Reference no: EM133586722

Task 1 - Network Design Case Study Scenario

Scenario
Consider the following scenario and write a brief response to the questions at the end of the scenario.

4phone is a company that sells mobile and landline telephone systems. They have employed you as their Network Architect. You are responsible for the planning and design of their new computer system. 4phone is expanding and opening a new store in Wollongong. Currently, the company has stores in the Northern Beaches, Strathfield and Cronulla where the Head Office is located.
The IT infrastructure must cater for the following specifications:
There will be four staff at the Wollongong store: The Store Manager and three sales staff.
View the Wollongong office floor plan (see below).
Some corporate applications, such as the financial systems and payroll, are run at Head Office and must be accessible to the Store Manager.
All computers must be able to print.
All computers must be able to connect to the Internet.

Question 1
In the Strathfield office the network is connected via a hub. Laptops used by sales staff are connected via under floor category 5 cabling. Identify how the Strathfield office network design has become obsolete. What could be done to avoid a similar situation at the new Wollongong store?

Question 2
Which networking devices would be appropriate to connect the Wollongong store to the Head Office?

Question 3
The Wollongong store is located on the ground floor of an office block. In the future it is hoped that one of the floors within the office block could be acquired to establish a regional headquarters. Describe the appropriate infrastructure required to connect the ground floor store with the office floor? Consider networking devices, communication media and structured cabling requirements.

Question 4
Create a network diagram outlining your proposed network design for the new 4phone Wollongong office. Be sure to negotiate with your teacher an appropriate method of creating your network diagram.
Attach separately.
You have been contracted as a Network Architect to design a new IT network. They plan on upgrading their IT systems throughout their stores in the Sydney metropolitan area. The network currently spans three Sydney suburbs and possibly more in the future. At this stage you have drafted a network design proposal and have already come up with a physical network design.
Before you move into specifying devices and other details, you need to study and forecast traffic requirements. You have been provided with some patchy data from the previous network but it appears as though the benchmarks are severely out-of-date. 4phones does not wish to spend more money on the network upgrade than is absolutely necessary; therefore, they have asked you to plan the new network so that traffic is minimised and bandwidth is utilised very effectively.

Question 5
Is all network traffic necessary for the network to function properly?

Question 6
What are some of the strategies that you could employ to study network traffic?

Question 7
What network design features are able to boost performance and manage traffic?

Question 8
When using network monitoring software that captures network traffic, you are accessing information which may be sensitive in nature. What are the implications of storing this data?

4phone is a company that sells mobile and landline telephone systems. You have been contracted as a Network Architect to design a new IT network. You have been working with them for a couple of months designing the network for a new store in Wollongong and an upgrade of their three stores in Sydney.
The designing stages for the new networks are complete. However, the Managing Director has asked you to undertake several key processes to finalise the process. He has asked you to firstly prepare a Training Needs Analysis for all of the staff within 4phone so that they will be able to adapt to the new network conditions quickly and with minimal reduction in productivity. Secondly, he would like you to use the prepared network design to build a list of networking hardware required including make, model, specification and price. Thirdly, and finally, the Managing Director has asked you to create a fully documented design proposal and present it to the company management for their approval.

Question 9

The Managing Director has placed a strong emphasis on conducting a Training Needs Analysis, but has a few questions for you to answer before they proceed with the TNA:
What are the implications of not conducting a TNA at all?
What specific information can you elicit from the TNA?
What are the four major steps of a TNA?
What is the best way to liaise with training and development officers and Human Resource departments?

Question 10

What were the major steps involved in sourcing the network resources for the 4phone network designs?
In your answer consider:
components/services required
leasing versus purchasing
service level agreements
evaluation criteria.

Question 11

The 4phone Managing Director would like to know if the fulfilment of the hardware for the new network should be put out to tender.
What is a tender and would it be appropriate for the 4phone network design?

Question 12

To complete the network architecture design process, you must prepare and present your design proposal to the 4phone management.
What kind of information would you include in a network design proposal?
What is the basic structure of a formal proposal document?

Task 2 - Network Architecture Design

Executive summary
This section is completed last.
Write a summary of the key points in the Network Design Proposal.

Include:
problem or opportunity being addressed
major benefits to the organisation
estimated costs of the proposal
key dates/timelines.

1 Discussion
Write detailed information about the proposal, including:
a detailed description of the problem
options considered
clearly defined benefits of each option
a preferred option and a justification for its selection
a clear indication of the resources required, including human resources and physical resources
the estimated cost of resources
a time frame for the implementation of the proposal.

2 List of components table

3 Rationale for component choice
For each of the products recommended and their alternatives, write a brief explanation as to why you believe they are the most suitable.
State how these choices reflect current technology trends and provide evidence that you have considered advice from experts in your decisions. Note any procurement strategies.
Document your research on vendor claims regarding hardware performance.

4 Physical network diagram
Insert your physical network diagram in this section.

5 Network traffic
In this section, you should specify traffic and bandwidth requirements and explain how your design will handle traffic effectively.
You may like to structure your discussion around the following points:
Briefly explain the importance of predicting network traffic when designing a network.
List the factors that contribute to network traffic in this proposal.
Outline your assumptions regarding the traffic generated by the average network user.
Recommend any tools that will be necessary for generating and monitoring network traffic in the simulated test bed.
Explain how the network will be benchmarked.
List the parameters that will be used for benchmarking and justify your reasons for choosing these parameters.

6 Review and benchmarks
Describe how you have ensured that the physical network diagram will meet the client's requirements. Document and explain any adjustments made to your network design.
Confirm:
correct siting of devices on the physical network diagram
the network design will fully satisfy predicted network traffic demands
there is a planned benchmarking/baselining process.

7 Training Needs Analysis (TNA)
Describe how you would plan and conduct a TNA.

8 Outline of presentation to stakeholders
Your presentation should summarise the proposal and should reiterate the need for the proposal to be accepted.