The Internet protocol suite is the standard used with almost any network service. The Internet protocol suite consists of the IP (Internet Protocol) and TCP (Transport Control Protocol), or TCP/IP. TCP/IP refers to the whole protocol family. IP is the single most popular network protocol in the world, and it provides the architecture that made convergence possible. In preparation for transmission, data and documents are digitized into packets based on the Internet Protocol and sent via packet-switched computer networks or local area networks, called LANs. LANs connect network devices over a relatively short distance. LANs are capable of transmitting data at very fast rates, but operate in a limited area, such as an office building, campus, or home. They provide shared access to printers and file servers, and connect to larger networks, such as wide area networks (WANs) or the Internet. WANs cover a much larger geographic area, such as a state, province, or country.

Question:

Discuss the benefits (if any) of an IP based network. Are there any benefits in implementation, cost, efficiency etc? What about security?