IT 212 Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
In Milestone One, you will:
Given the provided scenario, explain the key considerations (must-haves) and constraints of the networking project at the �rm’s new location.
Then make a well-reasoned recommendation of local area network (LAN) topology.
Scenario
You work for an advertising �rm with of�ces in Albany, NY, and Spring�eld, MA. The of�ces in Albany serve as the headquarters.
The Albany headquarters is home to the executive team and 150 employees. The headquarters also stores the corporate data and is the corporate internet backbone. It hosts the IT
department that centrally manages all LAN services, including the wireless LAN. The IT department also manages the wide area network (WAN) that connects all of the of�ces via site-to-site
virtual private network (VPN) tunnels. The Spring�eld of�ce hosts about 50 employees. Approximately 50% of these employees are mobile, de�ned as traveling more than 80% of the time.
To hire and retain the best talent, the �rm allows employees to work from home. This removes the constraint that employees have to live within commuting distance from the �rm’s of�ces.
Remote and mobile employees are provided access to the corporate network via a VPN client. The VPN client requires employees to have access to reliable internet services to allow for
effective collaboration across teams and for access to media content. The company provides all employees with a laptop with full disk encryption, data loss prevention (DLP), and antivirus
software. The IT department manages all corporate laptops and has the ability to log into all systems for support. This means that all laptops are centrally managed by the one IT department.
Due to an increase in opportunities for expansion to new markets, the �rm has embarked on an initiative to hire and train new college graduates for the company’s Future Vision program.
Future Vision focuses on global expansion. The initiative is to hire graduates into the marketing, �nance, and IT departments. You were hired as part of the Future Vision program and have
been working at this for some time now. You have spent a considerable portion of your time troubleshooting and analyzing the organization’s computer network to keep it running smoothly.
Your direct supervisor and lead network administrator have been very impressed with your skills and fast learning abilities.
To determine whether you are ready to take on more responsibility, you have been asked for your input regarding the new Fayetteville, NC, of�ce setup project. Your task is to conduct
research on this area and deliver a report to the team with key considerations and recommendations for the setup of the network infrastructure. The Fayetteville of�ce will be home to 50
employees, including the new executive vice president of sales and marketing. All the possible sites have of�ces located in an of�ce building with access to �ber, cable, and T1 internet service
providers. In addition to the standard network, the site must support live video teleconferencing calls with employees based at the other sites. It must also reliably send print jobs to billboard
printers located in the company headquarters in Albany.
Your primary task is to respond to these questions:
How would you approach designing the network at the new location in Fayetteville, NC?
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What considerations are key in informing the systems and resources necessary to meet the organization’s needs and support the business goals and objectives?
Keep in mind that this milestone contributes to the �nal project for this course. It is designed to help you succeed in �nalizing the project. You will complete two milestones that provide the
opportunity to draft key sections of the project, receive valuable feedback from your instructor, and submit a �nalized report for the �nal project in Module Seven.
Speci�cally, your report should include the following:
Key Considerations: Summarize the key considerations of the project, being sure to identify your chosen location. For example, what are the must-haves? What are the constraints? In
this section, you will:
Determine the appropriate communications media and mode of data transport for the new network.
This could be an opportunity to explain the OSI stack in relation to a modern communications network.
Identify the common network hardware components for this new location.
Describe the important IP range considerations for a company of your size.
LAN topology
Describe possible LAN topologies that could be used at the new location that support the desired architecture.
Compare the identi�ed LAN topology possibilities based on their relative strengths and weaknesses in regard to support practices.
Based on your comparison, determine the appropriate LAN topology for this location to allow for optimal support practices. Be sure to explain your reasoning.
What to Submit
Your work must be submitted as a 1- to 2-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to
APA style.
Milestone One Rubric
Criteria Exemplary (100%) Pro�cient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Key Considerations Exceeds pro�ciency in an
exceptionally clear, insightful,
sophisticated, or creative
manner
Summarizes the key
considerations of the project at
the new location
Shows progress toward
pro�ciency, but with errors or
omissions; areas for
improvement may include
determining the appropriate
communications media and
mode of data transport for the
new network
Does not attempt criterion 20
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Criteria Exemplary (100%) Pro�cient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
LAN Topology: LAN
Topologies
Exceeds pro�ciency in an
exceptionally clear, insightful,
sophisticated, or creative
manner
Describes possible LAN
topologies that could be used at
the new location
Shows progress toward
pro�ciency, but with errors or
omissions; areas for
improvement may include a
comparison of the possible LAN
topologies and why certain
ones have potential over others
Does not attempt criterion 20
LAN Topology: Strengths and
Weaknesses
Exceeds pro�ciency in an
exceptionally clear, insightful,
sophisticated, or creative
manner
Compares identi�ed LAN
topology possibilities based on
relative strengths and
weaknesses in regard to
support practices
Shows progress toward
pro�ciency, but with errors or
omissions; areas for
improvement may include
identifying speci�c strengths
and weaknesses of possible
topologies
Does not attempt criterion 20
LAN Topology: Optimal
Support
Exceeds pro�ciency in an
exceptionally clear, insightful,
sophisticated, or creative
manner
Determines the appropriate
LAN topology for the new
location to allow for optimal
support practices
Shows progress toward
pro�ciency, but with errors or
omissions; areas for
improvement may include
emphasizing the strengths of
the chosen LAN topology to
demonstrate that it will provide
optimal support at the new
location
Does not attempt criterion 20
Articulation of Response Exceeds pro�ciency in an
exceptionally clear, insightful,
sophisticated, or creative
manner
The submission has no major
errors related to grammar,
citations, spelling, syntax, or
organization
Shows progress toward
pro�ciency, but with errors in
grammar, sentence structure,
and spelling, negatively
impacting readability
The submission has critical
errors in grammar, sentence
structure, and spelling,
preventing understanding of
ideas
20
Total: 100%
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