Analysis Of Existing And Future Network Architecture For SNHUEnergy Inc. Essay.

The main purpose of this report created is to analyze the connectivity provided by the existing network architecture used by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization for conducting their business works. While further analysis of the organization, it had been found that the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization is an on growing oil and gas company, and apart from having one branch office at Memphis, the organization wanted to expand its branches further to the cities of Kansas and Houston, with the aim of increasing their work productivity by 50 % in the upcoming years. Thus, this report will be focusing on the existing network used by the organization and problems faced due to the network in use, while this report will also be used for proposing the future network architecture that would be beneficial for the organization to grow more as it expects. In conclusion to that, certain planning and security for protecting the network they would going to be using would also be discussed in this report.

While analysing the existing network infrastructure used by SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, some of the network applications were analysed that had been used by the organization to conduct their daily business and communication with the office branch situated in Memphis. The main network components used by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization include:

• Routers: A router is such a network component that are used for providing a connection between each PCs and peripherals being used by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization (Lu et al., 2020). Apart from that, a router also helps to distribute the network traffics while capturing the reliable network packets to be used by the organization.
• Switches: These forms the key building blocks in a network infrastructure (Beshley et al., 2018). Switches helps to establish connection between the network being used with the devices like PCs, printers, VoIP telephones, and other peripherals used in the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization.
• Firewall: The much-needed network device that helps an organization to use the network more safely is Firewall (Pasterski & Verlinde, 2021). It acts as a shield that protects the internal network used by the systems of SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, with the network available outside.

The reference model of OSI used for communication among a computer system is split in to seven difference layers, as shown in below table:

Figure 1: Existing Network Diagram of SNHUEnergy Inc. organization

SNHUEnergy Inc. is a medium-sized gas and oil company that have been drilling and discovering various oil-products across the world. With its main branch in Dallas and a sub-branch in Memphis, it had been working to expand its branches to two more branches in the cities of Kansas and Houston. Apart from its future planning, the Physical network architecture that had been used includes the Network routers, firewalls, as well as switches. The routers help to distribute the network traffics while capturing the reliable network packets to be used by the organization, whereas the firewall is used that helps to provide a layer of security to the devices being connected with the network being provided. The Firewall used will help to monitor the inbound as well as outbound network traffics. With the router, switch is connected that helps to provide the connection to multiple computers, phones, and other peripherals being used by the main as well as the branch offices of SNHUEnergy Inc. For the transmission of data, the organization had been using VoIP or the Voice over Internet Protocol method.

Network Applications Used

Network traffics is generally denoted to the amount of data an organization is exchanging over the network on a specific time. In the case of SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, with this current network infrastructure, it had been found that the organization had been exchanging a huge amount of data between its main and the existing branch offices, causing a huge network congestion at the network being used by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization. For further analysis of the network used by the SNHUEnergy Inc., Wireshark had been used. Wireshark not only helped in analysing the network traffics of the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, but it also helped to capture certain voice over transmission control protocol. while analysing the Wireshark Flow report obtained, it had been found that various files were sent across various IPs following the RTP methods over the network. Along with that, Wireshark also helps to provide details about the data being sent over network following the TCP protocol. Thus, the use of Wireshark, also helps to analyse the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization’s crucial patterns that it had been following with the use of its existing network architecture.

Figure 2: Wireshark Network report of SNHUEnergy Inc.

With the use of the existing network architecture, there are various problems related to the performance of the network had been faced by SNHUEnergy Inc. organization (Sadick & Kamardeen, 2020). Apart from the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization being using a WAN network connection with its main branch and its sub-branch, the major issue occurs is related to the network bandwidth, where the data sent is not received by its another office on time, resulting a delay in the operations performed by the headquarter of SNHUEnergy Inc. organization (Kramar, 2021). Since, with the analysis of the Wireshark network report, and the network pattern obtained, it had been found that the organization often faces network congestion problems. With the slow and poor network bandwidth, the communication channel is also gets impacted adversely. Due to the delay caused in the network, the departmental communication is also impaired.

For an organization to work fluently, the major role is played by the security provided by the network used by that particular organization (Shaghaghi et al., 2020). While analysing the existing network of SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, it had been found that, the organization had been facing severe challenged related to the performance of each network components used by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization. The major role, for providing a security to the network being used by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization is generally provided by the Firewall, the organization being using. Apart from that, the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization wanted to establish its two new branches in the cities of Kansas and Houston. Now for that purpose, the Organization needed to be upgrading their Firewall security patches regularly, which the organization generally fails. Thus, the expansion of its network with the available network security issue could cause serious damage to the data being used by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, because the weak security will lure many cyber-security attackers, who ca easily penetrates through the systems with poor security of SNHUEnergy Inc. organization and can easily steal their data, thus corrupting the entire organization’s system.  

OSI model identification

While analysing the need of the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, it had been found that, it wanted to extend its branch office to the cities of Kansas and Houston. Thus, with the huge extension of the organization, the SNHUEnergy Inc. needed to be using certain protocols and methods that can easily establish their communication channel with all the branches it had established. For the newly established office branch at Kansas and Houston, they would be making their communication with the headquarter of SNHUEnergy Inc. organization at Dallas and other office at Memphis using Emails, and Video-Conference.  Apart from that, the Department dealing with Billing and other operations at Memphis also needed to be making a communication with main department dealing with Accounting, Payroll, as well as Human resources at Dallas. Thus, for conducting a communication they would also be using VoIP Phones in the offices. Along with that, the Network used by Houston and Kansas office branch could be able to connect with the main server of the organization situated at Dallas, along with the office situated at Memphis, while accessing data more easily.

While analyzing the work and tasks performed by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization’s main branch and its existing sub branch and its demand to extend its branch to the cities of Kansas and Houston, thus the best network architecture model that would suit the desires and work performed by SNHUEnergy Inc. organization is the Client-server architecture (Potapov et al., 2018). With the establishment of the client-server network architecture at SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, the main server of the organization would be settled at the main headquarter of the organization that is situated at Dallas which will be acting as the centralized host server, as well as this network architecture will also be beneficial for the organization to grow its business by 50% by the upcoming next 2 years. With the establishment of the Client-server network architecture at the organization, the need for limited connection will be removed, as the proposed network architecture has no limitation for the devices for being connected with the network (Muller, 2020). Thus, the existing and new setup branch would easily be able to communicate with the main branch as well as among themselves with the establishment of the client-server architecture.

Figure 3: New Network Design for SNHUEnergy Inc. organization

Faulty network performance could be caused due to many reasons and it is important to mitigate them. The performance issues could even be raised due to the unexpected usage patterns of the network that leads to the disruptiveness in bandwidth. There are many reasons which could lead to create security issues and to mitigate these, some of the following steps could be taken,

• Use of VLAN: The VLAN would help in splitting the local area network into small segments of network ensuring that a group could communicate together. It helps a lot in resisting the creation of congestion, thereby improving the network performance (Lu, Qu & Liu, 2018). While the VLAN would separate departments in the network, it would even increase the network security by acting as a barrier between compromised network segment.
• There should be guest network for the users that are temporary as poor network performance could be due to the usage of network in unwanted manner. Guest network would not only increase the performance but improve the security as well.
• Use of network monitoring tool is clearly very important for both the network performance as well as security as it would provide detailed insight of the network errors and provide report to the administrators (Lin et al., 2018). It would alert the network administrators and help reducing the risk of network compromise.

Visual Representation

Network management is essential with the development of network entities that surround the network both internally as well as internally. The network management and monitoring devices help the network in identifying any bugs and errors which could be present at anytime and any phase of the network, the tools would identify the bugs and provide an alert to the network administrators.

• Solar Winds Network Performance Monitor: This naturally identifies network gadgets, conveying soon. Its point of interaction is effectively reasonable and can be altered by the need. It rapidly focuses to the issues in the organization and is energetically prescribed because of the independent organization following office.
• Zabbix: This is a network management framework tool. The framework covers network, servers, and applications. In light of the authentic information of the organization, Zabbix estimates future conduct. It gives a powerful notice system.
• Atera: It is a software product worked for overseeing network management. It cautions for genuine device issues. It screens network execution with SNMP.
• Datadog Network Monitoring: Provides better perceivability to different parts associated with the organization.

The network could be secured and settled with the help of some of the following security devices;

• Firewalls

The firewall is connected to the router which is a standalone device which could be helpful in the network provisioning and administration. Moreover, the firewall is such a device which could be beneficial in the monitoring of traffic which would be produced by the network. The firewall would not be allowing the unwanted traffic to enter into the network and cause unwanted harm.  

• Antivirus

The network would require antivirus devices as mode to protect the system and entire network from getting compromised. It could be beneficial in the detection of malware that could indirectly get into the network system through the computer system of the user within the network (Neupane, Haddad & Chen, 2018). The antivirus could be very beneficial in terms of tackling the unwanted threats such as trojan, malware and viruses.

• Web/content filtering device

 With the help of this device, the network will be able to filter the malicious and threatening content which is present online. This could provide protection from the malicious and spam emails which could be designated to one of the users within the network. The malicious content might have the possibility of stealing information from the network or even crash it but filter device would not let that happen by constantly assisting the user.

• Intrusion detection systems

Intrusion detection are such devices which help the network in monitoring the malicious activities in the network. The intrusion detection system would help in creating a log of such malicious activities and as a part of their systematic feature, it would even take steps to stop the activities (Sharafaldin, Lashkari & Ghorbani, 2019). The device would help in notifying the administrators and the administrator will be assisted as the device would provide them with reports followed by which the administrator will be able to take necessary steps.

With the establishment of new network architecture in the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization, there are certain changes needed to be made in the existing network devices used by the organization so that the organization need not to be implementing new network devices for the sake of new network infrastructure. While previously the Switches that were used in the network infrastructure was containing only 5 ports, while in the new network infrastructure the switches used will be containing 24 ports, the routers will be implemented with VPN, and the firewall needed to be upgraded (Kurniawan et al., 2019). Along with that IDS will be implemented in the network for detecting any intrusion in the network.

Physical network devices

The implementation of the future network would not come with advantages only, it is possible that the network would bring few more challenges along with the benefits. The SNHUEnergy Inc. organization that will be implementing the new network would have to make sure that there are new configurations done all over the network devices from every end-to-end points (Tang & Elhoseny, 2019). The organization that will be implementing the new network would have to invest capital to the network although it would not be a loss to the company but definitely cut off several other investments.

Apart from analyzing the entire new network infrastructure developed, one thing is clear that the used network devices were always meant to be upgraded so that no cyber-security attack that include DDoS attack, Phishing, Ransomware, and many more, could be conducted on the organization’s network, thus corrupting the network being used by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization.  There would be much more consequences other than the cyber-security attack that could be faced by the SNHUEnergy Inc. organization if they don’t take care of the devices being used in their network architecture. Their confidential data could be lost, their reputation in the business market could also gets corrupted, and their aim of growing their business productivity by the 50% by the upcoming year would also gets affected. Thus, the best way they could prevent such risks from happening is that they frequently monitor their network, while keep their network devices up-to-date, which include upgrading the Firewall, as well as the OS being used by the devices in the organization, since the upgradation will help to upgrade the security patch of each network device, which eventually will help the organization to prevent any cyber-security attack from conducting on their business. 

References

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