Overview
A computer network is the foundation of every organization’s information technology (IT) infrastructure. Computing networks provide the backbone and
framework for running business applications, sharing content, communication, and collaboration. In your assessment in this course you will take on the role of a
junior network administrator, with responsibility for managing, supporting, and recommending networking solutions. Within this role, you will create a report
for the senior administrators, based on the scenario provided in which the organization is looking to expand to a new location. While writing your report you will
apply networking concepts, fundamentals, and troubleshooting skills in developing recommendations to a real-world scenario. This report provides an
opportunity for you to illustrate critical thinking in evaluating and solving networking business requirements that would assist in meeting organizational goals
and objectives.
The Project in Context: Course Learning Objectives and the Newton Ad Agency: There are two key contexts that should help to guide your work in this project.
The first is the function of this project in the organizational culture and business drivers of your imagined employer, Newton Ad Agency. Be sure to carefully
review the scenario below to help you formulate your recommendations.
The second key context is your learning in the whole of this course. This project has been selected and developed in part because it allows you to directly
address the following course outcomes:
Analyze standard network designs and infrastructures for informing optimal support practices
Explain troubleshooting approaches to network problems for informing potential solutions to network errors and ensuring rapid resolution
Explain network technology suggestions based on how they support business goals and objectives
Apply networking concepts to real-world situations for informing management and upgrade suggestions
As you can see, these outcomes ask you to relate your scholarly engagement with networking theory and practice to specific business cases. In your final project,
this connection comes to life in your recommendations for networking a new office for Newton Ad Agency.
You will work toward a successful final project throughout the course, most notably through the completion of two milestones, which will be submitted at
various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. In Milestone One, due in Module Three, you will draft the
introduction of the project and the first section of the body. This milestone will address key considerations for network design and local area network (LAN)
topology. In Milestone Two, due in Module Five, you will draft additional sections of the project. These sections are on the selection of an internet service
provider and networking considerations that include hardware and software selection, printer configuration, and bandwidth. The final project itself will include
revised versions of your work on these milestones, as well as additional work on network errors and a conclusion to the project. The final project is due in
Module Seven.
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Scenario: The Newton Ad Agency: Take a close-up look at the Newton Ad Agency scenario for this project, which will also be used throughout the course.
The Newton Ad Agency is an advertising firm with offices in Austin, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and New York City, New York. The offices in
Austin include a headquarters and a satellite office located two miles away in a rural area.
The Austin headquarters is home to the executive team and 750 employees. The headquarters also stores the corporate data and is the corporate
internet backbone. It hosts the IT department that centrally manages all LAN services, including the wireless LAN. The IT department also manages
the wide area network (WAN) that connects all of the offices via site-to-site virtual private network (VPN) tunnels.
The Minneapolis and New York offices host about 200 employees each. Approximately 50% of these employees are mobile (i.e., travelling more
than 80% of the time). The New York office focuses on producing and disseminating large advertising media content to clients. For this reason, the
New York office hosts the corporate media and web servers. The rural satellite office in Austin focuses on billboard ad designs and is connected to
the corporate WAN with a wireless point-to-point bridge to the Austin headquarters data center. The rural office is home to 100 employees.
To hire and retain the best talents, Newton Ad Agency allows employees to work from home. This removes the constraint that employees have to
live within commuting distance from the firm’s offices. Remote and mobile employees are provided access to the corporate network via a VPN
client. The VPN client requires employees to have access to reliable internet services to allow for effective collaboration across teams, and for
access to media content. The company provides all employees with a laptop with full disk encryption, data loss prevention (DLP), and antivirus
software. The IT department manages all corporate laptops and has the ability to log into all systems for support. This means that all laptops are
centrally managed by the one IT department.
Due to an increase in opportunities for expansion to new markets, Newton has embarked on an initiative to hire and train new college graduates to
support the company’s Vision 2020 program. Vision 2020 focuses on global expansion. The initiative is to hire graduates into the marketing,
finance, and IT departments.
Final Project: New Location Network: You were hired as part of the Vision 2020 program and have been working at Newton for some time now. You have spent
a considerable portion of your time troubleshooting and analyzing the organization’s computer network to keep it running smoothly. Your direct supervisor and
lead network administrator have been very impressed with your skills and fast learning abilities. In order to determine if you are ready to take on more
responsibility, you have been asked for your input in regard to the new office location setup project.
Newton is considering adding a new office and is exploring potential locations in Tacoma, Washington; Rochester, New York; or Fayetteville, North Carolina. Your
task is to choose one of the possible locations and deliver a report to the team with key considerations and recommendations for the setup of the network
infrastructure at the new office. This office will be home to 50 employees, including the new executive vice president of sales and marketing. All the possible
sites have offices located on the third floor of an office building with access to fiber, cable, and T1 internet service providers. In addition to the standard
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network, the site must support live video teleconferencing calls with employees based at the other sites, as well as reliably send print jobs to billboard printers
located in the satellite office in Austin.
Prompt
How would you approach setting up the network at the location you have selected? What considerations are key in informing the systems and resources
necessary to meet the organization’s needs and support the business goals and objectives?
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction: Summarize the key considerations of the project, being sure to identify your chosen location. For example, what are the “must haves?”
What are the constraints?
II. LAN Topology
A. Describe possible LAN topologies that could be used at the new location.
B. Compare the identified LAN topology possibilities based on their relative strengths and weaknesses in regard to support practices.
C. Based on your comparison, determine the appropriate LAN topology for this location to allow for optimal support practices. Be sure to explain your
reasoning.
III. Internet Service Provider (Note: This section is based on research into actual providers at the office location that you select.)
A. Explain key considerations for identifying an internet service provider for the new location.
B. Compare at least two internet providers available in the location you have chosen in regard to speed, security, and reliability. Be sure to address
how these specifics would impact business goals and objectives.
C. Based on your analysis, determine the appropriate internet provider for this location to meet the business goals and objectives. Be sure to explain
your reasoning.
IV. Additional Considerations: In this section, you will address the accompanying considerations for the network based on the needs of the new office
location.
A. Make appropriate hardware and software recommendations to meet the needs of the new office location. Be sure to explain your reasoning.
B. Make appropriate printer configuration recommendations to meet the distance printing needs of the new office location. Be sure to explain your
reasoning.
C. Make appropriate bandwidth and device recommendations to meet the teleconferencing needs of the new office location. Be sure to explain your
reasoning.
V. Potential Errors: In this section, you will discuss common network errors and how your recommendations will minimize and address these issues.
A. Based on your previous recommendations, describe common network errors that the new location may encounter.
B. Describe effective troubleshooting approaches to the errors you identified.
C. Explain how the approaches you described would ensure rapid resolution of the errors. Be sure your response is specific to the business location.
VI. Conclusion: Summarize your recommendations for the new location, being sure to support your suggestions using networking concepts.
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As you develop your work, continue to look back on and consider each of these key elements. Remember, writing is a process that unfolds over time, and
typically requires reconsideration and revision of key element.
Milestones
Milestone One: Final Project Sections I and II
In Module Three, you will submit sections one and two of the final project. Section one is the introduction section. Section two covers LAN topography. This
milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Final Project Sections III and IV
In Module Five, you will submit sections three and four of the final project. Section three focuses on the selection of an internet service provider. Section four
focuses on hardware and software recommendations and printer configurations and bandwidth. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission: Networking Recommendations for Newton Ad Agency
In Module Seven, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. It should
reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your report must be 3 to 5 pages in length. Use double-spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and APA
formatting.
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Introduction Meets “Proficient” criteria and
summary demonstrates a
complex grasp of the
considerations necessary
when adding to a network
Summarizes the key
considerations of the project
and identifies a new location
Summarizes the key
considerations of the project
and identifies a new location,
but summary is cursory or
inappropriate
Does not summarize the key
considerations of the project
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LAN Topology: LAN
Topologies
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
description demonstrates a
nuanced understanding of
network infrastructures
Describes possible LAN
topologies that could be used
at the new location
Describes possible LAN
topologies that could be used
at the new location, but
descriptions is cursory or
contains inaccuracies
Does not describe possible
LAN topologies
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LAN Topology: Strengths
and Weaknesses
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
comparison demonstrates a
complex grasp of the
differences between LAN
topologies
Compares identified LAN
topology possibilities based
on relative strengths and
weaknesses in regard to
support practices
Compares identified LAN
topology possibilities based
on relative strengths and
weaknesses, but comparison
is illogical, lacking in detail, or
contains inaccuracies
Does not compare identified
LAN topology possibilities
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LAN Topology: Optimal
Support
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
explanation demonstrates
insightful awareness of the
connection between network
topologies and support
practices
Determines the appropriate
LAN topology for the location
to allow for optimal support
practices and explains
reasoning
Determines LAN topology for
the location, but topology is
not appropriate or
explanation contains gaps in
logic or accuracy
Does not determine the LAN
topology for the new location
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Internet Service
Provider: Key
Considerations
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
explanation demonstrates an
insightful awareness of the
considerations necessary to
meet the needs of the new
location
Explains key considerations
for identifying an internet
service provider for the new
location
Explains considerations for
identifying an internet service
provider for the new location,
but explanation is cursory,
illogical, or contains
inaccuracies
Does not explain key
considerations for identifying
an internet service provider
for the new location
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Internet Service
Provider: Speed,
Security, and Reliability
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
comparison demonstrates an
insightful awareness of how
speed, security, and reliability
relate to business goals and
objectives
Compares at least two
internet providers available in
the location chosen in regard
to speed, security, and
reliability, addressing the
impact on business goals and
objectives
Compares at least two
internet providers, but
comparison is cursory,
illogical, or contains
inaccuracies
Does not compare at least
two internet providers
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Internet Service
Provider: Business Goals
and Objectives
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
explanation demonstrates an
insightful awareness of the
connection between internet
service providers and business
goals and objectives
Determines an appropriate
internet provider for the
location to meet the business
goals and objectives and
explains reasoning
Determines an internet
provider for the location, but
provider is not appropriate or
explanation contains gaps in
logic or accuracy
Does not determine internet
provider for location
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Additional
Considerations:
Hardware and Software
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
explanation demonstrates an
astute ability to align
hardware and software to the
needs of business locations
Makes appropriate hardware
and software
recommendations to meet
the needs of the new office
location, and explains
reasoning
Makes hardware and software
recommendations, but
hardware and software is not
appropriate, or explanation
contains gaps in logic or
accuracy
Does not make hardware and
software recommendations
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Additional
Considerations: Printer
Configuration
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
explanation demonstrates an
astute ability to align printer
configuration and the distance
printing needs of the new
office location
Makes appropriate printer
configuration
recommendations to meet
the distance printing needs of
the new office location, and
explains reasoning
Makes printer configuration
recommendations, but printer
configuration is not
appropriate, or explanation
contains gaps in logic or
accuracy
Does not make printer
configuration
recommendations
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Additional
Considerations:
Bandwidth
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
explanation demonstrates an
astute ability to align
bandwidth and devices to the
teleconferencing needs of the
new office location
Makes appropriate bandwidth
and device recommendations
to meet the teleconferencing
needs of the new office
location, and explains
reasoning
Makes bandwidth and device
recommendations, but
bandwidth or devices are not
appropriate, or explanation
contains gaps in logic or
accuracy
Does not make bandwidth and
device recommendations
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Potential Errors:
Network Errors
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
description demonstrates an
insightful awareness of
common network errors
Describes common network
errors that the new location
may encounter based on
previous recommendations
Describes common network
errors that the new location
may encounter, but
description is cursory or
contains inaccuracies
Does not describe common
network errors
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Potential Errors:
Troubleshooting
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
approaches demonstrate a
sophisticated grasp of
effective troubleshooting
practices
Describes effective
troubleshooting approaches
to identified errors
Describes troubleshooting
approaches to identified
errors, but description is
cursory or approaches are not
effective for identified errors
Does not describe
troubleshooting approaches
to identified errors
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Potential Errors: Rapid
Resolution
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
explanation demonstrates a
nuanced understanding of
how to ensure rapid
resolution when
troubleshooting potential
errors in business networks
Explains how the described
approaches would ensure
rapid resolution
Explains how the described
approaches would ensure
rapid resolution, but
explanation is inappropriate
for the business location or
contains inaccuracies
Does not explain how the
described approaches would
ensure rapid resolution
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Conclusion Meets “Proficient” criteria and
support demonstrates a
complex grasp of network
concepts
Summarizes
recommendations for the new
location, supported with
application of network
concepts
Summarizes
recommendations for the new
location, but support is
cursory, inappropriate, or
illogical
Does not summarize
recommendations for the new
location
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Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented
in a professional and easy to
read format
Submission has no major
errors related to citations,
grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization that negatively
impact readability and
articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization that prevent
understanding of ideas
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Total 100%
