Networking Fundamentals: Technical Requirements and Network Security Measures for ABC

This report describes the technical requirements for creating a network in the new branch of ABC in Canberra, including recommended devices such as routers, switches, servers, wireless access points, and cables. It also discusses network security measures such as access control, antimalware and antivirus programs, data loss prevention technologies, firewalls, and intrusion detection and prevention systems.

Networking Fundamentals
Student Name
Institution
Date

Executive Summary
The paper will describe the different technical requirements that ABC requires in
order to create a network in the new branch in Canberra. Various devices have been proposed
including Synology RT2600ac router, Cisco SF200-48P switch, Dell PowerEdge T30 server,
Lenovo ThinkServer TS50 server, HP Proliant Microserver Gen8 server, Lenovo
ThinkServer TS460 server, TP-Link TL-WA801ND wireless access point, and Cat5e ethernet
for wired connections. Also, the paper has described different security measures that ABC
need to implement in order to have a secure connection to the head office in Network City
including Data loss prevention technologies, Firewalls, Intrusion detection and prevention
systems, and access control.

Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Technical Aspects......................................................................................................................4
Router.....................................................................................................................................4
Switch.....................................................................................................................................5
Servers....................................................................................................................................5
Wireless Media.......................................................................................................................6
Cable......................................................................................................................................7
Network security........................................................................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10

Introduction
Networking has become a critical aspect of any business. This is because it serves as a
backbone for business operations, processes, and communication [1]. This report will
describe the different network requirements for ABC which is an American Institute of
Technology that has moved o Canberra. The institution has acquired a building with five
floors each floor having been subdivided to serve the various sections within ABC.
Therefore, there is need to have reliable networking devices and proper security measures to
ensure reliable and secure communication with the head office in Network City through a
WAN structure. This paper will propose different networking devices with justifications and
network security measures that can be adopted by ABC.
Technical Aspects
There are different types and models of networking devices that exist in the market
today. However, it is important to ensure that the business or an institution analyzes its
requirement so as to choose the best choice that will fit and meet its requirements. The
following devices have been recommended to be used for ABC Network in Canberra.
Router
The recommended router is Synology RT2600ac router. This is because of its user-
friendly web interface, offers great hardware extras, and ensures high reliability and
availability. Its features include 800 Mbps for 802.11n standard and 1733 Mbps for 802.11ac
standard [2]. It has a 1.7 GHz processing speed, 4 GB flash storage, and 512 RAM. These
features are sufficient to meet the current and future business requirements.
Figure 1: Synology RT2600ac [2]

Switch
Cisco SF200-48P is the preferred switch that can be used in setting up the ABC
network. It is a 48-port. 10/100 Base-TX switch which supports power over ethernet and
allows direct connection of IP phones allowing the institution to attain its business-class
performance and security of the network. It also supports Quality of Service (QoS) that
allows prioritization of delay-sensitive network traffic to facilitate video surveillance and IP
telephony over a single Ethernet network [3].
Figure 2: Cisco SF200-48P [3]
Servers
Server Features Recommend for Image
Dell PowerEdge
T30
Supports up to
six SATA HDD,
64 GB RAM,
Intel Xeon CPU,
10 USB ports,
GigabitEthernet,
VGA port, PS2,
serial
Real-time server,
web server
Lenovo
ThinkServer
TS50
40TB HDD 64
GB RAM, 8
USB ports,
Gigabit Ethernet,
VGA, HDMI,
serial
FTP Server,
Email server

HP Proliant
Microserver
Gen8
500GB HDD, 4
GB RAM, Intel
Celeron CPU, 4
USB Ports,
gigabit ethernet,
VGA
Active Directory
server, proxy
server
Lenovo
ThinkServer
TS460
20TB HDD,
32GB RAM,
Xeon E-3 CPU,
6 USB ports,
Gigabit Ethernet,
VGA
Application
server
Table 1: Server Recommendations [4]
Wireless Media
The increased use and availability of portable computing devices such as tablets,
laptops, and smartphones necessitate the need to have wireless access within the institution.
Therefore, this report recommended TP-Link TL-WA801ND wireless access point. This is
because it offers a reliable and reasonable wireless access solution [5]. It also offers longer
coverage and better transfer rates to ensure stable and uninterrupted wireless connection.
Additionally, this device can be used in 5 different functions including wireless access mode,
wireless repeater mode, multi-SSID mode, client mode, and bridge mode. As such, ABC
won’t have to source other devices that this device can serve.

Figure 3: TP-Link TL-WA801ND [5]
Cable
Cat5e ethernet cable will be used to connect the various network components within
the institution. This is because it is very reliable and has proven to be more powerful than the
previous versions. This type of cable suffers less electromagnetic interruption and supports
cross interactions with tremendous speed. It offers the greater ability of network management
and supports up to 1000MBps [6]. This cable will best suit the network requirements of ABC.
Figure 4: Cat5e ethernet cable [6]

Network security
The security of the network is very important because it ensures detection and
prevention of unauthorized access or modification of data. This is important specially to
maintain integrity, privacy, and confidentiality of the data that is transmitted over the network
[7]. There exist several network security tools and, mechanisms that are available but the
choice that a business makes will determine how secure is the network infrastructure. Some
of the network security measures include Access control: this is one of the basic but a critical
security measure that ABC needs to implement. Access control ensures that only authorized
users are allowed to access the network resources and unauthorized users are blocked [8].
Installing antimalware and antivirus programs: many at time attacker spread malicious
software over the network including spyware, ransomware, Trojans, worms, viruses among
others with an aim of either stealing, modifying, or destroying the data on the network. As
such, it is important for ABC to ensure that antimalware and antivirus programs have been
installed in all the devices with access to the network to continuously scan the files sent on
the network to detect and isolate any suspicious files and protect the network infrastructure
including the users.
Data loss prevention: the institution should not allow the users to send sensitive data
outside the network as it may compromise the organization. As such, it is important to
implement data loss prevention technologies to stop users from printing, forwarding, or
uploading sensitive information in an insecure manner. Firewalls: firewalls are the first line
of defense to a network. As such, a firewall is required for the network to scan and analyze
incoming and outgoing traffic for any irregular or malicious traffic. Firewalls should be
configured using firewall rules to only allow trusted traffic and block untrusted traffic from
getting into the ABC network. Both software and hardware firewalls should be used for better
security. Intrusion detection and prevention systems are also required to detect and prevent
any unauthorized intrusion into the ABC network [9]. Additionally, all the data sent over the
network should be encrypted to ensure that hackers cannot read the data being sent even if
they get hold of it. Also, it is important for ABC to have mobile security policies. This is
because of the increased use of smartphones in accessing network resources. Moreover,
hackers ten to use mobile phones in many cases to attack the network and therefore, it is
necessary that mobile security mechanisms have been implemented.

Conclusion
In conclusion, network infrastructure plays a significant role in any organizations.
This is because it improves communication, facilitates sharing of resources, cuts down on the
cost of operations, increases efficiency, and improves productivity. With a reliable network,
ABC will be able to effectively and efficiently execute its function. A network should
provide high availability and security to ensure the integrity and privacy of the data. Having
various network security measures ensures the safety of the network resources. Data breaches
are very costly and sometimes organizations don’t have the capacity to handle them.
Therefore, ABC should also develop backup and recovery measures to ensure that in case of
a disaster, they can still recover from it and take a short time to continue with the normal
business operation.

References
[1] P. Jin and C. Huang, "Sandwich Tree: A new data center network based on passive optical
devices", Optical Switching and Networking, vol. 25, pp. 133-148, 2017. Available:
10.1016/j.osn.2017.05.001.
[2] I. Synology, "Synology RT2600ac │ AC2600 high-speed Wi-Fi router │ Parental
controls & security │ | Synology Inc.", Synology.com, 2019. [Online]. Available:
https://www.synology.com/en-global/products/RT2600ac. [Accessed: 28- May- 2019].
[3] P. Cisco, "Cisco SF200-48P 48-Port 10/100 PoE Smart Switch", Cisco, 2019. [Online].
Available: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/switches/sf200-48p-48-port-10-100-
poe-smart-switch/model.html. [Accessed: 28- May- 2019].
[4] D. Athow, "Best small business servers of 2019", TechRadar, 2019. [Online]. Available:
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-small-business-servers. [Accessed: 28- May-
2019].
[5] T. Tp-link, "TL-WA801ND | 300Mbps Wireless N Access Point | TP-Link Lebanon", Tp-
link.com, 2019. [Online]. Available:
https://www.tp-link.com/lb/home-networking/access-point/tl-wa801nd/. [Accessed: 28-
May- 2019].
[6] A. Semenov, E. Kandzyuba and V. Rudenko, "LONG" ETHERNET – FARTHER,
FARTHER, AND FARTHER", LastMile, vol. 68, no. 7, pp. 32-36, 2017. Available:
10.22184/2070-8963.2017.68.7.32.36.
[7] A. Patel, "Network performance without compromising security", Network Security, vol.
2015, no. 1, pp. 9-12, 2015. Available: 10.1016/s1353-4858(15)70008-5.
[8] S. Parkinson, "Use of access control to minimize ransomware impact", Network Security,
vol. 2017, no. 7, pp. 5-8, 2017. Available: 10.1016/s1353-4858(17)30069-7.
[9] Y. Li, "Network Security Protection Measures", Advanced Materials Research, vol. 971-
973, pp. 1659-1662, 2014. Available: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.971-973.1659.