Planning Internet Connectivity And Network Infrastructure For Color Ability Corporation (CAC)

Selecting an ISP for CAC

Network Infrastructure is the backbone for any business to grow (Karyakina and Melnikov, 2017). Color Ability Corporation (CAC) has grown and wants to move to a more spacious building. A network enables employees to share resources, data, and information regardless of their location as long as they are connected to the internet (Di Corato, 2013). It is this network ability that has made it necessary for companies and institutions to invest in network infrastructure. CAC is a marketing and advertising company as such they need it needs to connect with the client in the most efficient and effective way.

CAC has acquired a four story building in Brisbane CBD and they are planning to move to the new building in three months. However, before they move, a network infrastructure has to be set in up order to meet the following requirements: allow employees and managers to share files securely, facilitate email communications and allow all the employees to access emails from anywhere, to securely store project files in a central location, set up wireless connection in all the five departments, and allow sharing of physical resources such as printer and scanner (Wickboldt, et al., 2015).

The following are the objectives of the project:

• To set up a network that will allow managers and employees to share files.
• To set up wireless connection in all the five departments.
• To allow employees to access emails from anywhere
• To set up secure central location to store project files.
• To set up a network that will allow sharing of resources.

In order to meet the set objectives, the project tasks will be subdivided into sub tasks. The project will be broken down into 6 sub tasks, project planning, requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, and handover and documentation (Woodward and Feuer, 2013).

Task Save Time On Research and Writing Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper. Get My Paper	Time (days)	Start date	End date
Project planning and requirements gathering	15	September 15, 2018	September 29, 2018
Design	10	September 30, 2018	October 9, 2018
Implementation	50	October 10, 2018	November 29, 2018
Network Testing	5	November 30, 2018	December 4, 2018
Documentation	80	September 15, 2018	December 4, 2018

Table 1: Project Timetable

No	Item	Quantity	Estimated Cost ($)
1	Computers	60	5000
2	Servers	6	700
3	Access points	5	450
5	Routers	2	300
8	Printers	5	1000
6	Switches	5	550
9	ISP Subscription	24	1400
Estimated Budget	9400

Table 2: Project Estimated Budget

Department: General Use
Location: Brisbane and Sydney
Component	Recommendation
Processor	Intel Core i7-7700 3.6 GHz
Memory	8 GB DDR4
Hard Drive	2 TB SSHD
CD-ROM/DVD	DVD/CD R/W
USB Ports	Total:6,  back:4, front:2
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce GT 730; refresh rate 60Hz
Sound Card	ALC3863-CG
Modem	Internal modem 4800 bps
Operating System	Windows 10 pro-64 bit
Monitor	Size: 21, Resolution: 2560x 1600, Refresh rate: 60Hz
Printer	Kyocera M3560idn
Speakers	Internal speakers Azalia 5.1 channel
Internet Connection	LAN: 1000 Base-T

Table 3: General Purpose Computer Specifications

(Source: Athow, 2018)

Department: Graphics Production
Location: Brisbane and Sydney
Component	Recommendation
Processor	Intel core i7 4.6GHz
Memory	16 GB DDR4 (Upgradable to 32GB)
Hard Drive	1TB 7200 rpm SATA
CD-ROM/DVD	DVD R/W
USB Ports	Total:6,  back:4, front:2
Video Card	Intel HD Graphics 630 refresh rate: 60Hz
Sound Card	Conexant CX5001
Modem	Internal modem 4800 bps
Operating System	Windows 10 pro 64-bit
Monitor	Size: 20”, Resolution: 1600x 900, Refresh rate: 60Hz
Printer	Kyocera M3560idn
Speakers	2W internal speakers
Internet Connection	LAN Realtek RTL8111HSH-CG GbE

Table 4: graphics Production Computer Specifications

(sources: Matthew, 2018)

Department: Film Production
Location: Sydney
Component	Recommendation
Processor	Intel core i7-6700 3.4 GHz
Memory	16-32 GB DDR 4
Hard Drive	2TB SSHD
CD-ROM/DVD	DVD +/-RW DW316
USB Ports	Total:8,  back:4, front:4
Video Card	AMD Radeon RX 570; refresh rate: 60Hz
Sound Card	JJP Signature series XPS 27
Modem	4800 bps Internal modem
Operating System	Windows 10  pro 64- bit
Monitor	Size: 27”, Resolution: 3840x 2160, Refresh rate: 60Hz
Printer	Kyocera M3560idn
Speakers	Internal speakers XPS 27
Internet Connection	10/100/1000 Ethernet

Table 5: Film production Computer Specifications

(Sources: Levin, 2017)

Department: Email/FTP Server
Location: Brisbane
Component	Recommendation
Processor	Intel quad-core 2GHz vCPU
Memory	8 GB DDR 4
Hard Drive	1TB SATA
CD-ROM/DVD	DVD +/-RW
USB Ports	Total:8,  back:4, front:4
Video Card	AMD Radeon RX 570; refresh rate: 60Hz
Sound Card	PCIe RX 7.1
Modem	9600 bps Internal modem
Operating System	Linux Kernel 2.6
Monitor	Size: 19”, Resolution: 1280×800, Refresh rate: 60Hz
Printer	NA
Speakers	Internal speakers Blaster Audigy
Internet Connection	10/100/1000 Ethernet

Table 6: Mail/FTP Server Specification

(Source: Gagliardi and Alhabib, 2015

The recommended printer that can handle the heavy and high quality printing services required by CAC is Kyocera M3560idn. This is a multi-functional printer that can support copy, print, scan, and fax services with a print speed of 60ppm. It also duplex network interface. It is easy to use and manage and can handle many print runs without breaking down. It is components are reliable because they have been designed to last for long thus improving productivity (Hoque and Gupta, 2012).

This printer is able to handle all the print services required by CAC. It also comes with a 2-year warrant with support maintenance from the manufacturer.

For a network to be operational, there are devices that are necessary such as a router, switch, and wireless access point.

Comparison of Two Local ISPs

There is need for employees at CAC to connect to wireless network using their tablets, mobile phones, and laptops. This will increase employee productivity as they do not need to work from their desktop computers all the time. The recommended wireless access point device is Net Gear WAC510.

This wireless access point delivers reliable wireless connection for a ubiquitous business like CAC and offers high client density and high performance.

Router

Cisco 4000 Series integrated router is recommended for CAC network connection. It offers unified communication, Virtualization, secure WAN connection, and application experience (CertificationKits, 2018).

The switch is required for network extensibility. The recommended switch model for CAC operations id Cisco Meraki MS210. This model supports 802.3at/802.3af PoE which is available on every port, 48×10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet connection, cross over detection and auto negotiation, client/ DHCP / hostname finger printing, and remote troubleshooting and maintenance (Cisco, 2018).

Choosing an internet service provider is a difficult and complex task (Dabibbi and Guirguis, 2015, p. 64). There are several aspects that needs to be looked into before selecting a particular ISP for the business, they include: timeframe and availability, connection speed, cost efficiency, and redundancy (Zhang and Shin, 2013, p. 427). The table below compares two internet service providers that CAC can get internet services from.

ISP	Features	Cost
	Unlimited calls to AUS landlines Unlimited data Wi-Fi Hub on 24-month subscription Unlimited downloads	$69 per month
	Free Wi-Fi modem and activation Anytime data usage Unlimited downloads	$64 per month

CAC should choose Kogan because it offers high availability service with 24/7 customer support.

The following internal services should be offered by CAC network:

Print service- This services is provided by the print server to manage large print queues (Gentile, Griffith and Souryal, 2012, p. 51).

Mail services- This services is provided by the mail server to manage email communication between employees and managers, manager and managers, and amongst employees.

DHCP- this services is provided by the DHCP server in order to dynamically assign IP address to the network devices (LI, 2008, p. 1372).

Application access- this services is provided by the application server to enable employees access the applications required to complete their daily tasks.

The table below summarizes the internal services.

Service	Device
Print service	Print server
Mail service	Mail server
DHCP	DHCP server
Application Access	Application server

Table 7: Internal Services Provided

Requirement	How many? Why?
Are wired connections required?	100 wired connections are required.
Are wireless connections required	Up to 250 Wireless connections are requires to support connection of tablets, phones and tablets.
Wireless standard	A more secure and stable wireless standard is needed: 802.11 ac
is firewall required?	Yes, Firewall is required to maintain network security
ISP connectivity Required	Yes, ISP that offer high availability service is required.
Type of ISP connectivity	DSL connectivity is preferred because it is reliable and fast.
Internal and external modem required?	External model is needed to connect internal network to the internet.
Cables require?	Yes, network cables are required to facilitate wired connection. Recommended cable is cat 6 Ethernet cable.
Battery backup required?	Yes, to prevent power surge and keep devices from being electrocuted. Additionally it allows the user to save the work and shutdown the computer correctly.

Subnet	Network Address	Slash Notation	First Usable IP address	Last Usable IP address	Broadcast Address
1	192.168.0.0	/24	192.168.0.1	192.168.0.254	192.168.0.255
2	194.32.9.0	/28	194.32.9.1	194.32.9.14	194.32.9.15

Table 8: Subnet Table

Device	Interface	IP Address	Subnet Mask	Default Gateway
Routers (Static IP addresses)
Brisbane R1	NA	194.32.9.1	255.255.255.240	NA
Sydney R2	NA	194.32.9.2	255.255.255.240	NA
Switches (Static IP addresses)
1st floor S1	VLAN 1	192.168.0.2	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.1
2nd floor S2	VLAN 1	192.168.0.3	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.1
3rd floor S3	VLAN 1	192.168.0.4	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.1
4th floor S4	VLAN 1	192.168.0.5	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.1
Sydney S5	VLAN 2	192.168.0.8	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.6
Servers (Static IP addresses)
Mail Server	S0/1	194.32.9.11	255.255.255.240	194.32.9.25
Print Server	S0/1	192.168.0.12	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.25
Application server	S0/1	192.168.0.13	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.25
Printers (Static IP addresses)
1st floor printer	Fa0/2	192.168.0.21	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.30
2nd floor printer	Fa0/2	192.168.0.22	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.30
3rd floor printer	Fa0/2	192.168.0.23	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.30
4th floor printer	Fa0/2	192.168.0.24	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.30
Sydney Office Printer	Fa0/0	192.168.0.34	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.32
DHCP (Dynamic IP addresses)
Mobile phones, tablets and Laptops	DHCP	192.168.0.35-192.168.0.254	255.255.255.0	192.168.0.40

Network security is one of the major aspects of any business. CAC will be sharing very sensitive information via the network making them vulnerable to threats and risks like hackers and eavesdroppers (Lin, Hamdi and Muppala, 2012, p. 1189). As such, there is need to ensure that the data, information, files, and documents shared over the network or internet are safe to ensure that it is not accessed by unauthorized users. One of the ways to achieve this is combining the use of private and public IP addressing system.  Public IPs are assigned to devices that connect and access the internet. This is address identify the device uniquely on the internet (Oppenheimer, 2011). Public IP addresses can be easily identified by hackers and thus the need to use private IP to further protect illegal intrusion to the system. Private IPs are allocated to the network devices by the DHCP within the company network and cannot be searched over the internet (Pop, 2012). A device with private IP when accessing the internet is assigned public IP by the router, meaning that having the public IP does not necessarily mean you can locate the device. Therefore, when a device is connected to the internet only the public IP will be visible and the private IP remain hidden (Rodno, 2017, p. 35).

Recommended Devices for CAC

Conclusion

It is important to ensure security and integrity of the network at all times. Data and other sensitive resources are shared over the network and if it is not secured it can be accessed by unauthorized users which may lead to business downfall because the leaked information may be used to by the individuals to ruin the business. Thus, it is necessary to design a secured, reliable, and stable network to allow smooth flow of information and operation within the company. The company is expected to grow and expand in the near future, as such, the network should be scalable to ensure that more devices will be added to the network without affecting the overall performance of the company.

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