Networking and Communication
This chapter explores the fundamentals of networking and communication, presenting compelling examples and real-world context to the topic, demonstrating certain principles and theories of modern information systems, and offering expert guidance on related issues.
A Brief History of the Internet
Cloud Computing
The universal availability of the Internet combined with increases in processing power and data-storage capacity have made cloud computing a viable option for many companies. Using cloud computing, companies or individuals can contract to store data on storage devices somewhere on the Internet. Applications can be "rented" as needed, giving a company the ability to quickly deploy new applications. The I.T. department benefits from not having to maintain software that is provided on the cloud.
Sidebar: Metcalfe's Law
Just as Moore's Law describes how computing power is increasing over time, Metcalfe's Law describes the power of networking. Metcalfe's Law states that the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system, or N2. If a network has 10 nodes, the inherent value is 100, or 102.
Metcalfe's Law is attributed to Robert Metcalfe, the co-inventor of Ethernet. It attempts to address the added value provided by each node on the network. Think about it this way: If none of your friends were on Instagram, would you spend much time there? If no one else at your school or place of work had e-mail, would it be very useful to you? Metcalfe's Law tries to quantify this value.