Computer Networking - Increase Access to Valuable Information

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Computer Networking has become an essential part of business for the day. Today, most of the businesses rely on computer networks for capabilities such as electronic mail and access to remote databases for research and communication purposes. Networking has thus become an increasingly pervasive, worldwide reality because it is fast, efficient, reliable and effective.

What is Computer Networking?

Computer networking involves two or more computers at various different sites, connected through a communications link  that allows them to share resources such as data, hardware, and software.

In order for these individual systems to share, they must be connected through some type of physical pathway or transmission medium. All these individual systems must follow a set of common communication rules in order for the data to arrive at its intended destination or for the systems to properly understand each other in order to receive the data. These rules that govern how the systems communicate are known as protocols.

Type of Networking

LANs (Local Area Networks) - These are computer networks within a building or cluster of building. LANs connects up computers, terminals, file servers and others equipments. With the right software, individual system can share files, work on projects together, send instant messages and e-mail messages simultaneously. It’s simply a small network. You don't even need a cable with wireless LANs.

WANs (Wide Area Networks) - These are computer networks used to link computer systems over a wide geographical areas. Usually connects many LANs together.

The Internet - These is the world’s biggest network. It is a global collection of LANs and WANs, connected to facilitate the sharing of resources. Intranets are simply special private connections maintained across the Internet. As internet is a giant resource, you can’t use it on your own. You need the help of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that has the equipment and the high-speed lines to connect you.

Network Goals
A network can serve as a vehicle by which business information is quickly gathered, processed, and delivered to those who need it through programs and services.

• Sharing Valuable Resources
  Networking allows sharing of resources. For e.g. with LANs, machine can share a printer through networking printing services without regard to the physical location of the resource and the user. Networking also allows sharing the most valuable resource of all, i.e. information.
   

• End-User Empowerment
  User can assess to data available on the network and was able to perform a wide variety of task quickly, using nothing other than the network PC on the desktop.
   

• Structure Flexibility
  Networking provide user with flexibility to build a corporate computing structure that is tailor according to needs but able to grow as business dictates. User have the option to choose whether a peer-to-peer network should there is only a few computers in a small office, or, a client/server network model if the network is large.
   

• Data Security
  Networks offer excellent fault tolerance and data security. A network normally provide centralized data storage. This make backing up critical data and applications easy, since all the data are accessible in one spot. In the case where data and applications were lost or corrupted, they could be restore easily from the regularly back-ups kept.