Network configurations for work from home setups that are the best ways to stay connected include LAN, WAN, PAN, and MAN.
We sometimes appear to take having access to the internet for granted, but as remote work becomes more common in 2020, remaining connected for work and education has become more difficult. Before the epidemic reached its peak, FlexJobs issued a poll that found that remote employment was increasing in 2019. Many individuals are working remotely right now and will probably continue to do so for a while. Many experts believe that this shift to more mobile employment may be permanent.
The catchphrase for the 1980s New York Telephone advertising was “We’re all linked.” A phone line was sufficient back then, but nowadays we want our connections to extend to the internet, necessitating the use of more advanced networks.
Here, we examine several networks Connected .
Connected
Understanding the Four Types of Area Networks
LAN, or local area network, is the technical term for a network. The local area is normally a workplace, although with the spread of Wi-Fi, it is now becoming common in households. The likelihood is that the LAN at your business uses Ethernet, wireless or wired. Similar like the phone jacks of the past, Ethernet may operate through twisted-pair cables that plug into switches and can be linked to gateways via RJ-45 connections. The LAN may be connected via these links to other LANs or the internet.
According to IEEE 802.11, Ethernet may also communicate wirelessly over Wi-Fi. The b/g/n standards can be used by almost all modern routers. IEEE 802.11b. (Read more about 802 here. Understanding the 802.11 Family)
Broadband Network (WAN)
The “w” denotes the fact that WAN has a larger coverage area than LAN. A wide area network can be used to interconnect a number of buildings, whether they are spread throughout a campus or located far apart and connected via satellite links.
It may operate off a wired or wireless connection, much like LAN. If wired, fiber-optic cable will probably be used. Wireless connections can be made using satellite, IR or microwave transmission technology.
Networked Personal Area (PAN)
Compared to LAN, personal area networks (PAN) often only span a small space. Bluetooth is the most well-known wireless PAN network technology, whereas USB is the most often used wired PAN. Wi-Fi is a PAN technology as well.
Network for Metropolitan Areas (MAN)
Nodes in the same metro region are connected by a network called a metropolitan area network (MAN). Although fiber-optic cable may be used to connect those structures, wireless connections between buildings that may be a few blocks or several miles away are more economical. The majority will thus rely on microwave transmission technologies.
One more significant acronym
Private Internet Access (VPN)
This acronym doesn’t rhyme with the others even though it does allude to a network. This is because the goal is to use virtualization to create privacy rather than bridge local area networks.
VPN reroutes internet traffic through a distant server that is set up especially for that function. Because all data transmitted and received over the VPN is encrypted, the result is that your IP address and online activity are hidden from your ISP.
You may see the VPN as forming a tunnel for the data to flow through, according to Daniel Markuson, who explained this in an interview with Techopedia: This tunnel is made by first verifying your client’s identity with a VPN server using a computer, smartphone, or tablet. All data that is sent back and forth between the server and your web destination is then encrypted.
Markuson said that usage of VPNs has significantly increased in 2020 compared to previous years, when they were mostly utilized by tech-savvy individuals or enterprises concerned with security. The coronavirus is mostly to blame for much of it, which “correlates with self-isolation, the quarantine, and social alienation happening around the world.”
As more individuals than normal spent time consuming internet entertainment while under lockdown, some people started using VPNs only for improved streaming experiences. But for some people, it was truly about organizing their workspace so they could work from home as effectively as possible. (See also: Thinking About a VPN? Choose wisely based on your needs.)
Getting Ready for the Remote Challenge
Due to weather or travel, it’s become very typical to occasionally work from home or another remote place when signing in through a laptop is sufficient. However, you face more difficulties if the occurrence lasts for weeks or even months and other family members are also logging into their jobs or studies.
The issue of bandwidth is one of these. Workers need to be mindful of the limitations of their home bandwidth in addition to the question of whether your network and gateways can handle the extra traffic generated when the majority of users start connecting remotely.
Many customers were compelled to get in touch with their ISP and request a service improvement after the switch to working from home while in lockdown. Lack of network resources may be the cause of “my PC is operating slowly” rather than a problem with the computer itself.
Equipment and Assistance
IT stores received a deluge of orders for PCs, laptops, docking stations, displays, cables, Wi-Fi adapters, cameras, headphones, and other equipment when it became evident that state lockdowns would continue considerably longer than two weeks and that there would not be a return to normal in the near future.
A lack of essential tools is unavoidable when everyone is vying for the same items at the same time. On the other hand, attempting to be proactive about keeping a supply of hardware requires spending a lot of money on items that may never be utilized and lose value as they become outdated.
The issue for IT shops is to strike the correct balance between having enough equipment on hand to guarantee that the demands of important players are satisfied and avoiding overstocking.
The extent of what IT shops may support and be accountable for must also be defined in advance by explicit policies. The end user may encounter problems that support is unable to resolve if they are using an old PC at home with an out-of-date OS and a sluggish network.
The IT staff needs policies to be established because of this. A policy statement that specifies what the end-user is liable for with regard to their own equipment, whether it be the computer used at home or a mobile device carried into the workplace in accordance with BYOD rules, and that the support staff may use as an example. (See also: Putting a Successful Remote Work Strategy into Practice.)
Protection for Remote Workers
The work-from-home scenario presents the additional risk of confidential and proprietary information being transferred outside the secure office network to home PCs or being printed at home, in addition to the usual challenges of securing any network connection from outside the office to the internal network.
Employees might not comprehend on their own why printing sensitive documents on a personal printer is not a good idea or why having a business email account that is encrypted, tracked, and backed up is different from using a personal account. Because of this, it’s crucial to inform customers about the security processes in place, especially for businesses that are subject to strict regulation.
The safety of physical equipment is another issue that has to be addressed. There is a higher chance of such devices being lost, stolen, or hacked the more gear, such as PCs and laptops/tablets, are permitted outside of the office.
The security of software solutions used for meetings and file transmission is a third risk that should be considered and prepared for. Many people used Zoom to remotely connect from home, however other people encountered the terrible experience of having their meetings hijacked. That emphasized the need for security rules to be in place that specify which solutions may be utilized and which precautions must be implemented, as well as the extra cybersecurity considerations that remote settings raise. (View this related article: Smart Data Management for a Post-Epidemic World.)
Conclusion
When a household’s place of residence also served as its place of employment and educational institution, what most of us had in place may have fallen short. Because of this, preparation is necessary for remote settings in order to provide sufficient bandwidth and security.
