The Benefits of Computer Networks
Computer networks enable sharing and central management of resources, applications and information across a variety of devices, in a secure and scalable manner. Computer networks are a vital part of our modern society and provide many benefits, including improved collaboration and communication and also lower costs, improved security and accessibility to data and resources.
Networks are built from two key elements, nodes and links. Nodes are network devices, such as computers, printers and file servers that can communicate with one another using an established set of rules called communication protocols. Links connect these nodes to each other through wireless, optical or wired connections. A laptop that is connected to a local network using Wi-Fi can be described as a node and an link. Switches and routers function as traffic police that direct data packets in the most efficient way to their destination.
A wide area network (WAN) is an even larger-scale network that makes use of bridges and gateways to connect several LANs. A WAN unlike a local area network (LAN) is connected to global communication networks and the Internet. Students in Florida for instance can use teleconferencing on their workstations with classmates in Tokyo because of a wireless network.
Computer networks help streamline processes and foster a more active and collaborative work environment. Employees can save documents to a server which is regularly backed-up, instead of emailing documents back and forth which could result in lost documents. They can also access the standard versions of employee or manuals for customers via the network. This ensures consistency and accuracy.