (ENI) is designed to accommodate these and many other services at a later stage on customer request. The project is planned to be managed by IIS IT Team and external experts will provide occasional maintenance services for initial three years during which the customer teams will be trained on all aspects of the network infrastructure. However the training expenses are not included as the cost of the project and will be incurred by the IIS Corporation as and when required. Section Alternatives and Cost/Benefit Analysis 3 3.1 Introduction to Viable Alternatives Three viable alternatives were considered to address the network problems facing IIS Corporation. These alternatives include, Synchronized Optical Network, Highly Virtualized Network and Three-Layer network modal provided by Cisco. All of the alternatives were deliberated at length to ascertain the cost and benefit analysis and to reach a better solution under the constraints set by the IIS Corporation. The costs and benefits of each alternative were presented to IIS management in a professional manner. The aim was to help the management in selecting a viable solution that can meet the requirements of the organization within affordable resources. Following is a detail discussion on each of these alternatives. 3.2 Synchronized Optical Network (SONET) REFERENCES Iniewski, K., Carl, M. & Daniel, M. (2008). Network infrastructure and architecture: Designing high-availability networks. USA: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Hutton, K., Mark, S. & Diane, T. (2010). Designing Cisco Network Service Architecture. India: Cisco Press Brocade. (2009). Making a Business Case for Deploying a High-Performance Networking Infrastructure [PDF document]. Retrieved from Brocade Communication Systems: http://www.brocade.com/ downloads/documents/articles/Making_a_Business_Case_for_deploying_a_High_performance_Networking_Infrastructure_WP_00.pdf Newman R. C. (2010). Computer Security: Protecting Digital Resources. USA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Read More