Case Overview: Surfboard City, a premier provider of quality surfboards, has hired you as a technology advisor who will assist their newly promoted IT Director, Mike Black. The previous Director was forced to retire because of health problems. Mike, a systems analyst, was offered the position because of his background in technology. Because of budget constraints, the company could not afford to hire additional personnel, so Mike has accepted the challenge.
The company has three buildings: one used for administration, one for manufacturing, and one for surfboard testing. Building 1, the headquarters, is located in Charlotte, NC. Building 2, the manufacturing plant, is located in Chicago, IL. Building 3, the testing facility, is located in San Diego, CA. The company president, George Snead, wants all of the computers in the three buildings interconnected. You have been hired to provide a basic design for the network.
Deliverables: Write a report to President Snead addressing the following:
1. How can the company connect all of its offices to the Internet (a WAN)? What type of equipment will be needed and where should it be placed?
2. President Snead has taken a home in Colorado during the winter months, but he still wants to address all employees at their desks with a live video broadcast each week. Each employee has a PC. What special network considerations will these multimedia broadcasts involve?
3. President Snead is very interested in learning more about both ISDN and DSL. Draw a table that identifies the advantages and disadvantages of the two technologies.
Make the report professional and easy to understand. Microsoft Word offers report templates that can be used. Keep the report concise and to the point, but remember that President Snead may not have a strong understanding of the technologies that you are discussing.