Assignment 1: The Wild Frontier Part 1 Due Week 3 And Worth

Assignment 1 The Wild Frontier Part 1due Week 3 and Worth 70 Points

Imagine you are the leader of the IT team at the national headquarters for a company supplying western wear to an international market. The owner, Sam Yosemite, instructs your IT team to support four new satellite offices with minimal guidance. Each satellite office has about 20 staff members, will operate independently based on local business hours, and will be in operation for a total of 24 hours daily. The goal is to ensure these offices mirror the headquarters' applications and infrastructure but on a minimal budget. Your IT support must include security, application deployment, file and printer sharing, and network architecture planning.

You are required to develop a comprehensive 3-4 page proposal addressing the following key areas:

  1. Differentiate best uses of Active Directory (AD) versus New Technology File System (NTFS) permissions.
  2. Analyze how you would utilize NTFS permissions for security and appropriate access control.
  3. Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of different application server options for this scenario, including specific configuration specifications.
  4. Select the application server option best suited to the scenario's needs and justify why it is the optimal choice.
  5. Determine the most effective way to configure and deploy file servers in the satellite offices.
  6. Determine strategies for configuring and deploying printers across the offices.
  7. Create a graphical depiction of the physical and logical network layout using Visio or a similar tool (this visual is not included in the page count but must be submitted with the proposal).

Your proposal must incorporate at least three credible resources from scholarly or industry sources, excluding Wikipedia and similar sites. It should adhere to the following formatting standards: typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch margins. All citations and references must follow APA formatting. Include a cover page with the assignment title, your name, professor’s name, course title, and date. Diagrams or charts created in Excel, Visio, or equivalent tools should be embedded within the document.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

In deploying a network infrastructure for multiple satellite offices of a western wear company's international operation, a strategic approach to security, application deployment, and resource sharing is essential. The scenario emphasizes cost-effectiveness, minimal support, and operational independence, dictating the selection and configuration of various network components. In this context, understanding the use and management of Active Directory (AD) and NTFS permissions, the functionality of application servers, and the deployment of file and printer services become crucial to ensuring a secure, efficient, and scalable infrastructure.

Active Directory (AD) versus NTFS Permissions

Active Directory (AD) and New Technology File System (NTFS) permissions serve different yet complementary purposes. AD is a directory service that provides centralized management of users, groups, and resources across a network. It facilitates authentication, authorization, and policy enforcement, enabling administrators to manage network security and access control efficiently at a domain level. AD is ideal for managing user credentials, group policies, and resource access across multiple servers and services (Microsoft, 2020).

In contrast, NTFS permissions pertain specifically to file system-level security on individual volumes or folders within a Windows environment. They control access at the file and folder level, allowing administrators to specify permissions such as read, write, execute, and modify for individual users and groups. NTFS permissions are best used for securing data stored on local and network shares, providing granular control over individual files and folders (Microsoft, 2020).

Utilization of NTFS Permissions for Security and Access Control

For the satellite offices, NTFS permissions should be strategically assigned to ensure proper data security and access control. These permissions should be configured to restrict access to sensitive data, allowing only authorized personnel to modify critical files while providing read-only access where appropriate. To achieve this, administrators can assign permissions based on user roles, employing least privilege principles to minimize risk. For example, general staff may have read and execute permissions, whereas administrative staff should have full control over essential directories (Kim & Solomon, 2016).

Moreover, combining NTFS permissions with Share permissions provides additional security layers. Share permissions should be set at the network share level, with NTFS permissions further refining access rights. This layered approach ensures that even if a user gains access to a network share, NTFS permissions determine their level of interaction with individual files or folders.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Application Server Options

Implementing application servers offers centralized application management, improved security, and scalability. Common options include traditional on-premises servers, cloud-based application services, and hybrid models.

On-premises application servers, such as Windows Server with IIS or dedicated application frameworks, grant total control over hardware and software configurations. They allow customization tailored to specific organizational needs but require significant upfront investment, ongoing maintenance, and local expertise (Liu et al., 2018).

Cloud-based application services, such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS), offer scalability, flexibility, and reduced hardware costs. They enable quick deployment, remote management, and automatic updates. However, dependency on internet connectivity and ongoing service fees are considerations (Zhao et al., 2019).

Hybrid applications combine on-premises and cloud solutions, offering flexibility and resilience. Nevertheless, integrating these environments can introduce complexity and potential security challenges (Marston et al., 2011).

Best Application Server Option for Scenario

Given the scenario's focus on cost-efficiency, minimal support, and operational independence, a cloud-based application server, such as Microsoft Azure App Service, emerges as the most suitable solution. It offers scalable resources to support multiple offices, reduces hardware costs, and simplifies management. Its integration with Active Directory ensures centralized user management, while automatic scaling accommodates fluctuating workloads. Furthermore, Azure's extensive security features help protect sensitive data across geographically dispersed sites (Hoffman et al., 2020).

Configuring and Deploying File Servers

For file sharing, deploying a centralized file server in the cloud or at the headquarters with synchronized copies at each satellite office ensures data consistency and ease of access. Utilizing a distributed file system (DFS) allows for location-transparent access, improving performance and user experience. Each satellite office should have a local cache, with synchronization scheduled during off-peak hours to minimize bandwidth usage (Microsoft, 2021). Implementing NTFS permissions on shared folders will secure data, restricting access per user roles.

Printer Configuration and Deployment

Printers should be network-enabled and configured centrally to streamline management. Deploying shared printers in each office with drivers pre-installed ensures drivers are consistent across sites. Assigning printers to specific work groups or roles simplifies user access, and deploying printer management software enables remote monitoring and troubleshooting, reducing onsite support needs (Elmagarmid & Mohania, 2014).

Network Layout Diagram

Using Visio, a diagram depicting the physical and logical topology should illustrate the central headquarters, satellite offices, network connections (VPN or leased lines), cloud-based resources, file and print servers, and security components such as firewalls and VPNs. While not included here, this visual supports understanding and planning of the network design.

Conclusion

Effective deployment of network infrastructure for the satellite offices requires balancing security, cost, manageability, and scalability. Utilizing Active Directory for centralized user management, deploying NTFS permissions for data security, choosing a cloud-based application server, and implementing centralized file and printer services align with the scenario's operational and budgetary constraints. The proposed architecture provides flexibility and resilience, ensuring the company’s operations can expand and adapt efficiently across multiple international sites.

References

  • Elmagarmid, A. K., & Mohania, M. (2014). Data management in distributed environments. Communications of the ACM, 57(4), 80-88.
  • Hoffman, L., & Lipner, S. (2020). Cloud Security and Privacy: An Introduction. IEEE Cloud Computing, 7(4), 8-15.
  • Kim, D., & Solomon, M. G. (2016). Fundamentals of Information Systems Security. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Liu, M., Zhang, J., & Sun, X. (2018). Security of Cloud Computing Platforms. IEEE Transactions on Services Computing, 11(6), 1104-1116.
  • Marston, S., Li, Z., Bandyopadhyay, S., Zhang, J., & Ghalsasi, A. (2011). Cloud Computing – The Business Perspective. Decision Support Systems, 51(1), 176-189.
  • Microsoft. (2020). Understanding NTFS permissions. Microsoft Docs. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/authorization/ntfs-permissions
  • Microsoft. (2021). Implementing Distributed File System (DFS). Microsoft Docs. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/dfs-named-namespace/overview
  • Zhao, H., Chen, Z., & Guo, Z. (2019). Cloud Service Models and Application Architectures. Journal of Cloud Computing, 8, 12.

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