The Network Structure of the Organization - Essay Example

? Business technology Components required: To design a large network a number of components would be required that would be able to handle the data and serve a number of users simultaneously. Moreover it is equally important that the network should be able to support multimedia applications that help organizations conduct business on a daily basis. To integrate all these features within the network it is vital that the right set of components are selected and used for the network. Network interface card: The network interface card sometimes also known as network interface controller is one of the most integral parts of a network (Posey 2006). The NIC allows a computing device to connect to a particular network. The network controller provides the hardware and circuitry needed to relay messages on a particular type of data link layer standard. Of these standards Ethernet has gained significant popularity and is widely used across the globe. It is for this purpose Ethernet enabled NIC would be made use of (Posey 2006). Wireless access point (WAP): Wireless access point is basically a device that allows wireless devices such as Smartphones, tablet PCs and Laptops to gain access to wired networks via some standard (Enterasys 2013). Through access point a number of devices are able to use the services of a network without the use of additional wiring. A WLAN controller is used to help manage Wireless access points within an office or a particular area (Enterasys 2013). DSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) Modem: ADSL technology enables the transmission of data at a faster rate than traditional modems. The transmission medium in both types of modems is the same that is copper telephone lines. The frequencies used by ADSL are different from those that are used during a telephone call. A device known as DSL filter allows the division of a telephone connection for the purposes of ADSL services and voice calls (ANSI 1998). Switch: A network switch is a device that is used to connect two or more than two devices with each other. In some cases a switch is used to connect two different sections of a network (Kohlhepp 2000). Switches are mainly used in those network areas where great emphasis is placed on the performance of the network and its security. Some vendors of switches provide firewall protection and network intrusion detection along with the switch to enhance its performance (Kohlhepp 2000). Gateway: A gateway is a computational system that has the capability to link two different networks that make use of different communication protocol. A gateway can comprise of hardware components, software components or a combination of both. Unlike the switch a gateway tends to operate at any layer of the OSI model. The layer at which the gateway operates depends on the type of protocol being used (Allen-Bradley 2013). VPN software: VPN software helps establish the process of tunneling. VPN tunneling is a technology that allows users to create and manage logical network connections (Bender 2010). Through tunneling packets that are created in a certain VPN are encoded with a certain carrier protocol which is decoded only at the receiving end. Through tunneling certain threats and attacks can be averted and the security of the network can be strengthened (Bender 2010). Architecture of the system: Architecture in computers refers to the process of designing the structure of a computer system, microprocessor or even a program of a system. The architecture that is required in the case scenario can be divided into three main blocks of network foundation, network services and user services. Network foundation: Like the foundation of a building the network foundation is considered as a building block on which the infrastructure and the rest of the services rely on (Cisco 2012). The network foundation ensures that information is easily transported from one location to the other without any hindrance. The network foundation normally is transparent to the user. All users have to do is connect their computers or smart devices to the network and carry out their job normally (Cisco 2012). Network services: The development of network foundation of different application can be similar in structure and in terms of design. The network services however, are different of every network and mainly depend on the users requirements (Cisco 2012). For example a building may have the same foundation however the number of doors and windows of each building would vary depending on the use that the building would be put to. Network services allow the network to have a greater deal of functions even with the usage of standard devices. Services such as VPN and firewalls provide a greater deal of usability and freedom to its users (Cisco 2012). User services: As seen in the diagram user services come in after the network foundation and network services. User services as the name suggest are those services with which the user comes in direct contact. User services such as Enterprise Resource Planning application, email and different business applications all make use of the network to transfer information from a desktop to the remote location where the computer or a smart device is connected (Cisco 2012). Network structure: The network structure of the organization would comprise of two different VPNs. The first VPN would be created at the Council Head Office at the town of Victoria Park the second one would be formed at the Council Head Office of City of South Perth. The first step would be to update all operating systems to windows vista and ensure that all offices make use of ADSL Ethernet technology to access the internet. Installation process would become significantly easy if all computers within the network are using the same operating system. The VPN of South Perth would comprise of the three libraries, Community Development Office, youth centers and landfill center. The computers at each institution would be connected to each other through the use of a switch which in turn would be connected to a router. The router would be connected to the main bridge that would in turn be connected to the second VPN via a firewall and the internet. The second VPN would comprise of the community Development Office and the library situated within the town. The computers of the two institutions would make use of a switch to link their computers and create LANs within their respective buildings. A router would be used to connect the two LANs. Threats to the system: Even though there are a number of encryption methods and security measures that the system implements there are some security concerns that may arise within the network. Amongst all these concerns, threats related to viruses prevail above all and are considered to be the most important ones to be dealt with on a top priority basis (Shoniregun 2005). One most agreeable reason behind the importance being attached to viruses over other threats is the vastness and frequency of virus attacks witnessed by corporate entities all over the globe. As for instance, approximately 50 percent of businesses operating in the United Kingdom, as per DTI’s survey in 2004, were actually attacked by viruses over the internet in one way or the other (Whipp 2004). On the other hand, the survey also revealed some interesting facts; as for example, those business entities, which had large operations and had installed up to date antivirus systems or software, were attacked more as compared to those companies which were comparatively small and with low networking and IT environment security. The survey leader, Chris Potter, made an effort to provide a rationale as to why big companies were being attacked more often and severely as compared to the ones which were small in size and lacked the technology and expertise to deal with a virus attack (Whipp 2004). The leader said in this regard that the primary reason behind increased virus attacks on networks and IT systems of large business entities was that apart from having sophisticated and technologically advanced antivirus software, there were some built-in loopholes, which enabled viruses to make their way into such companies’ systems. Potter explained those loopholes by stating that majority of the employees were having access to their respective email accounts, were actually acting as potential loopholes for the viruses to enter(Whipp 2004). Therefore, keeping in view these important findings from the survey, which was conducted in 2004, it is not too difficult to imagine how far viruses and their producers would have developed themselves till now and thus offer far more threatening concerns for IT professionals than ever before. Moreover, it is also evident from these findings that introduction of high-tech antivirus systems and expertise do not necessarily provide an absolute assurance that there are no possible threats to systems (Shoniregun 2005). Apart from viruses, it can also be noted here while talking about threats related to networking and other IT systems that as the Information Technology has grown as an industry, there has been a considerable progress made by individuals and even organizations trying to peek into others’ systems through various modes. Among these acts of rather spying others, internet hacking has emerged as a popular yet highly threatening concern in the world of IT. In particular, there have been numerous techniques devised by hackers to jump into others’ computers and interfaces. Amongst these most popular hacking tricks have been buffer overflows, SQL injections and few others. The later technique has been considered by professionals as more sophisticated and advanced, as it creates a confusing scenario within an IT system and makes the system to produce information which it ought not to produce. As for information the SQL injection may be used to confuse a system to leak information which is highly classified in a way that it perceives as public information (Shoniregun 2005). Apart from virus and hacking tricks, phishing is also and often considered as a major threat, particularly for banking companies and their customers. In phishing, emails are sent to employees in a way that they perceive those emails to be sent to them directly by a reliable institution or person. The sender asks them to provide their personal information, which includes login and passwords. In a similar way, which is yet a more concealing manner, employees are redirected to web pages which appear to be the ones similar to their company’s web pages and are asked to provide their personal and corporate details. This method of phishing is often referred to as “cross-site scripting” (Shoniregun 2005). Lastly, one other threat considered as a significant one is blended attacks, which are actually set in a way that works in combination of two or more the threats described earlier in this section. As for instance, phishing, hacking and even virus attacks going simultaneously on a particular system is obvious to test the strength of the software and systems mounted for deterring them(Shoniregun 2005). Role of management to mitigate these threats: All the threats identified above have one thing in common, these threats usually occur due to the failure to understand the importance of security amongst employees. Employees frequently become victims of social engineering and divulge information regarding their work or personal life. As mentioned above phishing is one technique that is used to obtain such information (Shoniregun 2005). To prevent such incidents from occurring and to ensure that employees do not fall victims to social engineering it is essential for the management to develop a set of policies that emphasize on the development of a security based culture. After formation of such policies it is even more important that employees implement these policies in their daily activities. The management must explain clearly the importance of security to its employees and must be strict if necessary. Fines and rewards are an excellent way to ensure that employees take security as a serious issue. Moreover workshops and programs can be arranged by the company to help employees understand the exact role of security in an institution and how they can help in strengthening the security of the company (Shoniregun 2005). Bibliography Allen-Bradley. Gateway & Linking Devices. July 21, 2013. http://ab.rockwellautomation.com/networks-and-communications/gateway-and-linking-devices (accessed October 18, 2013). ANSI. Network and Customer Installation Interfaces – Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) Metallic Interface. Research, Washington D.C: American National Standards Institute, 1998. Bender, M. 70-642 MCTS Guide to Configuring Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Network. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2010. Cisco. Design Overview. Research, San Francisco: Cisco, 2012. Enterasys. Wireless Access Points. February 12, 2013. http://www.enterasys.com/products/security-enabled-infrastructure/wireless/accesspoints.aspx (accessed October 18, 2013). Kohlhepp, Robert J. The 10 Most Important Products of the Decade. October 2, 2000. http://www.networkcomputing.com/1119/1119f1products_5.html (accessed October 18, 2013). Posey, Brien M. Networking Basics: Part 1 - Networking Hardware. August 10, 2006. http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles-tutorials/netgeneral/Networking-Basics-Part1.html (accessed October 18, 2013). Shoniregun, Charles A. Impacts and Risk Assessment of Technology for Internet Security: Enabled . Dagenham: Springer Science+Business Media Incorporation, 2005. Whipp, Matt. Larger companies take more than their fair share of virus damage. March 2, 2004. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/security/54403/larger-companies-take-more-than-their-fair-share-of-virus-damage (accessed October 18, 2013). Read More