Windows Network Services Proposal for International Marketing, Inc.

This project presents a detailed Windows network services proposal designed for International Marketing, Inc. (IMI), an advertising firm with two locations and a recent acquisition. The proposal addresses the integration and configuration of their Active Directory infrastructure, focusing on Windows Server 2012. Key topics include Active Directory integration, forest functional levels, cross-forest trusts, replication strategies, and the use of Read-Only Domain Controllers. File and storage solutions, including BranchCache and Dynamic Access Control, are evaluated. Disaster recovery strategies using Windows Server Backup and Volume Shadow Copies are proposed. DNS and DHCP configurations, encompassing scope design, fault tolerance, and IPAM utilization, are detailed. High availability solutions such as Hyper-V, Network Load Balancing, and Failover Clustering are explored. The proposal also covers Active Directory Certificate Services, Active Directory Rights Management Services, and Active Directory Federation Services. The solution considers the organizational structure, department needs, and security considerations to provide a comprehensive and unified technical solution for IMI's IT infrastructure.

Windows Network Services Proposal
Overview
Each student will create a detailed, organized, unified technical solution given the scenario
described below. The submission will be in a written format, with at least one diagram, and may
include additional diagrams, charts or tables. The assignment is meant for students to enhance
their mastery of the material and to provide a creative and realistic way in which to apply
knowledge from this course.
Scenario
International Marketing, Inc. (referred to as “IMI”) has hired you as an IT consultant for their
Windows network services infrastructure. IMI is a new advertising firm, and they have hired
staff, are established in two locations, and have a need to get their internal IT services
configured. They have an IT staff, but they do not have the in-house expertise to address their
current infrastructure needs.
You are required to supply IMI with a solution which addresses the integration and configuration
of their Active Directory updates. Cost is not a significant concern – IMI wishes to implement
the “right” solution to address their acquisition of a new company and its Active Directory forest
which is comprised of a single domain. More specifically, IMI is based out of Houston, TX and
they have a Windows Server 2012 domain that is operating at the Windows Server 2012
functional level. They recently acquired Media Guru Group which is based out of Richmond,
VA, which has a domain (running Windows Server 2008 domain controllers) operating at the
Windows Server 2003 functional level.
There are several details about IMI which will have an impact on your proposal:
 IMI has restructured their organization they have a total of 110 employees in their
Houston and Richmond sites. Each location the following departments:
 IMI will have two sites, one in Houston, TX, and one in Richmond, VA.
 Executives (9 total with 5 in Houston, 4 in Richmond) – manage and run the company
 Accounts and Sales Department (30 employees with 15 in Houston and 15 in Richmond)
– perform market research and maintain accounts
 Creative, Media and Production Department (49 employees in Houston) – advertising
 Human Resources and Finances (12 employees in Houston) – perform HR and financial
duties
 IT (10 employees with 5 in Houston and 5 in Richmond) – manage IT for the company
 Networking equipment is already in place for both sites, which are separate Active
Directory Domains.
 Security mechanisms (e.g., firewalls, intrusion detection) will be handled separately, and
there is no need to describe them.
 Some departments will want their data to remain private from other departments (e.g.,
Finances personnel will not want Production staff to see the company’s financial details).
Your team may make assumptions about how data should be shared or kept private.
 Assumptions can be made regarding any information not included here; all assumptions
should be identified, however.

Assignment Requirements
There are specific requirements for the assignment: The final submission should contain at least
8 pages’ worth of text written by the student (not counting title page, images, diagrams, tables, or
quotations), but may be longer, not to exceed approximately 12 pages’ worth of student-supplied
text. (With the required diagram, and other images, title page, etc., the final submission may end
up being more than 12 pages in length.) It must be double-spaced, have 1-inch margins, and use
12-point Times New Roman or 10-point Arial/Helvetica font. A title page is required.
 At least one diagram must be included (not counted towards the minimum length
described above); this could be a diagram describing Active Directory components,
DHCP/DNS design, or anything else that is worth displaying graphically to enhance the
reader’s understanding of the proposal. Additional diagrams, images, or tables are
welcome.
 The submission must cover all of the major topics outlined in the Topics to Cover
section. Each choice should be explained with technical and business reasoning. The
solution should be reasonably detailed. Additional topics may be covered as desired.
 The structure of the final submission is flexible; however, it should be organized logically
and represent a single, unified solution. It is likely that the format will include separate
sections for each of the topics required, as well as a summary.
 At least two non-textbook, non-LabSim, non-Wikipedia reference is required; preferably,
this would be a “best practice” guide or similar content from Microsoft or an experienced
provider of Microsoft solutions.
 Be sure to properly quote or cite any sources used. APA format is required for in-text
citations and the list of works cited at the end. It is expected that you are already familiar
with UMUC's "Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism." It is available in the
Academic Policies section of the Syllabus; there are also links in the Webliography. In its
simplest form, if you are using text from a source, you must cite and/or quote it. If
plagiarism is found, then there will be a penalty to the grade.
Topics to Cover
Your document should cover the content presented in the course. The outline below contains
recommended points to cover. You are free to add other related information.
Describe the technical and business reasons for each choice, citing other resources as
appropriate. The Windows Server 2012 operating system should be used for all aspects of the
solution.
The topics include:
Active Directory Infrastructure
 Describe features of Windows Server 2012 that will allow IMI to integrate the newly
acquired company’s domain into their existing forest.
 How will Forest Functional Levels be implemented?
 How will cross-forest trusts be implemented?
 How will replication be handled?
 Read-Only Domain Controllers - how will they be used?

File and Storage Solutions
 Will BranchCache be used? Why/Why not?
 How can Dynamic Access Control benefit the organization?
 What about storage optimization?
Disaster Recovery
 How can Windows Server Backup be utilized?
 Will the organization use Volume Shadow Copies?
DNS and DHCP
 How had DHCP installation and authorization been implemented?
 DHCP scope design (e.g., lease times, number of scopes, address range)
 Will a form of DHCP fault tolerance be implemented?
 Will DHCP reservations be used for servers?
 How can IPAM be utilized?
 How will IPv6 be utilized?
 How will DNS be implemented?
 DNS Security
 How will DNS be handled for the second site?
High Availability
 What implementation of Hyper-V would benefit IMI?
 Network Load Balancing
 Failover Clustering
Active Directory Certificate Services
 Will AD Certificate Services used in both domains need to be modified?
Active Directory Rights Management Services
 What use of AD Rights Management Services can be implemented?
Active Directory Federation Services
 AD Federation Services