You Are The Senior Network Architect For A Larger Corporatio

You Are The Senior Network Architect For A Larger Corporation And

You are the senior network architect for a larger corporation, and your company bought a new building and to which the entire workforce will move shortly. The seating arrangement in the new building has part of the sales team on the second floor and other on the third floor. There are also users from other departments that will be on each floor. You want all sales employees to be a part of the same logical network. You have heard that this can be achieved using virtual local area networks (VLANs).

Your boss has asked you to provide a summary of your recommendation. In a 2 page summary, discuss the following: Give a detailed explanation of what VLANs are. Consider the seating arrangement and describe how VLAN can be leveraged to implement the desired network. List the benefits of VLANs. For further clarification, diagram the recommended network and VLAN deployment using Visio.

Please submit your assignment. Adhere to APA formatting and reference guidelines when writing your response. Additionally, your response should be free of grammatical errors, use complete sentences, and give specific details to support statements.

Paper For Above instruction

Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) are a vital networking technology used to segment a physical network into multiple logical networks. This segmentation allows network administrators to create isolated broadcast domains within a single physical switch, effectively partitioning the network for improved security, performance, and management. VLANs operate at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model, enabling a network to logically separate traffic without the need for physical reconfiguration of network infrastructure.

In the context of the new building for a large corporation, VLANs offer an effective solution to logically group all sales department members regardless of their physical location on different floors. Since part of the sales team is on the second floor and others are on the third, VLANs can assign all sales employees to a single VLAN, enabling seamless communication and resource sharing across floors. This logical grouping ensures that sales personnel can collaborate and access shared resources without interference or broadcasts from other departments, enhancing network efficiency and security.

Implementing VLANs in this scenario involves configuring the switches that connect the workstations on both floors to assign the sales team ports to a specific VLAN ID. For example, all ports connected to sales employees' computers are configured to VLAN 10. This way, traffic originating from sales computers is tagged with VLAN 10, and only devices within this VLAN can communicate directly with each other. Network routers or Layer 3 switches are used to enable inter-VLAN routing, allowing sales employees to communicate with other departments or access internet resources securely while maintaining logical separation from other groups.

The benefits of VLANs are numerous and impactful. They enhance network security by isolating sensitive groups from other parts of the network, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. VLANs also improve network performance by reducing broadcast traffic within each segment, which helps prevent network congestion. Additionally, VLANs facilitate easier network management and scalability, allowing administrators to reconfigure groups dynamically without physical changes. They also support organizational changes, such as departmental restructuring, without the need for extensive physical rewiring. The implementation of VLANs aligns with best practices by promoting logical segmentation aligned with organizational needs, supporting VoIP and multimedia applications, and simplifying troubleshooting processes.

To visualize the proposed VLAN deployment, a network diagram created using Visio would include core switches capable of handling VLAN tagging and routing. The diagram would depict multiple switches connected to different floors, with each switch ports assigned to different VLANs: VLAN 10 for sales, VLAN 20 for support, VLAN 30 for administration, etc. Inter-VLAN routing is established through a Layer 3 switch or router, enabling communication between VLANs where necessary. The diagram would also illustrate network connections to servers, printers, and internet gateways, ensuring that each VLAN has appropriate access and security controls in place. Such a diagram provides a clear, strategic visualization of the network's logical segmentation and physical infrastructure.

In conclusion, VLANs are an effective solution for logically grouping employees across physical spaces within a modern corporate network. Their deployment can significantly improve network security, performance, and manageability. For the organization moving into the new building, VLANs enable the seamless integration of the sales team into a single logical network, regardless of their physical location, thereby fostering greater collaboration and operational efficiency.

References

• Beck, M. (2020). Networking Basics: VLANs and Subnetting Explained. Tech Publishing.
• Cisco Systems. (2021). Introduction to VLANs. Cisco Networking Academy.
• Garcia, R., & Gonzalez, M. (2019). Implementing VLANs for Improved Network Security. Journal of Network Administration, 33(2), 45-52.
• Hassan, M. (2022). Modern Network Design: VLAN Deployment Strategies. International Journal of Computer Networks & Communications.
• Kim, L., & Lee, S. (2018). The Role of VLANs in Network Segmentation. Communications of the ACM, 61(11), 50-57.
• Olson, D. (2020). Designing Secure and Efficient LANs with VLANs. Network World Publications.
• Rogers, T. (2023). Layer 2 and Layer 3 Switches: A Practical Guide. TechPress.
• Sharma, P. (2021). Enhancing Organizational Networks with VLANs. Journal of Information Technology.
• Taylor, J., & Martin, E. (2019). Networking Fundamentals and VLAN Configuration. Pearson Education.
• White, K. (2020). The Importance of Logical Segmentation in Business Networks. Network Magazine.