Types of Network

• LAN - Local Area Network
• WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
• WAN - Wide Area Network
• MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
• SAN - Storage Area Network, System Area Network, Server Area Network, or sometimes Small Area Network
• CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area Network, or sometimes Cluster Area Network
• PAN - Personal Area Network
• DAN - Desk Area Network
LAN and WAN were the original categories of area networks, while the others have gradually emerged over many years of technology evolution.
Note that these network types are a separate concept from network topologies such as bus, ring and star.



LAN - Local Area Network

A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A networked office building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one per room), and occasionally a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings. In TCP/IPnetworking, a LAN is often but not always implemented as a single IP subnet.
In addition to operating in a limited space, LANs are also typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization. They also tend to use certain connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet and Token Ring.

WAN - Wide Area Network

As the term implies, a WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth.
A WAN is a geographically-dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called a routerconnects LANs to a WAN. In IP networking, the router maintains both a LAN address and a WAN address.
A WAN differs from a LAN in several important ways. Most WANs (like the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or distributed ownership and management. WANs tend to use technology like ATM, Frame Relay and X.25 for connectivity over the longer distances.

LAN, WAN and Home Networking

Residences typically employ one LAN and connect to the Internet WAN via an Internet Service Provider (ISP) using a broadband modem. The ISP provides a WAN IP address to the modem, and all of the computers on the home network use LAN (so-calledprivate) IP addresses. All computers on the home LAN can communicate directly with each other but must go through a central gateway, typically 
 router  abroadband , to reach the ISP.

Other Types of Area Networks     

While LAN and WAN are by far the most popular network types mentioned, you may also commonly see references to these others:
• Wireless Local Area Network - a LAN based on WiFi wireless network technology
• Metropolitan Area Network - a network spanning a physical area larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN, such as a city. A MAN is typically owned an operated by a single entity such as a government body or large corporation.
• Campus Area Network - a network spanning multiple LANs but smaller than a MAN, such as on a university or local business campus.
• Storage Area Network - connects servers to data storage devices through a technology like Fibre Channel.
• System Area Network - links high-performance computers with high-speed connections in a cluster configuration. Also known as Cluster Area Network

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Important Tips

1.) Analog over digital connections

The rise of online social networks has made it easy to find, (re)connect and engage with business contacts. You just search for them and add them as a friend or contact and you have the permission to interact. There is just one problem: Since it has become so easy to network with people online, the value of these connections decreases as well. Therefore you should not just focus on boosting your social profile and friends and connections count but instead focus on real connections in the real world. It is much better to have 50 strong contacts in real-world than 500 virtual contacts on a social network to achieve the things in your business.  

2.) Prepare for an event

Whenever you go to a networking event you have to make sure that you are informed about the event in the beginning. Know who will be there, know what you can expect there and what are the important times and what are the less important times. The key is that it is essential to know when it is worth going to a networking event because you will meet new contacts and when you are going to an event to meet people you already know to strengthen your relationship with them.

3.) Focus on the person standing alone

If you ever go to an event and you don’t know anyone, don’t stand alone by yourself. Instead look out for the other person and start a conversation with them. There is nothing better than starting the conversation with a person and then starting to get into the flow of connecting with other people. The best conversation starter: “So, what brings you to this event?”. And just listen and start follow-up question and the conversation is going.

4.) Listen and make them feel good

The best conversationalist are those who listen most and talk just a little. This means that your primary job at a networking event is asking questions and not talking about yourself all the time. The key is that once you have started listening to other people they will sooner or later also start asking questions about you. And once you they actively ask you what you are doing they are listening more closely to what you are doing than when you are just talking about yourself right from the beginning.

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Important Tips to Secure Your Network

The Internet has created a vast network for business that has improved communications and operations exponentially. Unfortunately, the Internet has also created a new environment primed for security threats and cybercrime. A network attack can result in consequences that may range from being mildly troublesome to completely debilitating. Businesses have faced the loss of important data, privacy violations, and hours or sometimes days, of network downtime.

Regardless of your company’s size and the kind of business it performs, you face several inherent threats to your network security. There are hackers who develop botnets and other automated scanning techniques that are focused on finding holes in your network security to exploit. From within, companies have faced security threats at the hands of disgruntled, unaware and even nosy employees. However, businesses that take a holistic approach to their network security can easily overcome these threats and successfully protect their most important information and operations.

There are a multitude of analogies that have been created to help describe the elements and importance of network security for small businesses. One of the best analogies that accurately describes the importance of a comprehensive approach to network security, describes baking a cake yet leaving out the sugar. The finished cake will look like any other cake, and no one would ever know that an integral ingredient had been left out. Until they took a bite. So be sure to add the sugar to your network security “cake” by utilizing the most up to date security products out there.  Network Security Group, Inc. can work with you to tailor a security plan that fits the unique needs of your small or large business.

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Defination of Network

1:  a fabric or structure of cords or wires that cross at regular intervals and are knotted or secured at the crossings

2

:  a system of lines or channels resembling a network

3

a :  an interconnected or interrelated chain, group, or system<a network of hotels>

b :  a system of computers, peripherals, terminals, and databases connected by communications lines

4

a :  a group of radio or television stations linked by wire or radio relay

b :  a radio or television company that produces programs for broadcast over such a network

5

:  a usually informally interconnected group or association of persons (as friends or professional colleagues)

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