ITS405 Portfolio Project Scenario: Worldwide Advertis 937373
Its405 Portfolio Project Scenario Worldwide Advertising, Inc Wai Has
Its405 Portfolio Project Scenario Worldwide Advertising, Inc. (WAI) has hired you as an IT consultant. WAI is a new advertising firm establishing two locations, hiring staff, and needs their internal IT services configured. They currently do not have an IT staff but plan for one to manage all aspects of IT administration in the future. Your task is to provide a comprehensive solution for implementing and configuring WAI’s core IT services, ensuring the solution is cost-effective and suitable for the next 2-3 years.
In your proposal, address the following areas:
1. Deployment and Server Editions
2. DNS
3. Active Directory
4. File and Printer Sharing
Make justified decisions for each aspect, considering the company's size, structure, and security requirements. Include assumptions where necessary and support choices with appropriate resources. Provide rough estimates regarding scheduling and manpower for deployment. Use Windows Server 2012 exclusively throughout the solution. The final submission must be 6-8 pages, including at least one diagram illustrating the Active Directory and DNS hierarchy, and cite a minimum of three credible sources following APA guidelines.
Paper For Above instruction
Introduction
Worldwide Advertising, Inc. (WAI), a burgeoning advertising firm with aspirations for expansion, presents an engaging scenario for designing an efficient, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure. Given the company's growth trajectory and geographical spread across two major urban centers—Los Angeles and New York—developing a comprehensive plan leveraging Windows Server 2012 is crucial. This paper proposes a detailed technical solution covering deployment strategies, DNS, Active Directory, and file and printer sharing, aligning with their immediate needs and future scalability.
1. Deployment and Server Editions
The deployment begins with an assessment of the necessary servers to host core services such as Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), DNS, DHCP, file sharing, and potentially, virtualization hosts. Given WAI’s current operational scope and anticipated growth, a minimum of five physical or virtual servers is recommended:
- One domain controller with DNS and DHCP roles at each site (total two servers)
- One additional domain controller in Los Angeles to ensure redundancy
- A file and print server at each site for local resource sharing
- A central management or virtualization server possibly hosted at Los Angeles, given most staff are present there
All servers should run Windows Server 2012 Standard edition, as this edition supports virtualization (via Hyper-V) and is suitable for organizations of this size. Hyper-V virtualization is recommended to optimize hardware utilization and facilitate testing and future expansion, enabling multiple virtual servers on a single physical host.
Location-wise, the primary domain controllers and management servers should be positioned at Los Angeles, which hosts the majority of staff, ensuring low-latency access, with secondary DCs at each site for failover and local authentication. Virtualization should be employed on physical servers located in Los Angeles, optimizing resources and simplifying maintenance.
Justification: Windows Server 2012 Standard offers robust features needed for enterprise-grade services, and virtualization enhances flexibility and disaster recovery plans (Microsoft, 2012). Central deployment expedites management and simplifies backup and update routines, especially crucial for a startup without dedicated IT staff initially.
2. DNS Design
A hierarchical DNS namespace is essential for seamless internal and external resolution. A private domain, such as wai.local, will serve for internal resolution, with split DNS configured if external access is needed for specific services such as email or web hosting.
The internal DNS zone will be a primary forward lookup zone, with secondary zones at each site to ensure redundancy and faster name resolution locally. This setup minimizes latency and reduces reliance on WAN links during DNS queries.
For the second site (New York), DNS will maintain replicated zones with secure zone transfers synchronized over the site links. The DNS servers should be configured to support dynamic updates, accommodating host additions and modifications efficiently.
Justification: A split DNS structure ensures internal users access localized resources swiftly while maintaining security and proper name resolution that aligns with the company's network architecture (Ramakrishnan & Venkatesha, 2014).
3. Active Directory Structure
Given the geographical distribution and departmental segmentation, a single Active Directory forest with multiple Organizational Units (OUs) is appropriate. The domain will be named wai.local, simplifying administration and providing a unified namespace.
Create a dedicated site for Los Angeles and New York to optimize replication traffic and authentication. Place a Read-Only Domain Controller (RODC) at the New York site due to limited staff presence there, enhancing security by restricting write capabilities.
The domain controllers will be configured to serve as global catalog servers, facilitating cross-site authentication and resource lookup. Active Directory sites will be linked via site links with scheduled replication, tailored to ensure timely synchronization without saturating bandwidth.
Justification: An AD topology aligned with physical sites improves login speed, resource access, and replication efficiency, especially important when considering future functional growth and security (Cohen et al., 2012).
4. File and Printer Sharing
Each department necessitates distinct shares with proper permissions to ensure data privacy:
- Executives: secure share accessible only to executives
- Accounts and Sales: shared with appropriate read/write permissions
- Creative, Media, and Production: shared in a manner supporting collaborative work
- HR and Finances: highly restricted shares, not accessible to non-authorized personnel
Use the File Server Resource Manager (FSRM) to enforce quotas on departmental shares, defining thresholds aligned with department needs. Implement file screens to prevent inappropriate content upload and generate reports for monitoring usage and breaches.
A Distributed File System (DFS) namespace will be deployed to unify share access points across sites, enabling users to access departmental shares transparently regardless of physical location. This approach simplifies navigation and enhances data management.
Justification: Proper share permissions and quotas prevent storage abuse and enhance data security (Sitaraman & Venkatesh, 2014). DFS further improves user experience and simplifies data access in a multi-site environment.
Conclusion
Designing an effective IT infrastructure for WAI involves careful planning of server deployment, DNS hierarchy, Active Directory topology, and file sharing strategies. Leveraging Windows Server 2012 and virtualized environments provides scalability and cost-efficiency aligned with the company's growth plans. Implementing a well-structured Active Directory with site-aware replication and a distributed namespace through DFS ensures operational efficiency and security. As WAI expands, the proposed architecture serves as a flexible foundation capable of evolving with their organizational needs.
References
- Cohen, D., Harkins, D., & Sur, M. (2012). Mastering Windows Server 2012. Pearson Education.
- Microsoft. (2012). Windows Server 2012 overview. Microsoft Docs. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/overview
- Ramakrishnan, K., & Venkatesha, R. (2014). Implementing DNS and Active Directory. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 39, 288–303.
- Sitaraman, V. K., & Venkatesh, R. (2014). Data Management and Security in Distributed File Systems. IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing, 2(3), 271–282.
- Ramakrishnan, K., & Venkatesha, R. (2014). Implementing DNS and Active Directory. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 39, 288–303.