Network Design Project

Intruction
Kudler Fine Foods is making steps to inhanse the existing network, including wireless technology. These changes are being provided to improve the comuunication links between the stores and all employees. We will be implementing new technologies to automate inventory managment by creating orders of products from the transactions at the POS.
The VOIP phones will be repalced with wireless VOIP phones and will allow for the employees to take calls as they provide servieces for their costumers. The improvements in network security will provide real time monitoring.
Timeline
The redesign of the Kudler Fine Foods will be an extreme undertaking. We will need three months to fully reconfigure the network. Since each store will have to have new cable and equipment run throughout, the downtime for each location will be minimul. In the network closet the new router will be installed, along with the two new switches. The Cat 6 Ethernet has to be run from this closet to each access point. The two servers will need to be backed up and the data will be uploaded to the new servers. A wireless access point will be added to the network and the printers and VOIP phones will be configured. While the store is closed, all the user devices will be connected to the new ports and the network will be connected to the inetnet.
Design Approach and Rationale
My approach to the design of this network starts with security and usablilty. The network most be fast, reliable, and secure. The speed of the network is address by changing the topology of the network from a bus to a star. the network of each store will be centrolized to one router. Each device will be able to transfer data freely thoughout the network without delays. The reliablity of the network is improved by upgrading the servers. They each will need ot have a higher capacity for storage. The current network has a firewall. However, our new design includes secure VPN connections to each store. Communication between the stores will now be secure and seemless.
Data Rate Requirments
The new network design will implement 10/100/1000 ethernet compatablilty. All of these improvments starting with the router, switches, and the cabling provide upgraded data rate throughput. The POS servers and terminals will be on a subnet controled by a single switch. This allows for data transfer between the terminal and server without having to travel through the entire network.The desktop computers and main server are on a differnet switch. They can communicate independent of the rest of the network. The total berden on the nework is reduced and the new configureation limits the the need for traffic throughout the network.
Existing Security
The currecnt network has two firewalls that secure the connection to the internet. This is a potintial issue because each firewall has to be configured independently. A mistake by the network manager could potentialy allow for securety breaches.
Electronic and Physical Threats
One of the most perdominant electronic threats to a network is slimple loss of power. The current network has a UPS but there needs to be redundency thoughout. Each server should be connected to a UPS. Each pc should have a suitable surge protecter. Physical threats to the network could manifist in physical damage or even theft. Locking the network closet and securing network equipment is the first step to prventing these threats.
Explicit Enterprise Security Policies and Procedures
One of the most important security polices is how you handle passwords(Davidson, 2016).. The police should be restrictive enough to protect your data but not so difficult that the employees use bad habits to remember their passwords. Employees should not write down their passwords or create repeatative patterns. The guidlines for a password should allow for some freedom to make a secure but easy to rememeber password.
Threat Detection and Protection Technologies
Anti Virus software should be a high prioity for your network. The two servers should have an enterprise versoin of the software. Each pc shoudl be running a lighter version. Emails need to be scanned for malware and a rotten scann of your fiels shoudl be performed on a regular basis. This method will hopfully prevent attacks or catch them before data is lost.
Firewalls
The firewall midigates network attack scenarios by dividing the network into seperate parts. Usually this is done by seperating the private and public networks("How Firewalls Mitigate Attacks", 2015).There are two types of firewalls, hardware and software. each have their advantages and disadvantage. but they both have the responsibily of preventing unauthorized user and data from entering the network. The firewall can also protect the network from with in by varifing credentials of user and denying acces to users when needed.
Common Security Concerns
One of the most common security concerns of wired networks is wire tapping. An attacker can tap into the network cables of a network and scan the data packets that travel through it. That is why it is crucial to physicaly secure the network componints. On the hold hand a wireless network can become supseptable to attacks from anyone in the range of the radio signal. A wireless network should have a very complicated password. When a device connects to mobile wireless signals, they open themselves to attack from other people on the same network. Useing hotspots should be limited to only trusted networks
Conclusion
In order for Kudler Fine Foods to expand their network, many improvements need to be implemented. Several pieces of equipment need to be upgraded and replaced. This type of redesign will allow for a quick switch over and a short downtime. The security conscerens will be address by creating restrictive network securiyt policies and procedures. The firewalls and anti virus software will also be overhalled. The dat arate requirments have been meet by changing the topology of the network to a star. Two switches allow for the network to have two zones that have components that don’t alway shave to communicate with the intire network. Our proposal will be a great undertaking. But with great planning and statagy, this change will be a smooth one. References
Davidson, E. (2016). IT Security and the Importance of Policies and Procedures. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/security-importance-policies-procedures-1100.html
How Firewalls Mitigate Attacks. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/computer-science/how-firewalls-mitigate-attacks-computer-science-essay.php