Welcome to Weeks 5 and 6!
Networks give us access to almost anything, anytime, anywhere. Unfortunately, they give the same access to criminals, national governments, terrorists, and just plain jerks. Wherever there has been opportunity, there has been crime and vandalism. Networks are no exception. Security is the snake in the network garden.
Local Area Networks (LANs) are networks that operate on the customer premises which is the property owned by the organization that uses the network. This might be a home, an entire building, a university campus, or an industrial park. On its own premises, the company can use whatever technology standards it wishes.
Your main post for the discussion board is due on day 7 of Week 5 by 11:59 PM (CST/CDT). Your discussion board responses/replies and your written assignment are due on day 7 of Week 6 by 11:59 PM (CST/CDT), unless otherwise indicated.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the threat environment, including types of attacks and types of attackers.
Explain how to protect dialogues by cryptography, including encryption for confidentiality, electronic signatures, and host-to-host virtual private networks (VPNs).
Evaluate alternative authentication mechanisms, including passwords, smart cards, biometrics, digital certificate authentication, and two-factor authentication.
Describe firewall protection, including stateful packet inspection, next-generation firewalls, and related intrusion prevention systems.
Describe the role for antivirus protection.
Explain basic Ethernet terminology.
Describe basic physical propagation concepts: digital and binary signaling and why they reduce transmission errors; full-duplex transmission, and parallel transmission.
Explain the technologies of 4-pair UTP and optical fiber; compare their relative strengths and weaknesses, including cost and transmission distances.
Analyze the impact of infrastructure design solutions on the security of a specific infrastructure design.
Document appropriate processes for risk analysis and management.
Evaluate requests for proposals (RFPs) for infrastructure solutions.
Describe vendor selection methods.
Course Objectives:
By completing the assigned tasks and achieving the learning objectives listed above, you will fulfill the following course objectives:
Discuss the way in which various forms of information are used and the need for interconnection and networking facilities in the business environment.
Describe digital communications techniques for products and services related to information communications.
Evaluate the issues and challenges associated with how organizations develop, acquire and implement information systems.
Devise strategies for effective network security and network management.
Readings:
Read Chapters 4, 5, and 5a from your textbook.
Textbook PowerPoints, attached above.
Additional Readings and Resources:
Gido, J. & Clements, J. P. (2012). Chapter 2: Request for Proposal [PowerPoint]. In Successful Project Management (5th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. (attached above).
Kutcher, D. (2017, November 12). How to write requests for proposals (RFP). confluentforms. Retrieved from https://www.confluentforms.com/2009/06/6-steps-to-writing-better-request-for.html
procurementacademy. (2012, March 20). Tender course: request for proposal – RFP – Procurement training – Purchasing skills [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/cXaxHCtQpg4
The 5 Phases of the vendor selection process. (2018, December 11). Project-Management.com. Retrieved from https://project-management.com/the-5-phases-of-the-vendor-selection-process/
