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Introduction

This report outlines a proposed computer network design for a company named Bead Bar. Bead Bar is a company with an innovative product that attracts customers of all ages. The product has caused the business to grow and company executives have concluded that the company is in need of a high-tech computer network to increase their efficiency and create a global presence.
Background

Bead Bar is a company that specializes in allowing customers to create their own bead jewelry. Meredith S. founded the company in 1998 by opening a bead bar studio in New Canaan, Connecticut. In the studio, customers sit at a bar and—using materials provided (beads, wire, and string)—create necklaces, bracelets, and other jewelry (Malaga, 2005). There are six Bead Bar studios and five franchises across the United States and Bead-Bar-on-Board. Bead Bar on Board is a special bead bar designed for cruise ships. The bar is portable and can be placed on deck or in a lounge (Malaga, 2005).

The Bead Bar is now large enough that the paper-based system is inefficient and has caused some problems, including lost orders, incorrect invoicing, and fulfillment delays (Malaga, 2005). Bead Bar executives hired information technology consultants to analyze company processes and to provide technical solutions. Devices such as desktop computers, notebooks, printers, and zip drives were purchased based on the recommendations of the consultants.

All the company's personal computers run on the Microsoft Windows XP Professional operating system, and due to the Bead Bar's multiple locations, the Oracle 9i Database, an enterprise database specifically designed to manage the distributed data necessary for the Bead Bar's organizational needs, was determined to be the best choice to meet the Bead Bar's current and future needs. However, a distributed database necessitates that all the Bead Bar's computers be routed through a network...