Assignment: Current Trends in Networking
Assignment Brief
As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Current Trends in Networking assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.
Learning Outcome 1: Apply a systematic understanding of current trends in networking to critically evaluate threats to network provision and compare solutions.
Learning Outcome 2: Compare and contrast existing and emergent networking technologies.
Learning Outcome 3: Apply appropriate network technologies in complex settings, providing alternative solutions, clear selections and justifications.
Learning Outcome 4: Critically evaluate relevant and credible sources for up to date information on network and data communications technologies.
Learning Outcome 5: Critically evaluate innovative solutions to complex and novel problems.
Assignment Task
You are a technical consultant at a leading Internet Service Provider that caters to domestic customers as well as small and large businesses. The past decade has witnessed advancement in broadband technologies, the emergence of mobile communication technologies and evolution of routing and switching technologies. Consequently, there has been a rise new security concerns and advancement in network security mechanisms and cryptography. The board of directors for the ISP are keen to make investment to upgrade their infrastructure and diversify the services they are offering. You are part of a team of experts who are working on a technical advisory report to the board of directors, to aid them in making the right investment decision. You are responsible to address the following questions with regards to the given case study.
1. Compare Fibre, DSL and Broadband over Power Line technologies. Particularly highlight the advantages of Fibre-to-Home service to domestic and business customers.
2. Voice and Video Over IP offer a great deal of advantages over traditional telephony services. But they still have their own set of limitations and challenges. Critically discuss the existing networking technologies, communication architecture and protocol (Session Initiation protocol and others) that enables delivery of voice and video over IP network.
3. Describe Multicast routing and the relevant protocol. Particularly highlight any Multicast application that the ISP could consider offering to customers.
4. Critically review digital broadcasting standards that are relevant to European sub- continent.
5. Critically review a few new network security threats and attacks. Discuss what measure could the ISP take to protect their network against such threats.
6. Presentation, Language, Formatting and Referencing practice.