ABC was launched as a retail dive shop with 10 employees in Turkey by Mr Beans. As a small business owner, Beans wanted to offer the e-commerce capabilities of a large firm using a small company's budget. Within a year, he had installed an Ethernet LAN to connect three PCs, each of which served as a point-of-sale cash register and terminal. These PCs link to a Microsoft Access database where the firm's product catalogue and order information are stored. The PCs are also connected to a credit card verification system operated by their merchant bank.
ABC has also established a website with the goals of displaying and selling the company's products, providing diving news and information, and bringing together members of the diving community.
ABC has three laptops that its employees use to access the Internet and update the website.
a) Suggest the network topology and communication medium that is most likely to be used in ABC's LAN. Explain your view.
b) Identify the hardware devices, networking devices and telecommunications services you may expect to find on ABC's local area network. Briefly describe the purpose of each component you identify.
c) Would you recommend that ABC install a wireless network? Why or why not?
d) Describe two business-to-consumer e-commerce applications which could be supported by ABC's website.