Networking: Beyond the Elevator Speech

Posted on 21. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

“Networking” has become one the sales bywords in recent years. Many will tell you that the key to building your sales is to “network” effectively. There is no question that building a strong network can be incredibly helpful to your sales efforts. Nevertheless, many people in sales face the same difficulties in networking that they face in cold-calling. It sounds great, yet for some reason they just don’t seem to be able to do it effectively. Let’s look at some of the factors and see if we can debunk some of this.

Exactly what is “networking?” The first thing comes to mind for many salespeople is that networking about finding customers without having to make cold calls! A common perception is that networking means going to a lot of events, meeting as many people as you can (also called “working the room”), handing out your business cards to “qualified” prospects, and then waiting for them to call you. Once you’ve met all these qualified people at an event, the thinking goes, you can call them up the following day or week to instantly secure an appointment to do business with them. When this doesn’t happen, our erstwhile networker gets discouraged, concluding that she is just not a good networker, and that the people she needs to sell to just be going to the same “networking” events she is.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a network is a “fabric or structure of cords or wires that cross at regular intervals and are knotted or secure at the crossings.” If we rewrite that definition a bit for sales purposes, we could say that a network is a “structure of people and contacts that cross at regular intervals and are secure at the crossings.”

Notice that this definition does not say anything about handing out business cards, giving elevator speeches, or closing business. Does that mean that networking is a waste of time or that you shouldn’t be doing these things?

Not at all. However, to reap the rewards, you do need to rethink your approach and expectations from your networking efforts. Building an effective network means making an ongoing investment in other people, without an expectation of anything in return.

“What”, you say? “That’s blasphemy! How can I spend time networking without getting anything in return?”

No – that’s not what I said. I said not to EXPECT anything in return. Your only goal for networking should be having other people view you as a valuable resource and as a part of THEIR network. Wow – when you start thinking of it this way, you can begin to see and reap the benefits of a strong network. Networks take time to build and nurture. In addition, just as in a direct selling situation, the most effective networkers focus on what they can do for the people they meet without focusing on what the other person can do for them. Over time, you build credibility as someone who truly cares about other people, is trustworthy, reliable, and a good person to know. That’s when the benefits begin to come back to you.

The real power in networking comes from understanding a simple fact; everyone you know and each person you meet knows on average 250 people. Your goal in networking should not be to get the people you meet to become your customers – it should be to become a part of THEIR network, and for them to become a part of yours. Every contact you make puts you at the reach of potentially another 250 people. Think of it as weaving an intricate web with many crossings. Every positive impression you make strengthens that web. As author Bob Burg puts it: “the true strength really comes though when we realize that all the people in our network are also parts of other people’s networks that we ourselves don’t personally know. And that, indirectly, makes each of those people part of our network too.”

So, how do you get started?

Here are some tips:

- Don’t approach networking with the expectation of immediate gratification; your goal is to meet people and to understand as much about them as you can.

- Don’t give people you meet for the first time a “sales pitch.”

- Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see things happen right away; true networks take time to build.

- Do ask questions about the other person.

- Do ask if you can stay in touch.

- Do send a follow-up note, and touch on a few things you discussed.

- Do take active steps on a regular basis to strengthen your network by both staying in touch with people you’ve connected with, and by finding ways to connect with new people.

- Do use networking as one of many tools in your arsenal for effective prospecting.

- Do actively find ways to make connections between members of your network – remember making more and more connections is what it’s all about.

- Do offer to do things for others in your network, even if there’s no immediate promise of reward or reciprocation.

Start changing the way you think about networking and before long you will start to see the positive impact it can have.

Networking

Posted on 20. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

Networking.

Networking is a complex part of computing that makes up most of the IT Industry. Without networks, almost all communication in the world would cease to happen. It is because of networking that telephone, televisions, the internet, etc. work.

One way to categorize computer networks is by their geographic scope, although many real-world networks interconnect Local Area Networks (LAN) via Wide Area Networks (WAN) and wireless networks [WWAN]. These three (broad) types are:

Local area network (LAN)

A local area network is a network that spans a relatively small space and provides services to a small number of people. Depending on the number of people that use a Local Area Network, a peer-to-peer or client-server method of networking may be used. A peer-to-peer network is where each client shares their resources with other workstations in the network. Examples of peer-to-peer networks are: Small office networks where resource use is minimal and a home network. A client-server network is where every client is connected to the server and each other. Client-server networks use servers in different capacities. These can be classified into two types: Single-service servers, where the server performs one task such as file server, print server, etc.; while other servers can not only perform in the capacity of file servers and print servers, but they also conduct calculations and use these to provide information to clients (Web/Intranet Server). Computers are linked via Ethernet Cable, can be joined either directly (one computer to another), or via a network hub that allows multiple connections.

Historically, LANs have featured much higher speeds than WANs. This is not necessarily the case when the WAN technology appears as Metro Ethernet, implemented over optical transmission systems.

Wide area network (WAN)

A wide area network is a network where a wide variety of resources are deployed across a large domestic area or internationally. An example of this is a multinational business that uses a WAN to interconnect their offices in different countries. The largest and best example of a WAN is the Internet, which is a network comprised of many smaller networks. The Internet is considered the largest network in the world.[6]. The PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) also is an extremely large network that is converging to use Internet technologies, although not necessarily through the public Internet.

A Wide Area Network involves communication through the use of a wide range of different technologies. These technologies include Point-to-Point WANs such as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC), Frame Relay, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and Sonet (Synchronous Optical Network). The difference between the WAN technologies is based on the switching capabilities they perform and the speed at which sending and receiving bits of information (data) occur.

For more information on WANs, see Frame Relay, ATM and Sonet.

Wireless networks (WLAN, WWAN)

A wireless network is basically the same as a LAN or a WAN but there are no wires between hosts and servers. The data is transferred over sets of radio transceivers. These types of networks are beneficial when it is too costly or inconvenient to run the necessary cables. For more information, see Wireless LAN and Wireless wide area network. The media access protocols for LANs come from the IEEE.

The most common IEEE 802.11 WLANs cover, depending on antennas, ranges from hundreds of meters to low kilometers. For larger areas, either communications satellites of various types, cellular radio, or wireless local loop (IEEE 802.16) all have advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the type of mobility needed, the relevant standards may come from the IETF or the ITU.

www.HbTechUsa.com

Reference

Wikipedia.

Networking Your Home or Small Business is Fairly Inexpensive

Posted on 19. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

If you have as few as two computers in your home, you can reap a number of benefits by connecting them with a network cable and two NICs (Network Interface Cards). Equally, if you run a small business from your house, and have maybe five or six systems, benefits can be seen by networking.

One of the main advantages of a small home network is that it allows each computer to share all the resources. For example, if you print from a program running on one computer to a printer attached to the other computer, you won’t need to buy two printers. Importantly, you will also be able to save precious disk space by keeping programs and data on one computer and running them from all machines.

You can also take advantage of special software that exploits the fact that your computers are connected. This ranges from mainstream productivity software to that productivity killer: networked gaming.

There are a number of ways in which to connect two or more computers into a network, but most fall into either the peer networking or server networking category.

Server based networks have one or more server computers dedicated to providing shared resources to a group of network client computers. The servers are generally highly specified and generally also more reliable than the average computer. They need to be, because people using the client computers have to logon to the network before they can access the server’s resources. Therefore, the server must be running all the time in a typical environment.

Although there are situations in which a home network should follow the server based model, it is actually overkill for most home networks.

The alternative to a server based network is peer networking. Here, each computer functions as a server sharing its disks and printers, and as a client using the resources on other computers. Generally, peer networks are easier to setup than server based networks.

With network cards and the network software that ships with Windows XP, you can share hard disks, directories, files, programs, email and printers.

Network Hardware

The best way to connect two computers in a peer network is via a pair of network cards and a piece of cable. The two NICs will be fitted into a free PCI expansion slot. Windows XP will probably have the drivers and automatically install them for you when it detects the new hardware, otherwise you may need to provide the drivers.

Cables

With the cards fitted and the correct drivers installed you then need to connect the NICs with the cable. There are many different network cables available but the de facto standard to which most people adhere is Ethernet. And, there is quite a variety within the Ethernet category itself. The only real decision you have to make is between Thin Ethernet and Twisted Pair or TP.

For a basic two computer network the cheapest option is Thin Ethernet – it offers long cable runs and doesn’t require a hub. Unfortunately, Thin Ethernet chains computers together in series and is susceptible to breaks in the cable. So, if one section breaks, none of the computers on the network will be able to communicate with each other.

TP, in comparison, generally uses a star arrangement with each computer individually cabled to the hub. This is a lot more reliable because a failure in the cable to one computer doesn’t affect the other computers. It’s an academic point if you have only two computers, but as soon as you have three or more at home, TP automatically becomes a lot more reliable than Thin Ethernet.

Hubs

Hubs come in all shapes and sizes. More sophisticated hubs, known as switches, are used in very large, busy networks, while managed hubs are designed to work with network management software for large networks. Most home networks requires neither switches nor managed hubs – an inexpensive 4-port or 8-port hub should suffice. Ensure that the hubs and NIC cards support 10/100 Mbps which is the standard these days.

Up and Running

When your network is up and running, what should you use it for? Well, it’s up to you, but here are some typical uses which can enhance your home computing experience.

Firstly, you can use it to share files. Do you have data that you and another family member want to access from your own computer? Now you don’t have to copy them from one machine to the other with flash disks.

Now a single printer can be used by each computer saving the need to buy two or more printers for each user.

Other resources can also be shared, such as modems and ADSL connections. The whole family can surf the Internet simultaneously. Now what are you waiting for?

Networking Solutions and Infrastructure

Posted on 18. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

Networking is an interconnected collection of autonomous computers, allowing all the users controlled access, in a cost effective manner. The main application of a good network is sharing. The sharing can be of any hardware, software or peripheral devices that are very costly and/ or are very less in number.

With networking, you can access remote database and communication facilities. For a smooth functioning, a business is required to have a suitable networking support. There are various types of Network infrastructure services, such as LAN, MAN, and WAN. All small business-network solutions have LAN as their base. A LAN or local area network covers only a small area, which may be a office or a building. The main purpose of the business networking solutions is to serve its users in resource sharing.

A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is spread across an entire city. For example, a cable TV network. The purpose of this kind of business networking solutions is also to facilitate the sharing of hardware and resources among its users. Another Network Infrastructure Design available is WAN or Wide Area Network, which is a group of computers that are separated by large distances and tied together. The basic Network Security and Support Services, keeping LAN, MAN and WAN in view, are modem and robust.

The Network installation services, in general, use both branded as well as non-branded, equipments, including products of some of the best companies like IBM, Compaq, Apple, and Toshiba. However, if you are low on budget, you can also choose from used and refurbished products.

There are also various network-monitoring services offered by the network provider, wherein a remote network monitoring service keep an eye on your network and ensures its smooth working. There are various specific network protocols designed to implement better safety within a client-server business network, to attain better network security and privacy. Qualified network professionals monitor for any spiteful activity under the purview of these business networking solutions.

Effective network installation services helps in setting up network quickly and effectively, in case of relocation of existing networks.

There are companies that provide comprehensive network security and support services, to ensure proper functioning of the network by their prompt troubleshooting services.

While companies who can afford keep their own qualified networking support for throughout maintenance and monitoring of the networking infrastructure, small businesses with limited budget prefer to outsource the services on an AMC contract or akin.

Computer Network Solutions

Posted on 17. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

-Computer network solutions

What is a Computer Network?

A computer network refers to an interconnected group of computers. The networks may be classified according to the network layer at which they function depending upon the basic reference models. The reference models may differ from industry to industry, just like the five-layer Internet Protocol Suite model. Computer Networks are classified on the basis of various factors like scale, connection method, network relationships and protocol.

Type of Computer Networking: The common types of computer networks are:

Personal Area Network (PAN)

Local Area Network (LAN)

Campus Area Network (CAN)

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Global Area Network (GAN)

Internet work – intranet, extranet and internet

Importance of Computer Network Solutions in Organizations:

With the boom of technology and e-commerce, most of the small and large businesses today are driven by the use of internet. The Internet and the influence that it has on e-commerce and business has in more than one ways become the “great equalizer” of small business and the larger corporate giants.

Especially in the case of small business, it is very important to maintain their computer network solutions so as to keep working properly and efficiently. A whole package of computer networking solutions complete with routine maintenance, regular updates, upgrades and support can help an organization ensure that its investment is well protected and that it can survive and thrive online.

Here are some of the important computer network solutions and services that can help your organization runs smoothly and efficiently:

Updating and upgrading software – This helps in ensuring the longevity and integrity of the online portion of your business. By installing regular software updates, you can ensure that you have the newest, safest and most efficient software for your organization’s needs.

Maintenance of systems using computer network support – It is advisable to find a trusted technician in your area whom you can call in to save valuable time in the event of an unexpected technical problem.

Routine maintenance – This helps in protecting your computers and networks from viruses and spy ware. Installing an effective virus protection software program in your system can ensure the longevity of your computer network by helping to keep it free from dangerous viruses that can threaten your information and software. Moreover the spy ware prevention software can also help keep unwanted hackers out of your systems to ensure that your sensitive information is kept secure.

E -Computer Network Solutions Providers:

There are many organizations that provide online computer network solutions for small, medium and large organizations. They provide cost effective and high performance computer networking solutions to build Local Area Network, Wide Area Network and Wireless LAN to access internet and share data between the computers. Some of the companies providing computer Networking Solutions online are:

CSS Infotech Ltd.

JMPro Networking Solutions

VIP PowerNet

The Computer Company

Learn the Power of Networking in 5 Minutes

Posted on 16. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

I first heard this phrase (“Your Network Is Your Net Worth) from Robert Kiyosaki in his book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”. Then, many people started using the phrase again and again, as if it was a phrase from the Bible.

But I thought for a while, is it true? Does the extension of your network, simple reflected in your net worth? Or does the quality of your network determine your net worth?

I was curious. So, I ventured out to find the elusive answer through books, friends and eventually I stumbled upon a workshop. A workshop conducted by DU Advanced Toastmasters Club. Here is what I understand from the Singaporean trainer.

(1) What is networking?

Networking can be anybody. For example, the toilet cleaner, your child’s friends or your friend’s mother or even the waitress serving you could be your network. They may be the next one, who introduce you to the CEO, General Manager or Head Of Department (“HOD”) of a company. If this is true, then in short, networking can be built by anyone, at anytime, to anybody. This simply means you have to be nice to everybody (smiling).

Networking also means sharing your competence with your alliances.

Network refers to someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone. They may not be the someone doing the job for you, but that someone may open doors for opportunity to you when you’re in need.

Networking is about being professional, it is about being connected, being involved and being interested in people.

(2) So, why should people even network with you?

There are only 3 reasons, why your friends network with you, now.

(a) Your POSITION

Just imagine this. If you are the CFO of a company, I bet you, that bankers, lawyers, partners of audit firm and the entire HOD will be begging to be in your network. For an obvious reason, you have the authority to deposit money into their banks, to appoint or engage them for certain services and also to approve their budgets. But the risk is, what if you no longer working as the CFO of the company? You have to think about it because nothing is evergreen.

(b) The INFORMATION you can provide them

The second reason why people network with you is because you have certain special knowledge, skills or experiences that they don’t have. If you know all the gossips at your workplace, I bet you’ll have more friends. Because, whenever your colleagues want some updates in the office, you will be the someone they are looking for.

Let says if you have always known to be a person, who poses high problem solving skills among your friends. And the next time your friends, have a problem, do you think it is more likely that they will look for you or someone else on the street? Do you think they will want to keep you as their close network over someone who has nothing to share? Think about it.

If you know the best place for food, the cheapest car repair workshop or even the best deals for online purchases, you’ll definitely have an edge over your other friends.

(c) The CONNECTIONS you have

You know everyone in the town, all the top notch bankers, famous lawyers and even celebrities, you’ll have more friends. Rather than investing hours and hours networking with hundreds of people, your friends could simply tap on the vast network you already have. The just need to know you and they’ll have the key to access hundreds of your friends. Likewise, it will be the same for you too This is call ‘leveraging’ on each others network.

So, the most important question is which of the above do you poses? Position, information or connection? If you have all 3 of them, “Well done!” Your network should be extensive by now. If you have none of that, your network would consider limited.

But the latter is no longer a concern. Because, now you already know the three reasons why people network with you and guess what, many of your friends, don’t even realize it yet.

If you already have a huge extensive network then, you can always expand it further. But if you have limited network, here are something you could do:

(i) make the most of your existing connections

Re-connect with them through off-line and online such as e-mails, social community site like www.myspace.com or www.facebook.com.

(ii) build your social capital

Find out the best eatery place in town, the cheapest flight tickets, the happening events in your area, the best lawyers, the most trustworthy contractors or the most reliably insurance agents. and

(iii) Creating new connection

A common networking session that I’ve attended often happens in this manner.

First, introducing yourself to strangers, then talking with them, asking them questions, knowing them, having drinks and then, eventually forgetting about them. Usually the last line is, “We shall catch up again someday”. But the truth is, they never catch up. Maybe at the end of the conversation, they even forget about the person name.

Most people spend time SOCIALIZING, but they thought they are NETWORKING. Networking is about maintaining close contact through offering and sharing with other people your social capital, so that both can connect.

Here comes my thought. Expansion of network is crucial, but the quality of your network is even more important than the quantity. The simple fact is, if you lie down with dogs, you come up with fleas. If you network with positive and like minded people, you’ll be positive minded as well. If you network with negative people, you’ll turn negative. So, choose wisely.

Warmest regards, Ken Tan

Choosing the Best Network Security Services

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

Getting reliable network security services could translate to faster returns on your network investments. A secure network ensures that your company’s web servers and client applications would be safe from malicious attacks and unauthorized access and intrusions.

Even small and medium sized enterprises should start getting managed network security services. Although their IT environments would be smaller compared to big companies, they can still become vulnerable to network attacks. That is why network security services are also critical for smaller companies.

Reasons Why Network Security Services are Important

Networks are constantly subjected to security risks and vulnerabilities. One of the most dangerous attacks that can happen to any network is denial of service. When your network encounters such problem, your legitimate users will not be able to access your services. Your network will suffer from extended downtimes and there is a strong possibility that your servers will crash.

Without reliable network security services at your disposal, your company would find it hard to solve a denial of service attack or prevent it from happening. Your company may suffer financially because of the damage inflicted on the network. You will also lose business opportunities as customers will find a way to look for other enterprises that have reliable network security services.

Aside from this problem, your network is also subject to illegal intrusions, information theft, virus and Trojan attacks, and malware infestation. All these problems could cause innumerable headaches for your in-house IT staff. But with the help of reliable network security services, you can safeguard your network against such attacks and malicious intrusions.

What to Look For When Choosing Network Security Services?

If you want to get maximum benefit from managed network security services, you need to look for several capability areas. There are hundreds of companies providing network security services. It is best therefore to wisely choose which among the numerous network security services offer the best deal.

First, network security services should provide solutions that are custom made for your business. Security solutions should follow the procedures and policies of your network and not the other way around. Customization of network security could reduce your IT investments and bring down the cost of security applications deployment.

Second, reliable network security services should be able to provide 24/7 technical and troubleshooting support. Your network is live 24/7 and is constantly under threat of attacks and intrusions. That is why you have to look for network security services that are capable of deploying experts if unfavorable events happen to your network.

Third, look for network security services that can perform regular security evaluation, testing, check-up, and analysis. These tasks are important in order to maintain the integrity of your network.

Specifically, reliable network security services should have the capability to run intrusion simulations to test the strength of your firewall and gateway security. They must also test network clients for vulnerability against username and password theft. These are important regular check-ups in order to determine areas of improvement in your company network.

Network security services could protect your network against unscrupulous groups or individuals. Your company can surely benefit from their expertise and security solutions.

Understand Social Networks Better for Effective Business Promotion

Posted on 14. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

Social networking is a big buzz in today’s world of Internet marketers. Social networking can be said to be virtually started (introduced) by My Space and facebook. Today, these two giant social networking websites are the ones most visited by people. Many of the Internet marketers have found charming opportunities to market their products through these social networking websites. Though all the members of these social networking websites are not targeted, many of the Internet marketers consider this as an effective means to get more free exposure to their business.

There are many social networking websites that are emerging each and every month. TalkMoola.com, Zenzuu, Friendswin, Yuwie, and Wowzza are some of them launched recently. With all these social networking websites, Internet marketers have a wide source to promote their business. However, many of the Internet marketers complain that social networking is a complete waste of time and they didn’t find gain out of it. It is because not all network marketers have caught on to the power of social networking yet or how to properly use social networking to explode their businesses. But the ability to further expose themselves and their business to other like-minded people is extremely valuable and profitable for most.

The most important fact about social networking websites is that all social networks that are created are not equal. Social networks differ in many ways. It is up to you to choose the best social network that suits your business promotional needs.

Look for Social networks with similar interests

Before signing up with any social networking website for business promotion, you should make sure that the network has people who would be interested in what you have to offer, or are like-minded to you. For example, if you are trying to promote your business of electronic goods online, then you should look for social networking websites with related communities and forums. If you try to promote your electronic product in a social network that includes members looking for a date or love, it would be a complete waste of time. 

Active involvement is essential

Maximum exposure to your business through social networks can be achieved only by increasing the contacts. This can be achieved by accepting all the friend invitations within the social network and searching for like-minded people in the community and adding them as friends. The larger your list of friends the more active you will appear to be and  more people will take heart to what you have to say. Active involvement in social networks is essential for effective business promotion. Regular forum participations, blog postings and messaging to friends are some kinda active involvement. While promoting a business in a social network, bulk messaging is a facility to look for.  Some social networks limit the amount of people you are able to send a message to at once. On the other hand, some social networks will let you add unlimited friends and you can send them a bulletin or message to all your friends at once anytime with ease. This is what you should be looking for.

Create your own social networking website

It’s always good to create your own social networking website for promoting your business. Creating your own social networking website will be beneficial than promoting your business in other social networks.  This will help you to strengthen the customer-supplier relationship and also helps you to identify your customer needs. Designing a social networking website is just a breeze today. Professional social network web designers can help you design unique social networking websites to grab more audience.

Austin Texas Network Security is Tighter Than a Biscuit

Posted on 13. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

Network security is one of the most important factors to be considered while setting up a network at home or at the office. An unsecured network will result in loss of information and data. Network Security in Austin Texas plays a very important role to the people of Texas as their computers may be given a potential threat from the internet.

More over cyber crimes are increasing tremendously these days which is to be considered as a matter of great importance. Austin Texas Network Security should be strengthened by all the computer users of Texas so that they can be safe about their data and information.

Most people in Texas do not still know what network security is and the dangers that can be caused by the security breach. Any one can get into the computer of an unsecured or unprotected network and can use the data or information that is available in the system.

If the Austin Texas Network Security is too weak then hackers can easily modify the data or even destroy the data present in the computer. Network Security in Austin Texas depends on the protection and the security of the network in which the computer is connected to.

Network security is basically not about updating programs in the system and rather it is removing the malware, spyware and other intruding programs that damage the capability of the system. Network Security in Austin Texas should be made available to all the people in the city and everyone should be aware of the potential dangers of an unsecured network.

Austin Texas Network Security comes into a role where the people of the city are working with an always on internet connection where the chances of getting a security breach are high. With high speed internet connections coming to reality people should be very much aware of the network security.

Every person in the city of Texas who has a system and which is connected to a network which can be a local area network or a wide area network should be very careful about his network.

Austin Texas Network Security is used by the people only when their system is affected by a virus program or there has been a loss of data in their system.

Most companies forget the danger of an unsecured network which can result in a great loss to the company as the company secrets and their information can go destroyed without Network security in Austin Texas.

If one system is affected by a virus which is connected to an unsecured network every person in that network has the chance of getting that virus very easily if Austin Texas Network Security not proper.

A malicious code can cause the whole system to crash without the knowledge of the user of the system if the Network security in Austin Texas is weak.

The damage is very strong that even a bank’s network or an airline or any company in the city can be completely shut down due to poor Austin Texas Network Security. The damages due to these are increasing every year and so the people should be careful about their computers and make sure it is secured while it is connected to a network.

Networking – the Backbone of Generation Z

Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by admin in Networking

Networking, in the recent past, has become a word synonymous with the cyber world. In simple terms, networking may be defined as interconnection of computing devices in order to share data. A group of computers interconnected by communication channels facilitate sharing of information, the prime determinant of life itself.

Networks are built with a combination of computer hardware and software. Network Interface Cards (NICs), Bridges, Hubs, Switches, and Routers are some of the basic hardware components used to interconnect the key elements of the computer network. Interlinked with the proper communication paths, networks link to other networks and also contain sub networks. The network layer is the platform on which networks are classified. The functionality of the same is based on basic reference models such as the five-layer Internet Protocol Suite (IP). (A protocol is the communication language used by computing devices.)

Computer networks may be classified based on the type of networks, design, mode of connection, and topology. The types of networks are Personal Area Network (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Campus Area Network (CAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), and Global Area Network (GAN). Client-server and peer-to-peer are the two types of high-level network design. It is based on the relationship within the elements in a network. Networks can be classified based on the technology, i.e., the computer hardware employed to enable interlinking devices in the network. For instance, Optical fiber, Ethernet, Wireless LAN, HomePNA, or Power line communication are some of the hardware components that are used. Depending on the topology (layout of connected devices), networks are also distinguished such as Bus, Star, Ring, Mesh, Star-bus, Tree or Hierarchical topology networks, etc.

As a proactive tool, network management helps to design, deploy, and maintain processes. Serving as a powerful tool in the telecommunications market, networking is the reason behind the paradigm shift evident in today’s advanced technology offerings. From cables and routers that link devices, to executing commands based on defined set of rules, transmitting of data has been in the process. The fine infrastructure in networking accelerates the development of cutting-edge solutions.

Networking, in the techno-savvy world makes more sense in relating to the masses than the communication methods of the bygone era. The major advantages of network are speed in connectivity and communication, sharing of resources at a secure and reliable level, enhancement of application performance and balancing, and most of all flexibility to access and connect with people. Networking occupies a prominent place in the information superhighway. On a career perspective, according to the Wall Street Journal (2006), 94% of successful job seekers claimed that networking was the reason for making a huge difference in their careers.

On a lighter vein, it may be worth quoting Guy Almes, a pioneer in the development of Internet. He states thus: “There are three kinds of death in this world.  There’s heart death, there’s brain death, and there’s being off the network.”