ICTICT501 Report: Researching Hardware Technology Options for Orgs

This report provides an analysis of Myabode's IT networking infrastructure and proposes solutions to address their business technology needs. The report identifies issues with the existing network, such as high telephony costs, lack of remote access for mobile consultants, and inadequate security measures. A new network infrastructure is proposed, incorporating a firewall, tablets for mobile consultants, and an IP phone system to reduce operational costs. The report also includes a detailed research on various hardware options, including Cisco routers and switches, IP phones, cables, laptops, tablets, printers, firewalls, and servers, with technical specifications and vendor information provided for each component. The document is an assignment solution for ICTICT501: Research and Review Hardware Technology Options for Organisations.

Running head: IT NETWORKING
IT Networking
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author Note

Table of Contents
Assessment Task 1: Analyse Business Technology Needs.......................................................2
Company Background:...........................................................................................................2
Requirements:........................................................................................................................2
Existed infrastructure:............................................................................................................3
Proposed Solution:.................................................................................................................5
Assignment 2: Research and Report on Hardware Options.......................................................7
Network Equipment and Resources:......................................................................................7
Vendor Name.............................................................................................................................7
Cisco 4321 Integrated Services Router..................................................................................8
Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series Switches.......................................................................................12
Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series.................................................................................................13
Cable: ..................................................................................................................................13
Laptop:.................................................................................................................................14
Tablets: ................................................................................................................................14
Printer:..................................................................................................................................15
Firewall:...............................................................................................................................15
Server:..................................................................................................................................16
References:...............................................................................................................................17

Assessment Task 1: Analyse Business Technology Needs
Company Background:
This report presents the fundamentals which could improve the internal infrastructure
of the Myabode. Myabode is a Melbourne based company and associated with mortgage
breaking business. The company is facing rapid growth in mainly real estate areas of western
suburbs. Even though they have a number of competitor target in the same area, their optimal
local presence and knowledge, participation in community events, and a team of dedicated
mortgage consultants provide the required competitive edge to the business. They are mainly
depends on their ten full time staffs and fifteen mobile consultants that visit prospective
clients throughout the area. They also have a software package which is capable of finding
the best available options based on the clients desired. This software able to quickly evaluate
the available options/products and suggest the best possible product/solution to their clients.
Their current head office is connected via a local area network that allows the staffs to
communicate and share information. The company uses ADSL router and a wireless access
point to establish connection to mobile devices. The network uses dedicated web and
application servers (Windows 2008) but uses the CEO’s PC as the file server as it was
initially set up as a standalone storage point but later connected to the network. In order to
maintain the rapid growth within the last two years, they need to improve their internal
infrastructure.
Requirements:
Myabode observed some issue in their current infrastructure which needs to be
resolved in order to deal with the enormous number of potential buyers in overseas markets.

The first problem is telephone costs have considerably increased as mobile consultants needs
to constantly communicate with the head office through mobile in order to share information
about the clients and properties. Further, Mobile consultants have been asking for access to
the files on the system, as well as the ability to run the evaluation software from remote as
they often meet clients outside office hours. Additionally, they want to increase the
awareness to protect sensitive business and client information. In its current strategic plan,
the company has identified, among other strategic priorities which are followed:
 Minimise operational costs, in particular telephony costs
 Ensure data security and safeguard against hacking or unauthorised access.
 Ensure protection of sensitive client information and mitigate any business
risks due to unintentional or intentional disclosure of unauthorised client
information.
 To leverage their existing technical expertise and resources in minimising the
response time to clients and enhancing their competitive position.
Existed infrastructure:
Myabode current head office is connected via a local area network that allows the
staffs to communicate and share information. The company uses ADSL router and a wireless
access point to establish connection to mobile devices. The network uses dedicated web and
application servers (Windows 2008) but uses the CEO’s PC as the file server as it was
initially set up as a standalone storage point but later connected to the network. In order to
maintain the rapid growth within the last two years, they need to improve their internal
infrastructure. They also have a software package which is capable of finding the best
available options based on the clients desired. This software able to quickly evaluate the
available options/products and suggest the best possible product/solution to their clients.

Figure 1: Existing Local Network
Their existed network is consist of one ADSL router which is directly connected to
the internet service provider. The CEO is directly connected to the router via a switch. CEO’s
PC is only connected to the webserver and act as the file server. Later the PC is connected
with the other devices and access points. The access points provide the connection to the
smartphones which are currently used by the company for communicating with the potential
buyers. In this local network, certain issues are analysed as
 There is no firewall or any kind of security measures in the whole network.
 Operational costs for the communication is too high as they use general
mobile communication for communicating with potential clients.
 Mobile consultants are unable to access the required information while they
are working out of office shift time.

Proposed Solution:
In order to resolve the three key issues, a new network infrastructure has been
proposed below:
Figure 2: proposed Local Network Design
In the new network infrastructure, certain devices and network is replaced with new
peripherals. In order to prevent unauthorized access and vulnerabilities, a firewall is
necessary. A firewall is added between the router and the internet service provider. A firewall
provides basic protection against unwanted third parties. Firewall is a network security

system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on
predetermined security rules. A firewall typically establishes a barrier between a trusted
internal network and untrusted external network, such as the Internet. In order to solve the
file accessing issues, mobile consultants can use tablets and use NIC to access the desired file
from the web server. They can also use a software package to enable authenticated file
transferring between the mobile consultants and the web server. In order to control the over
cost issue they can use IP phone switch will assist them to minimal the operational cost.

Assignment 2: Research and Report on Hardware Options
Network Equipment and Resources:
Router Cisco 4321 Integrated Services Router
Switch Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series Switches
IP phones Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series
cables Cisco uBR10012 Universal Broadband
Router Hardware
pcs Thinkpad E480
Tablet ipad pro
printer Samsung Xpress M2835DW
Firewall ASA 5506-X with FirePOWER Services
Server Windows 2012
Equipment Name Vendor Name
Router Cisco 4321 Integrated Services Router Cisco
Switch Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series Switches Cisco

IP phones Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series Cisco
cables Cisco uBR10012 Universal Broadband Router
Hardware
Cisco
pcs Thinkpad E480 Lenovo
Tablet ipad pro Apple
printer Samsung Xpress M2835DW Samsung
Firewall ASA 5506-X with FirePOWER Services Cisco
Server Windows 2012 Microsoft
Cisco 4321 Integrated Services Router1
chnical Specifications Cisco
4321
Aggregate Throughput 50 Mbps
to
100
Mbps
Total onboard WAN or LAN
10/100/1000 ports
2
1 Support, Product, and Cisco Routers. 2018. "Cisco 4321 Integrated Services
Router". Cisco. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/routers/4321-integrated-
services-router/model.html.

chnical Specifications Cisco
4321
RJ-45-based ports 2
SFP-based ports 1
Enhanced service-module slots 0
Doublewide service-module
slots
0
NIM slots 2
OIR (all I/O modules) Yes
Onboard ISC slot 1
Default memory double-data-
rate 3 (DDR3) error-correction-
code (ECC) DRAM (Combined
control/services/data planes)
4 GB
Maximum memory DDR3 ECC
DRAM (Combined
control/services/data planes)
8 GB
Default memory DDR3 ECC
DRAM (data plane)
NA
Maximum memory DDR3 ECC
DRAM (data plane)
NA
Default memory DDR3 ECC
DRAM (control/services plane)
NA
Maximum memory DDR3 ECC
DRAM (control/services plane)
NA
Default flash memory 4 GB
Maximum flash memory 8 GB
External USB 2.0 slots (type A) 1
USB console port -type B mini 1

chnical Specifications Cisco
4321
(up to 115.2 kbps)
Serial console port - RJ45 (up to
115.2 kbps)
1
Serial auxiliary port - RJ45 (up
to 115.2 kbps)
1
Power-supply options External:
AC and
PoE
Redundant power supply
Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series Switches2
 Limited lifetime hardware warranty
 A wide range of software features to provide ease of operation, highly secure business
operations, sustainability, and a borderless networking experience.
 Enhanced troubleshooting for problem solving, including link connectivity and cable
diagnostics
 GbE for data connectivity
 Limited lifetime hardware warranty, including next-business-day replacement with
90-day service and support
 Single IP address management for up to 16 switches
2 Services, Products, Campus Access, End-of-Sale Products, Cisco Switches, and Data Sheets. 2018. "Cisco
Catalyst 2960-S And 2960 Series Switches With LAN Lite Software Data Sheet". Cisco.
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/catalyst-2960-series-switches/
product_data_sheet0900aecd806b0bd8.html

 Fast Ethernet connectivity with Power over Ethernet (PoE) of up to 15.4W per port
 The Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series Switches with LAN Lite Software have the following
capabilities
 Enhanced troubleshooting for problem solving, including link connectivity and cable
diagnostics
 A wide range of software features to provide ease of operation, secure business
operations, sustainability and borderless networking experience.
 24 and 48 ports of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) 10/100/1000 desktop connectivity.
 USB storage interface for file backup, distribution, and simplified operations
 1 GbE Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) uplinks

Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series3
5 Programmable line and feature keys
720p HD, H.264 AVC Video
5-inch widescreen VGA (800x480 pixel), 24-bit color Display
10/100/1000 Integrated switch
RJ-9 jack, USB, Bluetooth Headset support
3 Services, Products, Collaboration Endpoints, IP Phones, and Cisco Series. 2018.
"Cisco IP Phone 8865". Cisco. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collaboration-
endpoints/ip-phone-8865/index.html.