Differences between Business Requirements and Design Requirements in Network Upgrading
Business requirements are normally listed in a Business Requirements Document, and they are the critical activities that a business does to meet its set objectives. They decide the future and the purposes of the institution (Vasantha, Roy, Lelah, & Brissaud, 2012). On the other hand, network design requirements ensure that a business has a performing, efficient, and readily available network to meet organization's goals. Design requirements outline how the project will be delivered by describing steps to follow. Before a business embarks on upgrading its systems, it is supposed to conduct proper research through communication with customers, training employees, and analyzing the nature of the existing business. Also, the reasons why the industry is upgrading its technologies must be considered so that the outcome of such a process is in line with the business goals (Vasantha, Roy, Lelah, & Brissaud, 2012). Examples of business requirements are customer/business needs, stakeholders' agreement, internal communication, and external communication.
For design requirements, it considers the prevailing market dynamics, trends in technology, business technological needs, and the structured manner of the network upgrades. The network design requirements must comply with the set standards of information technology structure and services. A business being faced by constant stiff competition in the market mix, a production company in which consumers have lost interest in products manufactured, and a firm which wants to gain some advantage over its competitors are some of the design requirements that forces a business to upgrade its network systems (Vasantha, Roy, Lelah, & Brissaud, 2012). However, both design and business requirements related to the same project and they use business-based approach to achieve a common goal. Examples of design requirements are cost efficiency, business continuity, compliance with industry standards, and business elasticity.
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The Modular Approach
Modular network design is an approach that simplifies the network and provides a user with many benefits. It divides the network into access layers and distribution core-layers whereby each segment focuses on specific functions making it easier for a user to choose the right features (Jackson, 2014). Through the incorporation of Cisco model, the modular approach has been converted into a more functional system. A modular approach is a tool used to organize institutional websites and internet to meet both current and future requirements. Based on the above functions of the modular plan, there are various benefits that users enjoy when using this approach for designing networks. These advantages include improved fault isolation, modular network growth, ease of understanding website concepts, reduction in cost due to shorter learning time and less customization, and flexibility in design (Jackson, 2014). The modular approach also gives scalability in network design by facilitating implementation and troubleshooting capabilities.
There are some problems that can occur when methods such as modular approach are not utilized in designing networks (Jackson, 2014). For instance, there will be the possibility of the spread of malicious attacks that may slow down internet speed. This is because all the programs will be running on one server as opposed to the modular approach that divides programs into distinct building blocks. As a result, businesses will have to incur more costs through traffic multiplexing even for communications within the same organization. Another feature that can be found in modular approach is blocking of unwanted traffic or website access (Jackson, 2014). Therefore, users who do not incorporate such methods are at the risk of getting frequent spam messages and people reading their confidential information.
Quality Network Design
To tell if a network design is right, one has to identify the problems that can occur during design. Other important aspects of assessing the quality of a network design include checking the performance of the design, paying attention to the quality of equipment used, and network configuration (Ramezani, Bashiri, & Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, 2013). Apart from checking the class, another essential factor to consider is the requirements for that network design. For example, a design built with high quality and a super-fast network is not categorized as a good network design if the primary purpose of creating the design was to provide resilience and availability of the product.
When determining good quality design, designers should consider how the innovation integrates with the existing systems that depend on it (Ramezani, Bashiri, & Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, 2013). This is because design can be of good quality in the technical area it was tailored to but may be considered as a weak design if it cannot be incorporated in other areas within the same complexity. Also, the reception of workers who will be using the model determines the quality of the invention. Therefore, the designer should take an initiative of explaining to customers how the design can be implemented into proper use (Ramezani, Bashiri, & Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, 2013). The bottom-line is that good network design is one that takes into account both the business and technical requirements.
Criteria for Selecting Internetworking Devices
Selection of a suitable internetworking device poses a complex problem that usually leads to unpredictable results. This is because; there are thousands of sources to search from due to the complexity that comes with multiple protocols, multiple media, and interconnected networks in the field of internetworking (Rash, Nispel, Woodhead, & Graham, 2017). Some of the factors to consider when selecting the best devices include processing speed. A device with a high processing speed is preferred because it is not time-consuming therefore it enables users to finish their work on time. The amount of memory that the device comes with determines priority in selection (Rash, Nispel, Woodhead, & Graham, 2017). Also, apart from the storage space, the amount of latency introduced when the selected device switches between programs or relates different forms of data.
Another factor to consider the criteria for selecting internetworking devices is mobility which helps in cutting down the transportation cost and also makes it easier to manage. Other minor factors considered are the ease of configuration which enables customers to set-up various programs and applications that are compatible with the devices they are using (Rash, Nispel, Woodhead, & Graham, 2017). Devices that support Wide Area Networks (WAN) that can connect networks over large geographical areas or hose that support Local Area Networks (LAN) that connect users over a small area are given preference because they easily allow communication.
Similarities and Differences between Security Plan and Policy
Security policy can be defined as the guidelines that govern a person or an institution on the ways to conduct themselves and constraints on behavior. Security policy refers to the rules made by an organization to for rational decision making (Zuiderwijk & Janssen, 2014). On the other hand, security plan refers to the strategies set by an institution with the aim of achieving their set objectives, gain competitive advantage, or gain customer's trust. Security plans are dynamic and therefore can be changed to fit the prevailing situation. Conversely, security policies are quite rigid and uniform, but relaxations can be allowed in unavoidable circumstances (Zuiderwijk & Janssen, 2014). Security plans deal with factors affecting the external environment of business while security policies are designed to guide the internal environment of an institution.
The differences between security policies and plans are complicated. This is because the two factors are interconnected in such a way that organizations set policies that guide in coming up with security plans. For instance, security plan specifies steps that determine how the system will govern the employees in achieving the goals of an organization (Zuiderwijk & Janssen, 2014). Also, both of them are made by the top management of any institution after an in-depth analysis. In general, both policies and plans provide a template for managers to use in governing their subordinates and making useful decisions that are in line with the institution's mission and vision statements.
References
Jackson, S. L. (2014). Research methods: A modular approach . Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Ramezani, M., Bashiri, M., & Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, R. (2013). A new multi-objective stochastic model for a forward/reverse logistics network design with responsiveness and quality level. Applied Mathematical Modelling , 37 (1), 328-344.
Rash, M., Nispel, M., Woodhead, J., & Graham, R. (2017). U.S. Patent No. 9,813,447 . Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Vasantha, G. V. A., Roy, R., Lelah, A., & Brissaud, D. (2012). A review of product–service systems design methodologies. Journal of Engineering Design , 23 (9), 635-659.
Zuiderwijk, A., & Janssen, M. (2014). Open data policies, their implementation, and impact: A framework for comparison. Government Information Quarterly , 31 (1), 17-29.
