Designing a Robust WAN Network for Global Hospital Infrastructure

IT Infrastructure Project: Designing WAN Networks Assignment Instructions

Project Background

In this project you will study scholarly research on modern IT infrastructure design. You will apply the knowledge learned from your studies by writing a scholarly review of related literature specific to an IT infrastructure problem. Subsequently, you will apply knowledge from scholarly literature and industry best practices in Cisco Packet Tracer.

Reference the incomplete and faulty network architecture in Figure 1. Note, this design should not be copied in any form. Submitting a copied Figure 1 design will result in zero credit.

Global Care Hospital is a network of four large healthcare facilities that are globally distributed in four (4) different physically distanced continents. It operates its own private cloud and does not use any third-party vendors for any of its networking or services. It owns all of its hardware in on-site on campus data centers and must continue to do so in the future. You have recently purchased the organization, naming it [Your Firstname Lastname] Global Hospital.  Please refer to the hospital as “place your name here” Global Hospital.

Figure 1. Original but Flawed Global Care Hospital Network Design

Jane Doe Global Hospital owns a network of hospitals supported by four (4) international campuses. Their original design, depicted in Figure 1, has several flaws. They have also well surpassed this design, adding several global corporate sites in different countries. The global enterprise now requires a global computer network design that can support over 4,000 devices.

The original design is insufficient for the current growth and it has several flaws within the LAN and WAN designs. For example, users are experiencing long delays in sharing their data, using the corporate enterprise resource planning system, using remote video conferencing tools, and working with patients via telemedicine. You are tasked with the job of a complete computer network re-design that supports the growing global enterprise landscape that the hospital faces.

The brand new enterprise network design must support a global enterprise and meet the future needs of a globally capable hospital IT infrastructure. *Note, each of the WAN continents, starting with WAN_continent_2 in Figure 1 also contains additional routers, switches, workstations, and servers that must support a global healthcare enterprise.  Include these devices to meet the rubric requirements as you design a highly capable network.

Instructions

Project Requirements

• Take 1 screenshot of your overall network design and topology
• Take 5-10 key screenshots demonstrating the progression of your network, servers, configurations, and protocols properly functioning in the new design. Screenshots must include a unique piece of information identifying the student’s computer along with a proper operating system date/time. Submit these as appendices in the Word document.
• Submit one (1) Packet Tracer file, typically this file has a .pkt file extension.
  • This will include the fully operational new IT infrastructure design
  • All devices in the lab must be named with your first name and last name
    • Example: Jane_Doe_Router_1
  • All hardware and software should be configured properly and should be able to communicate securely using optimized networking designs, configurations, and protocols
  • No devices can have passwords for assessment purposes
• Packet Tracer IT Infrastructure Re-Design Requirements
  • You must start with a blank/new Packet Tracer file, existing labs or modified labs of existing solutions will receive a zero without exception
  • The design should be supported by recently published scholarly journal articles and industry best practices
  • Packet Tracer should be labeled correctly to incorporate recommendations from scholarly journal articles and industry best practices
    • For example, label BGP autonomous systems, label layers of the network architecture, label scalability strategies
  • Design a global enterprise network that could support over 4,000+ devices connected across four (4) different continents
  • Add sufficient high availability, fault tolerance, scalability, resiliency, and flexibility into the design for a global enterprise computer network
  • Add appropriate routers and switches to support this new design
  • Add appropriate internet service providers that allow for fault tolerant services
  • An appropriate global enterprise WAN design supported by research is necessary
  • Each of the four (2) different continents need a minimum of four (4) workstations or laptops that show VLAN functionality is working within the LAN and that remote workstations can communicate over the continent site-to-site WANs
  • Design and configure enterprise class networking protocols using IPv4 or IPv6
    • Design IP addressing that will scale to over 4,000 devices
    • Use proper network address translation (NAT) and variable length subnetting
  • Design and configure enterprise class networking protocols using IPv4 or IPv6
    • Use networking protocols and configurations that will scale to over 4,000 devices and operate efficiently as the organization grows
    • Use networking protocols and configurations that will connect physically distanced sites to four (4) different continents
    • Proper design and configuration of Interior Gateway Protocols (IGP)
    • Proper design and configuration of Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGP)
    • Hint, protocols like RIP and frame-relay may not meet the requirements, thus research and use the proper protocols that resolve the problems
  • Design and configure enterprise class information security
    • Routers with ACLs can demonstrate this design goal, label these clearly so the audience knows where firewalls should be placed
  • Design and configure fault tolerant data centers with proper IT infrastructure and services
  • Incorporate IT infrastructure and services for at least three (3) different departments
    • Accounting Department
    • Marketing Department
    • IT Department
  • Incorporate a minimum of the following globally accessible and fault tolerant IT infrastructure and services
    • Healthcare Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system
    • Telemedicine
    • Distributed databases
    • Distributed storage area networks (SANs)
  • Example considerations for IT infrastructure and services
    • External and internal DNS in proper data center designs
    • Ensure the LAN of each continent supports telemedicine by using site-to-site protocol configurations and security solutions
    • A global Healthcare Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system
      • Consider what the ERP needs to function such as distributed database servers, SANs, etc
      • Consider how services like this should be fault tolerant in at least two (2) of the private data centers with systems in different continents
    • Paper Requirements (Introduction, Literature Review, and Conclusion)
      • Submit a properly formatted APA paper in Microsoft Word
      • Go to the American Psychological Association (APA) and find a sample APA formatted paper as an example. This URL may change but currently it is: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/sample-papers or https://national.libguides.com/ has sample APA papers
      • Table of Contents that automatically adjusts page numbers of the main headings
      • Introduction
        • Introduce the primary goals and objectives of the project
        • Conclude with data-driven results on how the new design meets the requirements
      • Review of scholarly literature that supports the new system simulation, model, and design
        • Include appropriate IT frameworks and standards in which to design a global enterprise class IT infrastructure and network that spans and scales across multiple continents
        • Address modern fault tolerance, scalability, system feasibility, RAS (reliability, availability, serviceability), and information security in global enterprise network designs
        • Justify with objective evidence how the modern scholarly research supports the new design and configuration requirements in Packet Tracer
      • Conclusion
        • Highlight any limitations, managerial implications, and conclusions of the project deliverables and outcomes with object data
      • Save the file as Lastname_Firstname_ProjectPhaseI. Include your name in the assignment file itself.
      • Any assignment without working Packet Tracer files or without screenshots that do not include a visible date and timestamp from the operating system and a unique desktop element to identify the student’s work will not be accepted.
      • To copy screenshots to Microsoft Word:
        • Press the “Print Screen” key on your keyboard. The key is usually located at the upper right corner of a keyboard.
        • You can also use the “snipping tool” in Windows
        • For Windows users, open application “Paint” and paste the screen shot over. “Paint” usually can be accessed this way: Start à All Programs à For users of other operating systems, use a similar application.
        • In “Paint”, select the graph or area needed and copy it. You need to click this icon in order to be able to select an area. The icon is listed on the left side of the window.
        • Paste the selected area to a word processor.
        • Save the file as Lastname_Firstname_ProjectPhaseI

ANSWER

Designing a Robust WAN Network for Global Hospital Infrastructure

Introduction

In this project, we will address the network infrastructure challenges faced by Global Hospital, a globally distributed healthcare organization. The current network design is inadequate to support the growing enterprise, resulting in delays in data sharing, remote collaboration, and telemedicine services. The objective of this project is to design a highly capable WAN network that can accommodate over 4,000 devices across four continents. By incorporating industry best practices and scholarly research, we aim to create a fault-tolerant, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure that meets the organization’s future needs.

Literature Review

To ensure an effective network design, we will draw upon recent scholarly research and industry best practices. The design should adhere to IT frameworks and standards that address fault tolerance, scalability, reliability, availability, serviceability, and information security in a global enterprise context. By leveraging research-backed methodologies, we can justify the design decisions and configurations implemented in Cisco Packet Tracer.

The WAN design is a critical aspect of the project, requiring attention to connectivity, routing protocols, and security measures. We will consider appropriate protocols, such as BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), that can efficiently connect physically distanced sites across the four continents. Additionally, we will incorporate proper network address translation (NAT) and variable length subnetting techniques to ensure scalability and optimal IP addressing for over 4,000 devices.

Furthermore, fault tolerance and high availability will be achieved through redundant data centers and resilient networking configurations. By leveraging technologies like distributed databases and storage area networks (SANs), critical services like Healthcare Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and telemedicine can be deployed globally with fault tolerance. Proper placement of firewalls and access control lists (ACLs) will ensure information security across the network.

Conclusion

The redesign of Global Hospital’s WAN network is essential to overcome the limitations of the existing infrastructure. By incorporating research-based best practices and industry standards, we can create a highly capable network that supports the organization’s growth and global operations. The new design will address the challenges related to data sharing, remote collaboration, and telemedicine services, ensuring efficient and secure communication across the continents. By leveraging the power of Cisco Packet Tracer, we can visualize and validate the network design, ensuring its functionality and scalability in a simulated environment.

Note: The project will include screenshots and a Packet Tracer file demonstrating the progressive development and functionality of the redesigned network infrastructure. The APA-formatted paper will consist of an introduction, literature review, and a conclusion, highlighting the project goals, supported research, and managerial implications of the proposed network design.