Within an organization, the dependability of network infrastructures has become less of a want and more of a need. Network connectivity used to be considered a luxury for many businesses, but it has recently become a critical piece of an organization. Many companies will find themselves underperforming without a fully developed communication architecture designed for business growth, efficiencies, and competitive advantage. The fundamental understanding of how networks play such a big role in the success of a company must be assessed from the basic approach of the advancement in transmission control protocol$/$internet protocol $($TCP$/$IP$)$ communication and the functionality of the open systems interconnection $($OSI$)$ model. Organizational Network Diagram $-$ Current

Dallas Office Network Diagram $-$ Current

Memphis Office Network Design $-$ Current

Traffic Flow Wireshark Capture Prompt

Imagine that you are a newly hired network consultant for SNHUEnergy, Inc. The leadership team at the organization has asked you to create a network analysis and architecture evaluation of the current network. Your report will also include design recommendations for the organization$$s future network architecture, including basic recommendations to mitigate any potential performance or security issues.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

Executive Summary: Provide a high$-$level overview of the contents of your report for the leadership team, including findings around data traffic flows, applications impacted, and the network and security recommendations for the future needs of the organization.

Current Network Architecture: In this section, analyze the information provided in the SNHUEnergy, Inc. scenario to provide high$-$level assumptions about the design of the network.

Identify the network applications that are a part of the current network.

Describe how the current network is designed by explaining how the different layers of the OSI model relate to each other within the network.

Develop a visual representation of an end$-$to$-$end path flow of the existing network by creating a network diagram showing the output of the traffic flows.

Use the provided logical network design example as a guide for creating your diagram.

Include your diagram with your submission.

Explain the types of physical network devices used in connecting all devices across the organization.

Identify the critical traffic patterns currently used by the organization, supported by examples.

Use the provided Wireshark capture to guide your response.

Describe the traffic patterns that the organization$$s critical applications take across the infrastructure from office to office.

Remember, the organization$$s critical applications were specified in the scenario.

Describe the potential performance issues that may occur within the current network if no changes are made to support the organization$$s expansion. Provide examples to support your response.

Describe the potential security issues that may occur within the current network if no changes are made to support the organization$$s expansion. Provide examples to support your response.

Future Network Architecture

Summarize the future communication needs of the organization.

Describe in detail a network architecture that would be appropriate for supporting the ultimate growth of the organization and defend how the future network would improve communication across the company.

Develop a visual representation of your recommended future network architecture by creating a network diagram.

Use the provided physical network design example as a guide for creating your diagram.

Include your diagram with your submission.

Planning and Security

Recommend the best approach to mitigate the potential performance and security issues that you previously identified and defend your response.

Recommend a network management tool to implement into the future network and explain its potential benefit to the organization.

Recommend types of security devices to implement into the existing network and explain how the devices would mitigate potential security issues.

Explain the changes that need to be made to existing devices on the network in order to successfully integrate the security devices into the future network design.

Describe specific challenges that the organization might face as it attempts to implement the future network and recommend ways to mitigate those challenges.

Concisely explain the overall risk for the network and the organization of not keeping security services up to standard. Your network analysis and architecture evaluation should be $10-$ to $12-$pages in length with $12-$point Times New Roman font and double spacing.