Computer networks are what allow computers, printers and phones to talk to each other over wireless or cable lines. Network controllers ensure optimal performance and route data to switches and routers that are configured to meet specific business objectives.
Modern networks allow organizations of any scale to be prepared for such inexorable scenarios as natural disasters and pandemics.
LANs
LANs make devices such as computers, printers and network drives easy to collaborate – and streamline processes and productivity. And, of course, LANs provide central management with scalable performance.
LANs often use switches and networks protocols to link the devices on the network. Network switches can also be categorized into managed or unmanaged versions for varying requirements.
A LAN can reach the Internet via a router (unless otherwise configured). It usually comprises of servers, desktop machines and mobile devices – servers, desktops, servers, phones – and hackers and malware might break them all so you want to ensure that the computers on this LAN have up-to-date security software with virus protection; data encryption and firewalls can mitigate the threat as can a user education in security best practices to make LAN even safer.
WANs
Networks called WANs share information among networks located in a large territory using routers, switches, firewalls, and modems. Whether they employ circuit-switched dial-up lines or packet-switched Ethernet and MPLS links, they both yield the same outcome.
WANs allow enterprises to connect devices securely to the cloud and to one another, provide remote backups of mission-critical infrastructure, and oversee autonomous vehicles. We would not be able to securely work at home or safely travel abroad, upload design designs to high-quality printers and remote access data stored on servers across cities or continents. Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) enables enterprises to reduce the human effort of determining the best connection and replace it with an automated algorithm.
MANs
MAN is an acronym for metropolitan area network, in which multiple local area networks (LANs) are connected through high-speed solutions in the same city or metropolitan region via high-speed solutions. A MAN is a larger system than a LAN and smaller than a wide area network (WAN).
MANs provide faster data communication since they do not need to travel far to transmit the data. This reduces latency and provides increased reliability at the same time as safeguarding confidential data against hackers and securing important systems. Furthermore, MANs have various security features set up that help safeguard sensitive data from hacking.
: Switches and routers for inter-LAN connectivity are at the heart of any MAN. These machines monitor the performance and patterns of network traffic, disaster recovery, security policies, and keep all network components current.
Wireless
The wireless networks bind components together using radio waves or other non-wiring technology, including cell networks, communication satellites and wireless local area networks (WLANs).
These are technologies that have rewired the ways humans do things together, from communication to resource distribution. Their technical, as well broader social and moral implications are the primary focus of the International Baccalaureate Computer Science curriculum.
But before you install a wireless network, it’s very important to know what it should and shouldn’t do. This allows administrators to keep track of network utilization and quickly spot the anomalies. Routers, switches, firewalls, wireless APs and collectors can all produce this baseline, you may even want to combine all available sources to produce this baseline to get the maximum collection output.
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