Chapter 6

Telecommunications
and Networks
James A. O'Brien, and George Marakas.
Management Information Systems with MISource
2007, 8th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, Inc.,
2007. ISBN: 13 9780073323091
Network Concepts
 A network is an interconnected or interrelated
chain, group, or system
 The number of possible connections on a
network is N(N–1) or N2 –N
 N = number of nodes (points of connection)
 Example: 10 computers on a network =
10(10–1)
= 10x9 = 90 possible connections

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Metcalfe’s Law
 The usefulness, or utility, of a network equals
the square of the number of users
 The more users on a network, the more useful
it becomes
 Until critical mass is reached, a change in
technology only affects the technology
 Once critical mass is attained, social, political,
and economic systems change
 Example: The Internet is growing
exponentially. We can expect more value, for
less cost, virtually every time we log on.
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Telecommunication Trends

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Telecommunications-Based
Services

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Internet Networking Technologies
 Internet networking technologies are being
used as technology platform
 Web browser suites
 HTML Web page editors
 Network management software
 Firewalls
 Being applied in Internet, intranet, and
extranet applications
 Reinforces previous move toward client/server
networks based on open-systems architecture

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Open Systems
 Open systems use common standards for
hardware, software, applications, and networks
 Internet networking technologies are a
common standard for open systems
 Connectivity
 Open systems provide greater connectivity
and network interoperability
 Middleware may be needed to help diverse
systems work together

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Middleware
 Middleware
 A general term for any programming that
mediates between two separate programs
 Allows a particular database to access other
databases without custom programming
 Commonly known as the “plumbing” of an
information system
 It routes data and information between back-
end data sources and end user applications
 An essential component of any IT
infrastructure
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Digital Network Technologies
 Telecommunications are being revolutionized by
switch from analog to digital
 Analog: voice-oriented transmission
 Digital: discrete pulse transmission
 Benefits
 Higher transmission speeds
 Moves larger amounts of information
 Greater economy and much lower error rates
 Transmits multiple types of communications
(data, voice, video) on the same circuits

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Wireless Technologies
 Fiber-optic
 Uses pulses of laser-generated light
 Reduced size and installation effort
 Vastly greater communication capacity
 Faster transmission speeds
 Freedom from electrical interference
 Satellite Transmission
 Can move massive quantities of data, audio,
and video over global networks
 Especially useful in isolated areas

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Business Application Trends
 Telecommunications networks now play a vital
and pervasive role in Web-enabled…
 E-business processes
 Electronic commerce
 Enterprise collaboration
 Other applications that support operations,
management, and strategic objectives

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Internet2
 Next generation of the Internet
 High-performance
 Different infrastructure than the current
Internet
 Will not replace the current Internet
 In use at over 200 universities, scientific
institutions, communications corporations
 May never become totally open
 Users are connected via Abilene, a backbone
that supports throughput of 10 Gbps
 Infinite bandwidth
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Value of Telecommunications
Networks

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The Internet Revolution
 The Internet has become a global information
superhighway
 Millions of smaller, private networks operating
independent of, or in harmony with, each
other
 10 servers in 1991 to over 46 million today
 Sustained growth in excess of 1 million
servers per month
 No central computer system
 No governing body
 Based on common standards
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Internet Service Providers
 ISP
 A company that specializes in providing easy
access to the Internet
 For a monthly fee, provides software, user
name, password, and Internet access
 ISPs themselves are connected to one another
through network access points
 One ISP can easily connect to another to
obtain addresses of websites or user nodes

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Internet Applications
 Most popular Internet applications and uses
 E-mail
 Instant messaging
 Browsing the Web
 Newsgroups
 Chat rooms
 Publish opinions, subject matter, creative work
 Buy and sell
 Downloading (data, software, reports, pictures,
music, videos)

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Business Use of the Internet

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Business Value of the Internet

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The Role of Intranets
 Many companies have sophisticated and
widespread intranets, offering…
 Detailed data retrieval
 Collaboration
 Personalized customer profiles
 Links to the Internet
 Intranets use Internet technologies
 Web browsers and servers
 TCP/IP network protocols
 HTML publishing and databases

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Intranets
 Intranets are protected by…
 Passwords
 Encryption
 Firewalls
 Customers, suppliers, and other business
partners can access an intranet via extranet
links

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Business Value of Intranets
 Intranets support
 Communications and collaboration
 Business operations and management
 Web publishing
 Intranet portal management

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Intranets as Information Portals

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Extranets
 Network links that use Internet technologies to
connect the intranet of a business to the
intranets of another
 Virtual Private Networks
 Direct private network links, or private secure
Internet links between companies
 Unsecured Extranet
 Link between a company and others via the
Internet, relying on encryption of sensitive
data and firewall security systems

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Extranet Connectivity

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Business Value of Extranets
 Web browser technology makes customer and
supplier access to intranets easier and faster
 Another way to build and strengthen strategic
relationships
 Enables and improves collaboration between a
business, customers, and partners
 Facilitates online, interactive product development
and marketing

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Telecommunications Network
Alternatives
 Telecommunications is a highly technical,
rapidly changing field
 Most business professionals don’t need
detailed technical knowledge
 However, understanding basic components
and their characteristics is necessary
 Can help you make informed decisions about
telecommunications alternatives

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Telecommunications Network Model
 A telecommunications network is any
arrangement where
 A sender transmits a message
 To a receiver
 Over a channel
 Consisting of some sort of medium

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Types of Communications
Networks
 Primary types of communications networks
 Wide Area
 Local Area
 Virtual Private
 Client/Server
 Peer-to-peer

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Wide Area Network (WAN)
 Telecommunication network that covers a large
geographic area

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Local Area Network (LAN)
 Connects
computers
within a limited
physical area,
such as an
office,
classroom, or
building

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Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
 Used to establish secure intranets and extranets
 The Internet is the main backbone network
 Relies on network firewalls, encryption, and
other security features to build a “pipe”
through the Internet
 Creates a private network without the high
cost of a separate proprietary connection

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Virtual Private Network

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Client/Server Networks
 Clients
 End user personal computers or networked
computers
 Servers
 Used to manage the networks
 Processing
 Shared between the clients and servers
 Sometimes called a two-tier architecture
 Larger computer systems are being replaced with
multiple client/server networks

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Client/Server Network

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Network Computing
 Networks are the central computing resource of
the organization
 Thin clients provide a browser-based user
interface for processing applets
 Thin clients include
 Network computers
 Net PCs
 Other low-cost network devices or
information appliances

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Network Computing
 Application and database servers provide
 The operating system
 Application software
 Applets
 Databases
 Database management software
 Sometimes called a three-tier client/server
model because it consists of
 Thin clients
 Application servers
 Database servers
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Network Computing

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Peer-to-Peer Networks
 Central Server Architecture
 P2P file-sharing software connects all PCs
to a central server
 When a PC requests a file, the server
searches
all active peers on the network
 The server sends the requesting PC a list of
links to all active peers who have the file
 Clicking a link connects the two PCs and
automatically transfers the file to the
requesting PC
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Peer-to-Peer Networks
 Pure Peer-to-Peer Architecture
 No central directory or server
 File-sharing software connects one PC to
another online user
 When you request a file, the software
searches every online user and sends you a
list of active file names
 Clicking a link automatically transfers the file
from that user’s hard drive to yours

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Central Server Peer-to-Peer
Networks
 Advantages
 Can better protect the integrity and security
of the content and users of the network
 Disadvantages
 Directory server can be slowed or
overwhelmed by too many users or technical
problems

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Peer-to-Peer Network Diagrams

Chapter 6 Telecommunications and Networks 41

Digital and Analog Signals
 Analog or digital refers to the method used to
convert information into an electrical signal
 Analog: an electrical current is generated that
is proportional to the quantity being observed
 Digital: the quantity being observed is
expressed as a number
 Analog: if the temperature is 83 degrees, a
measuring device would generate 8.3 volts
 Digital: a measurement of 83 degrees
would be displayed as the number 83

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Telecommunications Media
 Twisted-Pair Wire
 Ordinary telephone wire
 Copper wire is twisted
into pairs
 Coaxial Cable
 Sturdy copper or
aluminum wire wrapped
with spacers to insulate
and protect it
 Fiber-Optic Cable
 One or more hair-thin
filaments of glass
fiber wrapped in a
protective jacket
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The Problem of “The Last Mile”
 Network providers use fiber optic cable as a
communications backbone
 Houses connected to the backbone are wired
with twisted pair
 Users don’t benefit from the faster, better
technology

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The Wireless Web
 Wireless Internet access is growing as Web-
enabled information appliances proliferate
 Smart telephones, pagers, PDAs
 All are very thin clients in wireless networks

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Inter-Network Processors
 Switch… makes connections between
telecommunications circuits in a network
 Router… intelligent communications processor
that interconnects networks based on different
protocols
 Hub… a port-switching communications
processor
 Gateway… connects networks with different
communications architectures

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Communications Processors

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Network Management Functions
 Traffic Management
 Manage network resources and traffic to
avoid congestion and optimize service levels
 Security
 Provide authentication, encryption, firewall, auditing,
and enforcement
 Network Monitoring
 Troubleshoot and watch over the network, alerting
administrators of potential problems
 Capacity Planning
 Survey network resources, traffic patterns, and users’
needs
 Determine the best way to accommodate the needs
of the network as it grows and changes
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Network Topologies
 Topology - The structure of a network
 Star Network - Ties end user computers to a central
computer
 Ring Network - Ties local computer processors together
in a ring on a relatively equal basis
 Bus Network - Local processors share the same
communications channel
 Mesh Network - Uses direct communications lines to
connect some or all of the computers in the ring to
each other
 Switch - A message-switching computer that handles
data communication between autonomous
local computers
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Network Topologies

Chapter 6 Telecommunications and Networks 50

Voice Over IP
 Internet Telephony
 Using an Internet connection to pass voice
data using IP instead of a telephone network
 Often referred to as voice over IP or VoIP
 Works like a regular phone, but skips long-
distance charges
 Runs over standard network infrastructure
 Requires a well-configured network to work
smoothly

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Bandwidth
 Bandwidth
 The frequency range of a telecommunications
channel that determines the maximum
transmission rate
 Speed and capacity typically measured in bits
per second (bps)
 Sometimes call baud rate
 Transmission Rates
 Narrow-band = low speed
 Broadband = high speed

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