Bead Bar Network Paper

The Bead Bar is a growing business that also has growing technology demands. The company's goals are of the utmost importance, and will be kept in mind at all times when introducing a new computer network. Ease of use and cost effectiveness is also extremely important with business, as the company is trying to become more profitable and more efficient.

The Bead Bar is a company that was founded in 1998 in New Canaan, Connecticut. It is a beaded jewelry design bar. Basically the customer makes their own beaded jewelry while sitting at a bar that is stocked with beads, wire, and string. The company is growing quite quickly, with six studios, a franchise division, and a cruise ship division, called The Bead Bar on Board.

The company is the employer of about thirty five people, and annually has averaged about 1.5 million. The owner of the company has decided it is time to upgrade into this digitally advanced world to cut down on fulfillment delays, invoice errors, and lost orders.

The higher ranked employees have stated the needs of their computers and digital devices. With this in mind, several of them travel. These employees need something that is portable, yet powerful. Computers at management headquarters is also a must. They need to be able to create advertisements and marketing ideas. They also need to track financial records.

A computer at each studio is important for keeping track of inventory. They also need to be able to track incoming and outgoing orders. The need for keeping cost of computers under $20,000 was also mentioned.

The Bead Bar needs the ability to share data with each location. They are growing all the time, and this system needs to be added to when necessary. Digital communication has made all of this possible, but the network must be chosen appropriately for this situation.

The need for ease of use is important with this company, as not all employees are comfortable with computers. A star topology network would probably be the least expensive yet most effective way for this small business to go. New computers can be added easily, and down computer time is not such an issue. The entire system will not be down if there is only one computer with a problem. Also client/server architecture may be best. This system would not allow everyone will have access to confidential information, such as finances.

The Bead Bar is a small business, with financial limits. This would mean that the network chosen for this company needs to be easy to use. Not every company can afford to keep an in-house information technician on hand. This network also needs to be inexpensive to install and maintain.

A star topology network connects each device to a central hub. The hub is where all the data is sent to