The generation, storage, and
movement of information are
central to managing an
enterprise’s business
processes
As a result, businesses must
ensure that they are using
information and
communication technologies
(ICTs) that best satisfy their
information and management
needs
Connectivity, integration, and
ease of access to information
are essential for effective
communication among
workers and business partners
Many enterprises are
assimilating social media such
as Twitter and Facebook to
enhance communication and
business processes
Networking technology is
making inter-organizational
business processes more
transparent by facilitating the
flow of information
Growing at a high and steady rate
No longer limited to voice and data
Increasing business emphasis on Web service, remote access, online transactions, and
social networking
Range of services that business users desire is expanding
Increasing data traffic due to smartphones and tablets
Demand for services to support high-resolution camera phones, video streams, and highend audio
More powerful computers and clusters of computers capable of supporting more
demanding applications
Networks are more “intelligent”
The Internet and the Web have led to intranets and extranets
Mobile devices have become drivers of the evolution of
business networks and their use
Applications
Seen by the end users of a business
Integrates communications applications
Enterprise services
Seen by the network manager
Ensures that users can take full advantage of the applications that
they use
(privacy mechanisms, authentication services, support remote
print services and network storage facilities, setting up
collaborative environments)
Infrastructure
Consists of the communication links, LANs, WANs, and Internet
connections available to the enterprise
Also includes private and/or public cloud
connections to data centers
Can provide a significant reduction in network administration, maintenance,
and operating costs
Enables better use of existing resources and implementation of centralized
capacity planning, asset management, and policy management
Has the potential to provide users with great flexibility, irrespective of
where they are
Mobile workers can use a virtual private network (VPN) to remotely access
business applications and communication services on the corporate
network, secure from other Internet traffic
Can easily adapt to technological advancements
having to install new infrastructure
Enables the enterprise-wide adoption of global
standards and best practices
without
Enterprise network convergence focuses on the
consolidation of traditionally distinct voice, video, and
data communications networks into a common
infrastructure
Focuses on the integration of real-time communication
services
Systems are built on Internet Protocol
Key elements:
UC systems typically provide a unified user interface and consistent user
experience across multiple devices and media
UC merges real-time communications services with
non-real-time services and business process
applications
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Voice communications
Refers to telephone related communications
Enhanced by computer-based services such as voice mail and the
voice over IP (VoIP) protocol
Data communications
Refers to virtually any form of information transfer other than voice
Image communications
An example would be facsimile (fax)
Images can be attached or embedded in e-mail messages
Smartphones enable users to take and send high-resolution digital
images across mobile networks
Video communications
High-resolution telepresence systems enable geographically
dispersed users to conduct business matters as if they were
physically present in the same room
One of the basic choices for
business network users is the
transmission medium
• Fiber-optic
• Wireless transmission
The basic building block of any
enterprise network infrastructure
is the transmission line
Transmitting voice, data, image,
and video traffic across enterprise
networks continues to consume a
major chunk of the
communications budget for most
businesses
• Multiplexing
• Ability of a number of devices to
share a transmission line
• Compression
• Squeezing the data into a smaller
form so that a lower-capacity,
cheaper transmission line can be
used to transfer it between
computing devices
The application
software that is
provided to the
business users’
commuting devices
over enterprise
networks
The underlying
interconnection
(networking) software
that allows these
computing devices to
work together
cooperatively
The Internet
TCP/IP
Client/Server Architectures,
Intranets, Extranets, and SOA
The Web provides a myriad of ways for
businesses to communicate with consumers
and to market their products and services
Universally used for the communications
software function across multiple vendor
equipment
Separate computers (servers) provide
specialized services on a shared basis for many
users (clients)
Intranets and extranets enable secure
communication both within an enterprise and
with customers, suppliers, and partners
The basis for the operation of the Internet
An intranet is confined to authorized users
within the organization with no access to
outsiders
Extranets enable outside clients and business
partners to access corporate computing
resources
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) enables
customers to get access to their business
software products at hosted sites
Local Area Network (LAN)
Wide Area Network (WAN)
Circuit Switched
Packet Switched
Frame Relay
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
Wireless Network
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
Network Security
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Network Management
Highly distributed peer-to-peer networks
Complexity of managing and maintaining
Reliable operation at all times
Skilled personnel and communication costs
Importance
Choice of vendors and products
Competition leads to lower cost
Enovation through open standards
Organizations
Internet Society (ISOC)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Committee
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
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Information and
communication
Data communications and
networking for today’s
enterprise
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Trends
Business drivers
Convergence
Unified communications
Business information
requirements
Transmission and
transmission media
Communication techniques
Distributed data
processing
Internet and
distributed
applications
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The Internet
TCP/IP
Client/Server
architectures,
intranets,
extranets, and SOA
Networks
Network security
Network
management
Standards
Chapter 1: Introduction