Network Design Document For BLDRS-DC – ITCO103

ITCO103 Unit 5 Individual Project

Network technologies can be employed in various ways to meet business needs. Developing a solution begins with a set of requirements that must be understood and addressed. Following is a scenario that requires you to use a variety of network components and technologies to develop a networking solution. When working on developing a solution, all requirements may not be explicitly stated. When making assumptions, be sure to include them in your design document.

The construction industry has struggled over the past years due to the economy. Nearly a dozen companies, including builders and subcontractors, banned together to develop a strategy to increase their business in the greater Washington, D.C. area. This consortium of builders and subcontractors called themselves BLDRS-DC.

BLDRS-DC engaged a well-known marketing company that recommended that they a.) use a Web site to exhibit their services, capabilities, and availability. Other social media sites would be represented in the final solution as well. This site would tie together their sales and scheduling information. They also identified the need for the project managers to b.) have access to project details from the construction sites. This remote access would ensure tasks were completed correctly and decrease construction time considerably.

In addition to engaging a marketing firm, BLDRS-DC hired a company that develops and manages Web sites. The Web site management company would be responsible for developing the software to connect sales materials and scheduling information to the Web site. Fortunately, all the companies involved use the same scheduling software and database software for sales material.

As the network specialist selected to plan and coordinate all of the activities, you need to develop a design document that outlines the technologies needed at each company to connect their unique information to the Web site. Specify the necessary network components that each company would need to enable customer access and scheduling.

In addition, you need to identify a solution for allowing construction managers to securely access drawings and other pertinent construction details remotely.

Prepare a Word document that is approximately 3–5 pages in APA format. It should be professional in appearance and suitable for review by network novices. Present the information in laymen’s terms.

Be sure to include the following.

  • Title page
  • Introduction summarizing the problem being addressed and solution highlights
  • Description of the network technologies and components required to implement a Web site providing marketing materials and scheduling information. See a) above.
  • List of the specific technologies and components needed to allow construction foremen remote access to project details. See b) above.
  • Explanation of any challenges or considerations uncovered from the research conducted
  • Provide references in APA format as appropriate

Network Design Document For BLDRS-DC – ITCO103

Introduction

            Having coordinated activities in the construction industry is important in ensuring efficiency and effective construction process. However, having a set of technologies is important in ensuring effective coordination of the activities. Assuming I am a design specialist for BLDRS-DC, the following is an outline of the technologies that are needed in the individual companies to connect their information to their website. The necessary network components needed by the individual construction company to enable customer access and scheduling are discussed. Finally, any challenges and considerations uncovered from the research that was conducted are discussed.

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The Network Components Needed To Allow Access to Marketing Materials and Scheduling Information

            The first network component that is essential for all the companies is the virtual private network. The Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a private network that employs public network (the internet) (Cisco, 2008). Thus, this allows for an easy access to marketing materials and scheduling of information. The BLDRS-DC has a number of employees, who would wish to connect remotely to the company LAN remotely in their various locations. The VPN needs a connection to an internet service provider, to provide internet dial-up account for successful use of the VPN.

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            The other network component that allows access to marketing materials and scheduling information is the public network. Through a local connection such as the VPN, the company can connect multiple sites over the public network, thus ensuring easy access to marketing materials, monitoring and scheduling of construction information. Typically, an extranet VPN would be essential since the companies and the sites could be located in different geographical locations. Moreover, there is need for standard switches to enable the connection of the virtual machines to the virtual networks. Similarly, the host must have VPN client software, which encapsulates and encrypts the traffic before it sends it over the internet to the target public network.

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            The multiple organizations must be equipped with the necessary equipment that links to the VPNs through the public network. Therefore, it is essential that networking is established within every organization, linking all the departments. In order to achieve internal organizational connectivity, a number of network components are essential. These components include the cables, switches, hubs, routers, bridges, gateways, wireless access points, and network controllers for automatic configuration and troubleshooting of the network connectivity.

Specified Technologies Needed to Allow Construction Foremen Remote Access to Construction Details

            The construction managers or supervisors often need to keep track of the construction progress and often need to access information such as the quantity of materials used or required, construction employee relationships, and the levels of construction. However, it requires network technologies in order to create a link between the construction foremen and the construction site employees. The host-to-site network provides the required connectivity for this kind of remote access, where the host computer from the foreman is able to access the client computer in the construction site. The following technologies are need for this remote access.

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            First, there is need for an establishment of network connectivity between the host and the client in the construction sites. This requires the use of public network, the internet connection, for the remote access. The technologies required for this remote access are Ethernet or dedicated private lines that allow the foremen to access the information in the construction sites, as well as enabling the construction workers to communicate with the foreman. Moreover, the dedicated private lines allow restricted access to the corporate network of the BLDRS-DC company.

Challenges or Considerations Uncovered from the Research Conducted

            Having a remote network connection can offer challenges, which the organization must envisage for smooth operations. One challenge that was uncovered was the security of the corporate network. There is need for effective security measures to be provided to ensure that access to the BLDRS-DC network is only restricted to its employees and the authorized people. The organization must develop tough security measures, which include strong encryption to protect its network from unauthorized intrusion. Moreover, installation of security measures must be followed by regular system checks in order to identify any weaknesses and take appropriate security measures.          

Finally, it was discovered that there are various remote access softwares and hardware offered by multiple vendors. The increasing adoption and use of Smartphones and tablets has accelerated remote access by employees. This has made it hard for enterprises to offer secure and easy remote access. Despite the security concerns, the benefits of remote access exceed the risks. For example, through remote excess, workers become more flexible; it lowers administrative costs and enables the companies to hire far-flung workers.

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