Internetworks

Before discussing about the terms internet, intranet and extranet, we need to discuss the term
Internetwork.

An internetwork can be defined as two or more computer networks (typically Local Area
Networks LAN) which are connected together, using Network Routers.

Each network in an Internetwork has its own Network Address, which is different from other
networks inside the Internetwork. Network Address is used to identify the networks inside an
Internetwork.

Internetwork allows different users at different geographical locations of an organization to share

data, resources and to communicate. Modern businesses cannot even function without
Internetwork. Internet, Intranet and Extranet are different types of internetwork.

Internet, Intranet and Extranet

Internet: Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible computer network of interconnected
computer networks (internetwork) that transmit data using the standard Internet Protocol (IP).
Internet is the world's largest Internetwork .

The terms World Wide Web (WWW) and Internet are not the same. The Internet is a collection
of interconnected computer networks, linked by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless
connections, etc. World Wide Web (WWW) is a collection of interconnected documents and
other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs. The World Wide Web is one of the services
accessible via the Internet, along with various others including email, file sharing, remote
administration, video streaming, online gaming etc.

Intranet: An intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. It may consist
of many interlinked local area networks and use any Wide Area Network (WAN) technologies
for network connectivity. The main purpose of an intranet is to share company information and
computing resources among employees. Intranet is a private Internetwork, which is usually
created and maintained by a private organization. The content available inside Intranet are
intended only for the members of that organization (usually employees of a company).

Extranet: An extranet can be viewed as part of a company's intranet that is extended to users
outside the company like suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other business associates.

Extranet is required for normall day-to-day business activities. For example, Placing order to
registered vendors, Billing & Invoices, Payments, Joint Ventures, Product Brochures for
Partners, Discounted price lists for partners etc. 
NETWORK PROTOCOL-

A network protocol can be viewed as a common network communication standard, which is used
to define a method of exchanging data over a computer network. Network protocols define rules
and conventions for communication between different devices, participating in a computer
network.

Almost all protocols used in the Internet are common standards defined by RFC (Request for
Comments).

Examples of standard network protocols are TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), UDP (User

Datagram Protocol), IP (Internet Protocol), ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), HTTP
(Hypertext Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), TFTP (Trivial File Transfer
Protocol), SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), SSH (Secure Shell), Telnet etc.
Devices participating in network communication should know about the common network
protocol and communicate according to the way, defined by the network protocol. In other
words, standard network protocol software must be running on both devices participating in
network communication.

To explain it more clearly, if you are using your browser to browse web pages from a web server
(example, www.omnisecu.com), you are using a protocol called HTTP (Hypertext Transfer
Protocol). Your computer must request web pages from web server using HTTP and the web
server must response back to your computer using HTTP.

How HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) should work is defined as a common standard, RFC
(Request for Comments) 2616. Anyone can follow the common standard and create their own
Browser or Web server.

Uses of Computer Networks

Had it not been of high importance, nobody would have bothered connecting computers over a
network. Let's start exploring the uses of Computer Networks with some traditional usecases at
companies and for individuals and then move on to the recent developments in the area of
mobile users and home networking.

Computer Networks: Business Applications

Following are some business applications of computer networks:

1. Resource Sharing:
The goal is to make all programs, equipments(like printers etc), and especially data, available to
anyone on the network without regard to the physical location of the resource and the user.

2. Server-Client model:
One can imagine a company's information system as consisting of one or more databases and
some employees who need to access it remotely. In this model, the data is stored on powerful
computers called Servers. Often these are centrally housed and maintained by a system
administrator. In contrast, the employees have simple machines, called Clients, on their desks,
using which they access remote data.
3. Communication Medium:
A computer network can provide a powerful communication medium among employees.
Virtually every company that has two or more computers now has e-mail (electronic mail), which
employees generally use for a great deal of daily communication

4. eCommerce:
A goal that is starting to become more important in businesses is doing business with
consumers over the Internet. Airlines, bookstores and music vendors have discovered that
many customers like the convenience of shopping from home. This sector is expected to grow
quickly in the future.
The most popular forms are listed in the below figure:

Computer Networks: Home Applications

Some of the most important uses of the Internet for home users are as follows:

 Access to remote information

 Person-to-person communication
 Interactive entertainment
 Electronic commerce
Computer Networks: Mobile Users
Mobile computers, such as notebook computers and Mobile phones, is one of the fastest-growing
segment of the entire computer industry. Although wireless networking and mobile computing
are often related, they are not identical, as the below figure shows.

Data Processing | Meaning, Definition,

Steps, Types and Methods
Data processing is the conversion of data into usable and desired form. This conversion or
“processing” is carried out using a predefined sequence of operations either manually or
automatically. Most of the data processing is done by using computers and thus done
automatically. The output or “processed” data can be obtained in different forms like image,
graph, table, vector file, audio, charts or any other desired format depending on the software or
method of data processing used.

Fundamentals of data processing & how data is

processed
Data processing is undertaken by any activity which requires a collection of data. This data
collected needs to be stored, sorted, processed, analyzed and presented. This complete process
can be divided into 6 simple primary stages which are:

1. Data collection
2. Storage of data
3. Sorting of data
4. Processing of data
5. Data analysis
6. Data presentation and conclusions
Once the data is collected the need for data entry emerges for storage of data. Storage can be
done in physical form by use of papers, in notebooks or in any other physical form. With the
emergence and growing emphasis on Big Data & Data Mining the data collection is large and a
number of operations need to be performed for meaningful analysis and presentation, the data is
stored in digital form. Having the data into digital form enables the user to perform a large
number of operations in small time and allows conversion into different types. The user can thus
select the output which best suits the requirement.

This continuous use and processing of data follow cycle called as data processing

cycle and information processing cycle which might provide instant results or take time
depending upon the need of processing data. The complexity in the field of data processing is
increasing which is creating a need for advanced techniques.

Storage of data is followed by sorting and filtering. This stage is profoundly affected by the
format in which data is stored and further depends on the software used. General daily day and
noncomplex data can be stored as text files, tables or a combination of both in Microsoft Excel or
similar software. As the task becomes complex which requires performing specific and
specialized operations they require different data processing tools and software which is meant to
cater to the peculiar needs.

Storing, sorting, filtering and processing of data can be done by single software or a combination
of software whichever feasible and required. Data processing thus carried out by software is
done as per the predefined set of operations. Most of the modern-day software allows users to
perform different actions based on the analysis or study to be carried out. Data processing
provides the output file in various formats.

Different types of output files obtained as

“processed” data
  Plain text file – These constitute the simplest form or processed data. Most of these
files are user readable and easy to comprehend. Very negligible or no further processing is
these type of files. These are exported as notepad or WordPad files.
 Table/ spreadsheet – This file format is most suitable for numeric data. Having digits in
rows and columns allows the user to perform various operations like filtering & sorting in
ascending/descending order to make it easy to understand and use. Various mathematical
operations can be applied when using this file output.
 Charts & Graphs – Option to get the output in the form of charts and graphs is handy
and now forms standard features in most of the software. This option is beneficial when
dealing with numerical values reflecting trends and growth/decline. Though there are
ample charts and graphs are available to match diverse requirements there exists
situation when there is a need to have a user-defined option. In case no inbuilt chart or
graph is available then the option to create own charts, i.e., custom charts/graphs come
handy.
 Maps/Vector or image file – When dealing with spatial data the option to export the
processed data into maps, vector and image files is of great use. Having the information
on maps is of particular use for urban planners who work on different types of maps.
Image files are obtained when dealing with graphics and do not constitute any human
readable input.
 Other formats/ raw files – These are the software specific file formats which can be
used and processed by specialized software. These output files may not be a complete
product and require further processing. Thus there will need to perform multiple data
processing.

Methods of data processing

1. Manual data processing: In this method data is processed manually without the use of a
machine, tool or electronic device.  Data is processed manually, and all the calculations
and logical operations are performed manually on the data.
2. Mechanical data processing – Data processing is done by use of a mechanical device or
very simple electronic devices like calculator and typewriters. When the need for
processing is simple, this method can be adopted.
3. Electronic data processing – This is the modern technique to process data. The fastest
and best available method with the highest reliability and accuracy. The technology used
is latest as this method used computers and employed in most of the agencies. The use of
software forms the part of this type of data processing. The data is processed through a
computer; Data and set of instructions are given to the computer as input, and the
computer automatically processes the data according to the given set of instructions. The
computer is also known as electronic data processing machine.

Related: Data processing and data processing methods

Types of data processing on the basis of process/steps
performed

1. Batch Processing
2. Real-time processing
3. Online Processing
4. Multiprocessing
5. Time-sharing

What makes processing of data important

Nowadays more and more data is collected for academic, scientific research, private & personal
use, institutional use, commercial use. This collected data needs to be stored, sorted,
filtered, analyzed and presented for it to be of any use. This process can be simple or complex
depending on the scale at which data collection is done and the complexity of the results which
are required to be obtained. The time consumed in obtaining the desired result depends on the
operations which need to be performed on the collected data and on the nature of the output file
required to be obtained. This problem becomes starker when dealing with the very large volume
of data such as those collected by multinational companies about their users, sales,
manufacturing, etc.

The need for data processing becomes more and more critical in such cases. In such cases, data
miningand data management come into play without which optimal results cannot be obtained.
Each stage starting from data collection to presentation has a direct effect on the output and
usefulness of the processed data.

Different Uses of Computers in Business

In today's business climate, competitors may be as close as the next website or email message.
One way to gain a competitive advantage is to learn how computers can help your business. You
may know about email, accounting and word processing programs, but other software exists that
can increase productivity, attract new customers, reduce costs and save you time.

Computers Facilitate Communication

Email services, such as Yahoo and specialized services, like HushMail help businesses send and
receive electronic correspondence. Many online email services also enable you to voice chat with
others over the Internet. Companies can also use applications such as Outlook to manage
business mail, track events and help employees schedule meetings. Skype, Google Hangouts and
similar programs give you the ability to hold remote video meetings with people from around the
world. Many of these communications platforms also work on smartphones and tablets.00:19

Data Mining Benefits

Businesses often acquire and store massive amounts of information in relational databases,
spreadsheets, XML files and other repositories. Learn to use data mining techniques and you can
tap into a valuable undiscovered source of business intelligence. Data mining software can help
businesses identify patterns and discover new relationships in historical data. Although data
mining can help small companies, it's particularly useful for businesses with large amounts of
complex data. Businesses that use data mining can boost sales, acquire new customers, improve
productions, increase customer satisfaction and predict future business trends.

Customer Relationship Management

Stand-alone software exists that can help business owners find, service and retain customers.
Modern CRM applications integrate many of these functions into a single, unified system.
Typical tasks that full-featured CRM apps perform include contact management, customer
service and sales force automation.

Order Fulfillment
Fulfilling orders can be a time-consuming task, because it may require the assistance of people in
accounting, the warehouse, inventory control and shipping departments. Computers make it
easier for businesses to automate and speed up time-consuming order fulfillment processes. For
example, an order fulfillment application may use barcode scanners to record product
information as a product moves from the warehouse to the shipping trucks. Order fulfillment
software can also tell you when to replenish your inventory.

Design and Graphics

You don't need to hire a professional graphic artist to create professional looking graphics for
your business. Tools, such as image editors and desktop publishing applications, can help
novices create Web buttons and banners, draw logos, create marketing materials, enhance photos
and produce newsletters. Programs, such as PowerPoint and Open Office Impress, can help you
create powerful business presentations by clicking buttons and dragging your mouse. Video
editing programs also give you the power to produce your own company videos that you can use
for advertising and marketing. Computers can also connect you to the Internet where you can
download free graphics that you can customize.

Marketing and Advertising

There are several ways for businesses to advertise and market their services. Many business
owners use computers to tap into the power of social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.
In addition to advertising products and services on these sites, businesses can use software to
design and manage email marketing campaigns that target potential customers.

Using Computers to Manage People

Human Resources software can help businesses do everything from find potential employees to
discipline them when problems occur. By storing employee information in a central repository,
HR applications also make it easier for HR personal to track employee performance, maintain
information about benefits and communicate with employees efficiently. Many HR apps also
give HR managers the to generate reports that profile specific employees.
Computer Administration

Regardless of the size of your business, it's important to keep your computers secure. If you have
a large company, ensure that your IT department has the skills necessary to set up users, install
software and keep your network safe. If you have a small office, assign an administrator to
manage your computers.