Benefit_of_Computer_Network

ABADINA MEDIA RESOURCE CENTER FACULTY OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN COURSE TITTLE INFORMATION CENTER COOPERATION AND NETWORKING CODE: AMR 721 QUESTION WHAT MAJOR BENEFITS MAY BE DERIVABLE FROM THE APPLICATION/IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPUTER NETWORKS IN INFORMATION CENTERS IN NIGERIA SUBMITTED BY ADENIYI ALEX ADEYEMI 173053 TO LECTURER IN CHARGE MR. K. A. ARAMIDE DATE: MARCH 2013 INTRODUCTION Information technology is the use of technologies from computing, electronics and telecommunications to process and distribute information in digital and other forms. There won’t be the need for networking if all computer systems have all the files and resource they need to process. You have undoubtedly heard “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. This phrase describes networking very well, and explains why it has become so popular. A network isn’t just a bunch of computers with wires running between them. Properly implemented, a network is a system that provides its users with unique capabilities, above and beyond what the individual machines and their software applications can provide. * With computer networks, we can connect a number of computer systems together thereby making a complex task/job to be modularized. * Computer networking is the act of linking computers so that users can exchange information or share access to a central store of information (database) with proper implementation of computer network, computers acquire unique capabilities beyond the abilities of the software applications installed on them. * A computer network is simply two or more computers connected together so they can exchange information. A small network can be as simple as two computers linked together by a single cable. Key Concept: At a high level, networks are advantageous because they allow computers and people to be connected together, so they can share resources. The most obvious benefit of computer networking is that you can store virtually any kind of information at, and retrieve it from, a central location on the network as well as access it from any connected computer. You can store, retrieve, and modify textual information such as letters and contracts, audio information such as voice messages, and visual images such as facsimiles, photographs, medical x-rays, and even video segments. Computer Network Components There are different components of a network. Following are the basic components of network. 1. Server: Powerful computers that provides services to the other computers on the network. 2. Client: Computer that uses the services that a server provides. The client is less powerful than server. 3. Media: A physical connection between the devices on a network. 4. Network Adopter: Network adopter or network interface card (NIC) is a circuit board with the components necessary for sending and receiving data. It is plugged into one of the available slots on the Pc and transmission cable is attached to the connector on the NIC. 5. Resources: Any thing available to a client on the network is considered a resource .Printers, data, fax devices and other network devices and information are resources. 6. User: Any person that uses a client to access resources on the network. 8. Protocols: These are written rules used for communications. They are the languages that computers use to talk to each other on a network Most of the benefits of networking can be divided into two generic categories: connectivity and sharing. Networks allow computers, and hence their users, to be connected together. They also allow for the easy sharing of information and resources, and cooperation between the devices in other ways. Since modern business depends so much on the intelligent flow and management of information, this tells you a lot about why networking is so valuable. Some of the specific benefits of networking include communication, data sharing, Internet access, data security and management, application performance enhancement, and entertainment. Other benefits of implementing computer networks in information centers that we have in Nigeria included; file sharing, resource sharing, internet facilities. Here, in no particular order, are some of the specific benefits generally associated with networking information centers that we have in Nigeria Connectivity and Communication: Networks connect computers and the users of those computers. Individuals within a building or work group can be connected into local area networks (LANs); LANs in distant locations can be interconnected into larger wide area networks (WANs). Once connected, it is possible for network users to communicate with each other using technologies such as electronic mail. This makes the transmission of business (or non-business) information easier, more efficient and less expensive than it would be without the network. Data Sharing: One of the most important uses of networking is to allow the sharing of data. Before networking was common, an accounting employee who wanted to prepare a report for her manager would have to produce it on his PC, put it on a floppy disk, and then walk it over to the manager, who would transfer the data to her PC's hard disk. (This sort of “shoe-based network” was sometimes sarcastically called a “sneaker net”.) True networking allows thousands of employees to share data much more easily and quickly than this. More so, it makes possible applications that rely on the ability of many people to access and share the same data, such as databases, group software development, and much more. Intranets and extranets can be used to distribute corporate information between sites and to business partners. Hardware Sharing: Networking also facilitates sharing of different kinds of hardware devices such as printer; for example sharing of a single printer in an office of twenty people is done through networking of wires. This saves lot of cost that could otherwise have incurred if twenty different printers were provided for each computer in use, also instead of giving each of 10 employees in a department an expensive color printer (or resorting to the “sneaker net” again), one printer can be placed on the network for everyone to share. Internet Access: The Internet is itself an enormous network, so whenever you access the Internet, you are using a network. The significance of the Internet on modern society is hard to exaggerate, especially for those of us in technical fields. Internet Access Sharing: Small computer networks allow multiple users to share a single Internet connection. Special hardware devices allow the bandwidth of the connection to be easily allocated to various individuals as they need it, and permit an organization to purchase one high-speed connection instead of many slower ones. Data Security and Management: In a business environment, a network allows the administrators to much better manage the company's critical data. Instead of having this data spread over dozens or even hundreds of small computers in a haphazard fashion as their users create it, data can be centralized on shared servers. This makes it easy for everyone to find the data, makes it possible for the administrators to ensure that the data is regularly backed up, and also allows for the implementation of security measures to control who can read or change various pieces of critical information. Performance Enhancement and Balancing: Under some circumstances, a network can be used to enhance the overall performance of some applications by distributing the computation tasks to various computers on the network. Entertainment: Networks facilitate many types of games and entertainment. The Internet itself offers many sources of entertainment, of course. In addition, many multi-player games exist that operate over a local area network. Many home networks are set up for this reason, and gaming across insist that this is really a disadvantage of networking and not an advantages. Centralization: Networking also provides the advantage of centralization of data from all the users system to one system where it can be managed. This also ensures that the data being worked on is consistent on all the user system. Storage capacity: With computer networks, there is increased storage capacity as the storage capacity is the sum of all the gigs that are available of each system on the network. A stand alone computer might fall short of storage memory, but when many computers are on a network, memories of different computers can be used in such a case. Users can run those programs which are not installed on their computer but are installed on any other user’s computer. This is a very huge advantage, and you can get benefit from it in many circumstances. For example, suppose you have not enough space in your computer to install a program so in this case, if your desired program is available on other user’s computer then you can run that. Similarly, if you have space in your computer then you can copy that program in other user’s computer into your PC. Secure Management of Sensitive Information: Another significant advantage of computer networking is the ability to protect access to network resources and files. A network that is properly designed has extremely powerful security features that enable you to control who will have access to sensitive data, equipment, and other resources. This control can be exercised over both your own employees and those outside your company who access your system over the Internet. Streamlined Business Processes: A well-designed computer network produces benefits on several fronts: within the company, between companies, and between companies and their customers. Within the company, networks enable businesses to streamline their internal business processes. Common tasks such as employee collaboration on projects, provisioning, and holding meetings can take less time and be much less expensive. For example, a managing editor, associate editors, writers, and artists may need to work together on a publication. With a computer network they can work on the same electronic files, each from their own computers, without copying or transferring files from a floppy disk. If the applications they are using feature basic integration with the network operating system (NOS), they can open, view, or print the same files simultaneously. Provisioning, the process by which companies give new employees everything they need to get started (workstation, ID card, etc.), can be automated on a network. All the new employee's information can be entered into one terminal, and various departments such as properties, payroll, and security will receive that new information automatically. When an employee leaves the company, the process can be reversed just as easily. Networks also make holding meetings more efficient. For example, collaboration software can search through a number of busy schedules to find time for a meeting—including the schedules of employees at different locations. The meeting can be held over the network through a teleconferencing session, thus eliminating the travel cost for those employees at remote sites. The attendees can simultaneously view and edit the same document and instantaneously view each other's changes as they are made. Moreover, they can do this without worrying about accidentally changing or deleting the work of others. CONCLUSION Networking enables you to combine the power and capabilities of diverse equipment and to provide a collaborative medium to combine the skills of different people—regardless of physical location. Computer networking enables people to share information and ideas easily, so they can work more efficiently and productively. Networks also improve commercial activities such as purchasing, selling, and customer service. Networks are making traditional business processes more efficient, more manageable, and less expensive. References 1. Charles, M. koziero. (2005) the TCP/IP Guide. Available on. http//www.tcpipguide.com 2. White, M. A. and Ronyg. (2013). Answers Corporation. 3. Novell Careers. (2013). Novell’s Networking Premier. United state of America 4. Teko Mokoena & Kwasi Owusu(2010) computer networking.