BUS 441 Spring 2024
Assignment 4: Network Design
You have been asked to write a proposal for an appropriate, yet cost effective, network design for a small biotech company known as MedSys Innovations. The company has 80 employees. Thirty employees are in the office on a regular basis, 30 employees work remotely but come into the office one or two days each week. Twenty employees only come to the office twice a month because they frequently travel to customer sites for sales or customer service. Remote employees have company-issued laptops, while office employees have desktop computers. The company has plans for growth over the next 5 years.
The company has recently acquired the first two floors of a 4 story building. The space is an old industrial building that has been renovated to give it a comfortable, retro-tech feel. It was originally constructed in 1954 but has seen several renovations over the years; therefore, the materials used to construct the building are somewhat unknown.
Each floor has approximately 5,400 sq ft of space. Floor 1 has the reception area, several offices, the kitchen, conference rooms, work areas for remote employees, restrooms and more. Floor 2 has offices, cubicles, work areas, restrooms and more.
The details of the business are open for interpretation. You may make any assumptions you’d like about the business, MedSys Innovations. You may also make assumptions about the building or about how the rooms will be used.
Network requirements:
A wired network that supports 1 Gbps is needed.
A wireless network that supports 500 Mbps is needed.
MedSys already uses a cloud provider, but on site they need four servers to support a variety of needs, including but not limited to, network authentication, network management, accounting/payroll, and confidential data storage.
Appropriate security is needed for the network, devices, and data (customer data, employee data, product data and analysis data).
At least two UPS devices are needed to handle brief power fluctuations.
All employees need the capability to print, scan and fax.
All employees need Internet access. MedSys already has a contract with an ISP to provide 2 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, so no need to price Internet access.
Reminders:
Don’t forget cabling and network components.
Consider using a rack in the equipment room(s), if appropriate for your design.
This is not a home network, so you should not use a home router.
This is a data-focused biotech company so security and speed are both extremely important.
You need to explain why you are selecting the various equipment and also justify their placement and connectivity.
There is not a single correct answer. Instead, the ability to accurately justify your design is most important.
Deliverable
Your proposal should be professional (10 points) and include the following five sections:
Introduction – Summarize the business and their needs. Describe any assumptions you make about their operations, employees and network requirements. Include any assumptions you make about the building. Do not copy and paste the description I wrote. (5 points)
Network Diagram – Detailed diagram that depicts the nodes and the connections among the nodes. Use Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, or something similar to create your diagram(s). (20 points)
Design Narrative – Include a detailed narrative of your proposed design and why you are choosing this design. Your summary should include a description of the network specifications and standards you select (e.g. 100Base -TX, Cat 6, 802.11n). Be sure to include a discussion about security. This is where you will explain and justify your choice of design. There is no one correct solution, so your justification is a very important part of your proposal! (30 points)
Network Floor Plan with Infrastructure Layout – You already have the floor plan (provided in Moodle), but you’ll need to update it with the equipment/cabling placement. Download the file and edit the original floor plan in Lucidchart (or Visio). If using a rack, then a rack diagram can be created with Lucidchart. The purpose of this section is so I can see where you plan to put things. (5 points)
Proposed Products and Cost – List all hardware and software in the proposal. Include vendor, product name, technical capabilities, explicit reasoning for the product choice (i.e. how does it support MedSys), cost and links to the product. Make sure all links work. Do not cut and paste specifications. Do not cut and paste marketing material. Describe the products in your own words. Your description should be useful and informative. Phrases like “the most powerful one in the world” and “supports maximum speeds on the network” are not helpful. Please note this is where you will justify each product. This is a very important part of the proposal! (30 points)
Tools:
You must use a diagramming tool that uses appropriate icons. Two great options are:
Microsoft Visio if you have access to it
Lucidchart – available at: https://www.lucidchart.com/
What to submit:
One document (doc or pdf) that includes the final network design proposal. The proposal should be in a professional, easy-to-read format. Assume this is the one part of your submission I will be grading. Be sure all diagrams are clear.
For back-up purposes, upload any files that were used to create your main document (e.g. Excel, Visio). I may or may not look at these, so be sure they are included in your main document if you want me to see them. Do not forget to upload these.
You may work on this proposal in groups of 2, or by yourself. If you work with someone, then only one person will submit. Be sure both student names are clearly stated on the Assignment 4 submission.
