Networks (LAN & WAN)

Question 1

What is a corporate Local Area Network (LAN)? Describe three advantages for a company of having a LAN.

Answer 1

In a Local Area Network, all the hardware, cables and devices are owned or leased by the organisation and located within its building or site. The network is private and access is password-protected.

Question 2

Describe three advantages for a company of having a LAN.

Answer 2

Central pool of data/documents e.g. All staff can access a single copy of data & files from a central pool.
Collaborative working e.g. Staff can work jointly on the same document at the same time.
Remote management e.g. fix some hardware software problems remotely, e.g. clear printer queues.
User management/monitoring e.g. Better monitoring (in real-time) of what all staff are using their systems for.
Central auditing of activity e.g. Auditing software keeps a record of who has logged on, when, how long, what programs and data were used and what was amended / being able to centrally audit all transactions simply.
Central backup e.g. Easier to backup data by being able to do it from one central location.
Central software installation e.g. Easier and quicker to install software as it can be done centrally and then shared out to all stations without physically going to each one.
Greater security by having one program (eg anti-virus) protecting all computers.