Network Technology and Management for Color Ability Corporation

This paper proposes the various network components that should be used by Color Ability Corporation in implementing the network in the new building. Additionally, it recommends desirable computer specification for the various departments in order to ensure maximum business productivity. The paper also discusses IP addressing and subnetting scheme that should be adopted by CAC.

Network Technology and Management
Student Name
Institution
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Executive Summary
Due to the growth that Color Ability Corporation is experiencing, the company has acquired a new office
building and wants to move to the new building in three months. However, the new building has now
network infrastructure in place. As such, CAC want the new building to be networked in order to meet
the business objectives that have been laid out. This paper will focus on proposing the various network
components that should be used by CAC in implementing the network in the new building. Additionally,
it will recommend desirable computer specification for the various departments in order to ensure that
maximum business productivity. The paper will also discuss IP addressing and subnetting scheme that
should be adopted by CAC.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary......................................................................................................................................i
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................1
Problem Statement.....................................................................................................................................1
Objectives....................................................................................................................................................1
Methodology...............................................................................................................................................2
Project Schedule..........................................................................................................................................2
Activity 1......................................................................................................................................................3
Activity 2......................................................................................................................................................6
Activity 3......................................................................................................................................................8
Activity 4....................................................................................................................................................10
Activity 5....................................................................................................................................................11
Activity 6....................................................................................................................................................12
Activity 7....................................................................................................................................................13
Activity 8....................................................................................................................................................14
Budget Summary.......................................................................................................................................15
Future Plans...............................................................................................................................................15
Recommendations and Conclusion...........................................................................................................15
References.................................................................................................................................................16
Appendix: Subnet Calculations..................................................................................................................17
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Table
Table 1: Project Schedule............................................................................................................................2
Table 2:General Device Specifications.........................................................................................................3
Table 3: Department of Graphics Production Device Specifications............................................................4
Table 4: Department of Film Production Device Specifications...................................................................5
Table 5: Mail Server and FTP Server Specifications.....................................................................................6
Table 6: Local Internet Service Providers...................................................................................................11
Table 7: Network Services.........................................................................................................................12
Table 8: Requirement Table......................................................................................................................13
Table 9: Subnets........................................................................................................................................13
Table 10: IP Addresses...............................................................................................................................14
Table 11: Project Estimated Budget..........................................................................................................15
Table of Figures
Figure 1:HP-LaserJet Enterprise M553dn....................................................................................................7
Figure 1: Xerox Phaser 7400 DXF.................................................................................................................8
Figure 4: Cisco RV series router...................................................................................................................9
Figure 3: Cisco Small Business Switch..........................................................................................................9
Figure 5: Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access Points.............................................................10
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Introduction
Businesses benefit and get more opportunities by designing and implementing a proper network. This is
because a good network enables the business to automate its operation and facilitate secure
communication and sharing of resources among the employees regardless of where they are working
from. However, this depends of the choices of the equipment use during network design. A well-
designed network has devices that have high level security and performance features. Additionally, the
choice of network topology chosen will determine the overall network performance, reliability, security,
and the ability to scale (Pop, 2012).
Color Ability Corporation (CAC) is a business company in Australia whose main business operations are
advertising and marketing. Currently, the company’s head office is occupying level 10 and 11 of the X-
Tower with another branch in Sydney. Over the years in business, CAC has grown substantially and the
current office space does not fit the growing size of the business. As a result, CAC has procured a new
four-story building in one of the Brisbane suburbs and want to move in in 3 months. This paper will
focus on proposing the various network components that should be used by CAC in implementing the
network in the new building. Additionally, it will recommend desirable computer specification for the
various departments in order to ensure that maximum business productivity. The paper will also discuss
IP addressing and subnetting scheme that should be adopted by CAC.
Problem Statement
The new building that has been procured by CAC have not been network as such, they cannot move in
to occupy it. CAC want to first lay out the network infrastructure before moving in and to ensure that all
the requirements that have been stated have been met within a period of three months.
Objectives
The following are the objectives that CAC wants to achieve by the end of this project:
 Provide computer systems for the different departments and use
 Provide a printer models to be shared by employees and another type for the managers
 Recommend the various network devices to be used while setting up the network
 Provide network security strategies
 Determine the internal services that should be offered by CAC
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Methodology
The methodology that will be employed in this project will involve breaking down into various
milestones/activities/ stages. The milestones are dependent on each other, therefore, to successfully
accomplish this project it is important to critically analyze and evaluate the requirements of every
milestone and ensure that they have been met before moving to the next one. The various milestones
include planning, designing, implementing, testing, and documentation.
Project Schedule
Milestone Time (days) Kick off date End date
Planning 10 1st November, 2018 9th November, 2018
Designing 15 10th November, 2018 24th November, 2018
Implementing 45 25th November, 2018 3rd January, 2019
Testing 15 4th January, 2019 18th January, 2018
Documentation 85 1st November, 2018 18th January, 2018
Table 1: Project Schedule
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Activity 1
Table 2:General Device Specifications
(Source: Bird and Harwood, 2010)
3

Table 3: Department of Graphics Production Device Specifications
4

Table 4: Department of Film Production Device Specifications
5

Table 5: Mail Server and FTP Server Specifications
Activity 2
Color Ability Corporation is a marketing company as such, heavy printing will be done every day.
Therefore, there is need for the company to have a printer with high speed performance and produces
professional quality prints. CAC needs to kinds of printers because of the details laid out in their
requirements. One printer is to be shred among employees and the other model is to ensure every
manger in every department has a printer.
Printer for Managers
Managers will require a colored light weight printer because their printings needs are not heavy. As
such, the recommended printer that can be used by managers is HP-LaserJet Enterprise M553dn color
printer. This is a small-scale printer that has the ability to print and scan both sides and can be
connected to the network if needed. In terms of performance, its print speed is high compared to other
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printers of the similar caliber and is energy efficient. Managers can still be able to print even when the
printer is in sleep mode. The figure below shows how this printer looks like:
Figure 1:HP-LaserJet Enterprise M553dn
(Source: Harrel, 2016)
CAC managers will be printing sensitive information and as such this printer offers the ability to secure
print jobs and one can authorize the printing process to start after being authenticated using a pin.
Managing print jobs is also easy and it automatically detects when printing papers have been added and
when they are finished.
Printer for Employees
The employees at CAC will be carrying out heavy printing and because the company has suggested that
every departments will have one printer to be shared among employees working in that department.
This means that the printer should be very powerful and reliable to handle the heavy printing. As such, it
is recommended that CAC can acquire Xerox Phaser 7400 DFX which is a powerful and reliable that will
be able to handle the needs of every department. This printer has the ability to print A6, A5, A4, and A3
print papers. This printer has a paper capacity of 3000 sheets and of up to 40ppm. Additionally, the
highest duty cycle per month is 150000 pages.
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Figure 2: Xerox Phaser 7400 DXF
(source: Xerox.com, 2018)
This printer is intelligent enough such that when printing papers is exhausted in one trey it automatically
switches to another trey and the printing process continues. It has a hard disk capacity of 20GB, RAM
4GB, and a processing speed of 800MHz.
Activity 3
The choice of networking devices used in a network will dictate the overall performance, security,
scalability, and reliability of the network. As such, it is important that when planning to set up a network
infrastructure choose the network devices that have advanced security features, high performance, and
support network expansion. The following device models are proposed to be used for setting up the
network
Router
Cisco RV series router is recommended to be used in setting up the network for the new CAC building.
Router is a very crucial network device since heavy traffic will be going through the network because it
the device that connects internal network to another external network. Thus, when choosing a router, it
is important to select a router with advance security features so as to protect the network from external
attacks. This router supports VPN allowing the network to access network resources remotely from
anywhere (Cisco, 2018).
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Figure 3: Cisco RV series router
(Source: Cisco, 2018)
Some of the benefits of using this router are advanced encryption capabilities, easy configuration and
management, authentication abilities, and in-built firewall to ensure that the network remain secure
and keeping the network resources.
Switch
Cisco SG250 26-port switch is the best switch to that will be able to handle all the wired connection
within the company. This switch has two port that is dedicated to expanding the network and add more
devices without affecting the network infrastructure.
Figure 4: Cisco Small Business Switch
(Source: CertificationKits, 2018)
The benefits of using this switch include advanced feature for easy management and configuration, high
reliability, high performance, and is cost effective because it requires little maintenance. Additionally, it
has the capacity to increase the speed of a slow network to improve communication down increases
transfer rates and offer basic security features that is needed to maintain security of the network to
ensure the security of the network resources such as confidential data that is shared within the network.
Furthermore, this switch consumes less energy making it a more convenient and better choice for CAC.
Wireless Access Point
Wireless connectivity is very important to ensure that employees are connected to the network even
using wireless devices such as tablets, smartphones, and tablets. As such, it is important to use a strong
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wireless access point that will be able to cover bigger radius and allow employees to work with greater
flexibility. Cisco 100 series is the best wireless access point that will be able to handle the wireless
connection because it is powerful, affordable, and more reliable.
Figure 5: Cisco Small Business 100 Series Wireless Access Points
(Cisco, 2018)
The benefits of using this WAP is that configuration and management is easy and simple and has a
friendly and intuitive web interface to manage it. Additionally, it offers high speed wireless connection
and utilizes 802.11ac/n standards to enhance network security. This device can be used to easily scale
the network (Cisco, 2018).
Activity 4
The network will be of less benefits if it has no internet connection. Internet service providers are
responsible for providing internet connectivity to the local network and ensure that employees are able
to connect with their customers (Allena, 2018). CAC being an advertising company requires a stable and
reliable internet connection in order to ensure smooth flow of information to the target audience. The
choice of the ISP will greatly affect the overall performance of the network and productivity. As such, it
is necessary for CAC to choose an ISP that will be able to offer high speed internet connection that is
stable and reliable. Additionally, it should guarantee high level of availability to ensure business
continuity (Karyakina and Melnikov,2017, p. 254). There exist many internet service providers in
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Australia, but it is important to review all the available options based on the internet speed, subscription
fee, and reliability. The table below give a comparison of two ISPs in Australia:
Internet Service Provider Features Data Plan Cost
($)
An upfront fee of $150 is required which is reduces
gradually in 36 months to $0.
$250 connection fee
Premium internet connection
Unlimited 99.00
Customers are required to pay $570 as
subscription fee for 24 months.
Customers are offered free access
2.5 GB mobile plan
unlimited $55
Table 6: Local Internet Service Providers
From the table above, Vodafone is the best ISP choice despite Exetel being cheaper. This is because
based on the review and reputation Vodafone offer reliable, high speed internet connectivity.
Additionally, CAC will enjoy an efficient 24/7 customer support through phone calls, live chat, emails,
and in-person support. Vodafone is one of the reliable internet service providers and assures high
availability, thus, CAC should acquire its internet connection it.
Activity 5
CAC employees expect certain services to be offered by the network in order for them to effectively and
efficiently carry out their responsibilities in meeting the business objectives.
Service Device Justification
Application
administration
and
management
Application
Server
This service is required to ensure that employees access all the
required applications and software which are up to date to ensure
uniform application output.
Mail Services Mail server Employees will rely on email communication to communicate amongst
themselves and with customers and thus there is need to have a
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server to ensure efficient email communication.
File Storage File Server CAC will be sharing large project file s which cannot be handle by the
client computers. As such, there is the need to have a common server
to manage and store these files and ensure that employees have
access to the most recent and updated project files to ensure that
there is efficient flow of project activities.
Printing
services
Print
server
Printing services are required to ensure employees and manages are
able to print and all the print job sent to the shared printer are
managed effectively.
IP allocation DHCP Employees expect that whenever they are connected to the network
they are able to access the network resources and can be able to
connect to the internet. This can only be achieved when all the
connected devices have been allocated IP addresses. As such, there is
need to have a DHCP server to manage this service.
Table 7: Network Services
Activity 6
Requirement Reason and Number
Are wired connections
required?
Yes, wired connections are need to allow all the network components
have been connected to the network. 150 wired connections will be
required.
Are wireless connections
required
Yes, 250 wireless connections are needed to facilitate the employees to
connect to the network through tablets, mobile phones, and laptops.
Wireless standard
802.11ac is the most preferred because it is more reliable and can be able
to manage wireless connections more effectively.
is firewall required?
Yes, firewall is needed to enforce network security and ensure that the
network is protected from external attacks and filter off all the malicious
traffic from entering into the network.
ISP connectivity Required Internet service provider is needed to provided internet connectivity to
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the company,
Type of ISP connectivity
ADSL+ is the most reliable and stable ISP connectivity to guarantee
continuous availability of internet services.
Internal and external
modem required?
External and internal modems are needed to boost network performance
and ensure stable connection.
Cables require?
Yes, cables are required to be used for connecting the network
components to the network.
Battery backup required?
UPS batteries are needed to protect the computing devices from power
surges and provide the users with backup power to finish the tasks that
they were carryout and shut the PCs correctly
Table 8: Requirement Table
Activity 7
The current ISP has provided CAC with private IP (192.168.0.0/24) and public IP address (194.32.9.0/28).
Subnet Network
Address
Slash Notation First Usable IP
address
Last Usable IP
address
Broadcast
Address
1 194.32.9.0 /28 194.32.9.1 194.32.9.14 194.32.9.15
2 192.168.0.0 /24 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.254 192.168.0.255
Table 9: Subnets
Device Interface IP Address Subnet Mask Default Gateway
Router 1 NA 194.32.9.2 255.255.255.240 NA
Router 2 NA 194.32.9.3 255.255.255.240 NA
Switch 1 VLAN 1 192.168.0.11 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.10
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Switch 2 VLAN 2 192.168.0.12 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.23
Switch 3 VLAN 3 192.168.0.13 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.21
Switch 4 VLAN 4 192.168.0.14 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.27
Switch 5 VLAN 5 192.168.0.15 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.25
Mail Server Fa0/1 194.32.9.21 255.255.255.240 194.32.9.1
Print Server Fa0/1 192.168.0.22 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
Application
server
Fa0/1 192.168.0.14 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.4
Printer 1 S0/1 192.168.0.17 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.5
Printer 2 S0/1 192.168.0.18 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.23
Printer 3 Fa0/2 192.168.0.19 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.21
Printer 4 Fa0/2 192.168.0.16 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.27
Printer 5 Fa0/0 192.168.0.28 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.25
End user device DHCP 192.168.0.35-
192.168.0.254
255.255.255.0 192.168.0.22
Table 10: IP Addresses
Activity 8
Network security is very essential to any company. Organizations are now investing heavily in network
security to ensure that they protect their sensitive resources from external threats and attacks. One way
of achieving this is by employing the use of both private and public IP addresses (Feuer, 2013). This
enables the company to mask the private addresses of the devices by only allowing the external users to
see the public IP addresses. By doing so, network security is enhanced. The malicious traffic and
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programs sent by cybercriminals cannot get to the network because the they don’t have access to the
private IP address (LI, 2012, p. 1373). As such, Color ability corporation can implement this strategy in
order to improve their network security.
Budget Summary
Device Budget ($)
Network devices (router, switches, access points) 9500
Computers (general use computers, film production computers, graphics
production computers, and servers) 18000
Subscription to internet service provider 500
Printers 3000
Total budget 31000
Table 11: Project Estimated Budget
Future Plans
The company is expected to grow in future as such, the network should be flexible enough to allow
addition of more network devices to the network without affecting the overall network infrastructure.
Recommendations and Conclusion
The choice of the network devices used in a network matters a lot because the overall company
productivity depends on it. Thus, it is important to choose the network components that are reliable and
have high performance. However, the network might be really good but if the end user devices are
unreliable then the productivity is reduced, therefore, it is equally important to acquire powerful end
user computers in order to take advantage of the high-performance network. Therefore, it is
recommended that Color Ability Corporation adopt this proposal in order to meet its objectives.
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References
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isps/ [Accessed 4 Oct. 2018].
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Certification. [online] Pearsonitcertification.com. Available at:
http://www.pearsonitcertification.com/articles/article.aspx?p=30191 [Accessed 4 Oct. 2018].
CertificationKits, C. (2018). What is the best Cisco CCNA Lab Switch? – CertificationKits.com. [online]
Certificationkits.com. Available at: https://www.certificationkits.com/what-is-the-best-cisco-ccna-lab-
switch/ [Accessed 4 Oct. 2018].
Cisco (2018). Best Small Business Routers - Cisco. [online] Cisco. Available at:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/small-business/routers.html [Accessed 4 Oct. 2018].
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https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/ciscoitatwork/downloads/ciscoitatwork/pdf/
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https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/wireless/small-business-300-series-wireless-access-points/
index.html [Accessed 4 Oct. 2018].
Feuer, M. (2013). Benefits and Requirements of Flexible-Grid ROADMs and Networks [Invited]. Journal
of Optical Communications and Networking, 5(10), p.A19.
Karyakina and Melnikov (2017). Comparison of methods for predicting the customer churn in Internet
service provider companies. Machine Learning and Data Analysis, 3(4), pp.250-256
LI, Q. (2012). Design and implementation of network firewall system based on Godson CPU. Journal of
Computer Applications, 28(6), pp.1372-1375.
Pop, P. (2012). Generalized network design problems. Berlin: De Gruyter.
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Appendix: Subnet Calculations
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