What you need to know about routing and switching

The business network allows every employee in the company to connect to other employees, customers, business partners, critical applications, and the Internet. The advantage of networking is that you can share information and applications with everyone in your group. Pay attention to the following factors: ccnp routing and switching

Where is the company's software located? Online.

How are important presentations shared with different members of your team? Through the network.

How do you connect to the Internet to watch important presentations? Through your network.

How are important messages communicated to your employees and partners? Through the network.

What is Routing and Switching?

The principle of the network is to connect computers and peripherals using two pieces of equipment: switches and routers. These two components allow devices connected to your network to communicate with each other and with other networks.

Although routers and switches look very similar, they perform completely different functions on a network:

Switches are used to connect a group of devices on the same network within a building or area. For example, a switch can connect computers, printers, and servers to create a network of shared resources. The switch can act as a controller, allowing different devices to share information and interact with other devices. By sharing information and allocating resources, switches save you money and increase productivity.

There are two main types of switches : managed and unmanaged.

Unmanaged switches operate in a standard pattern and do not allow you to make changes to that pattern. Unmanaged switches are often used in home networking equipment.

The managed switch provides programming access. This provides greater flexibility because the switch can be monitored and configured locally or remotely to control traffic flow over the network and access to your network.

Routers are used to link multiple networks together. For example, you can use a router to connect your networked computers to the Internet, thus sharing the Internet with multiple users. The router can act as a dispatcher, choosing the best route for transmitting your information and ensuring that it is received quickly.

Routers analyze the data sent over the network, change the way the data is packed, and send it to another network or to a different type of network. They connect your business to the outside world, protect your information from security threats, and can even determine which computers take priority over others.

Depending on your business and network plans, you can choose routers that support different functions. These functions may include the following:

IP Phone Network : Connect your corporate computer and telephone network using voice and conferencing technologies to simplify and unify your communications

Firewall : specialized software that analyzes incoming data and protects your business network from attacks

Virtual Private Network (VPN) : A method of providing remote workers with secure remote network access.