Welcome to Business Data Communications Wiki 

Course Objective:

Computer and communications technologies are converging to impact the business world in at least two major ways. One the one hand, the world economy is operating at the breath-taking speed, in large part due to the applications of the information processing and communications technologies. The business environment has become very dynamic and even complex as a result. On the other hand, for the first time in history, companies of all sizes can conduct their business globally without much constraints of resource. In order to perform effectively, however, businesses in all sectors must maintain an efficient and yet flexible information infrastructure so that they can quickly adapt to the changes and challenges. A critical component of this infrastructure is highly integrated data communications networking capabilities, serving as the reliable pipeline in support of transaction processing and information exchange. In order to satisfy the demand, technology and service providers are constantly coming up with newer and better technologies and services. The objectives of this course are to:

1. Introduce fundamental concepts and techniques in business data communications,

2. Discuss important consideration factors in designing data communications networks.

3. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of major service offerings for business data communications,

4. Provide hands-on experience in local area networking configuration, and

5. Discuss recent trends in development and application of data communications technologies and how businesses can benefit from these new developments.

This course should give you a strong foundation in computer networks, which will enable you to work effectively with network administrators, network installers, and network designers. Specific topic coverage includes:

The knowledge acquired from this course will enable students to be able to effectively involve themselves in the planning, designing, and maintenance processes of contemporary data communications networking systems and services as a user or manager. For those who are interested in pursuing a career in network design and management, this course provides a solid foundation for more in-depth learning.

• Latest wireless technologies
• Modern multiplexing techniques, such as discrete multitone and wavelength division multiplexing
• Switching in local area networks, advanced encryption standards and digital signatures
• Compression techniques, current LAN network operating systems (Windows 2003 and Linux)
• Internet and Wi-Max wireless Internet service