Current Trends in the Information Technology Industry

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Tele Project 4 Question 1 A hub is a physical layer networking device that broadcasts incoming data to all devices connected to it, while a network bridge is a device that creates a single aggregate network from multiple network segments. The difference between a bridge, a hub and a switch in the OSI model is that hubs operate at layer 1 while bridges and switches operate at layer 2. The main difference between a hub and a switch is that a hub connects various PCs to a single network, while a switch connects several devices on a single computer network. While a switch routes the information and sends it over the network, a hub transmits the signal to the port. Hub has four ports, while a switch can have between 20 and 48 (Huawei Technologies Co., LTD (2023). A firewall is software that monitors and filters a network's incoming and outgoing information based on the network's policies. The difference between a firewall and a hub, bridge, switch, and router is that these devices are nodes/ connection points, while a firewall is placed along a communication path.

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2 While a switch defines networks, a router allows connection within and between networks. A router is responsible for receiving, processing, and sending data packets from one network to another. A router can enable connection to the internet through a connection to a modem or a modem within the router.

Most of these devices can only reside in one layer, but some can reside in multiple layers.

In the OSI model, the router resides in the third layer, the network-control layer (Panek, 2019). A network bridge and switch both reside in layer 2, the data link layer. Hub, on the hand, resides in layer 1, the physical layer. A firewall can reside in the network or transport layer.

Question 2 A Virtual Private Network or a VPN is an encrypted server that hides a device’s IP address from hackers and websites that the device interacts with. When one uses a VPN, the website being browsed will only see the IP address of the VPN server (Ezra et al., 2022). VPN works by sending data from a device through a secure tunnel to the VPN service provider’s server. The server then encrypts the data and reroutes it to whatever site the device connected to the VPN is trying to reach.

One benefit of a VPN is that it can offer security over public Wi-Fi. Without a VPN, a hacker is able to track a device's online activity over public Wi-Fi. VPNs also offer data protection from an internet service provider, apps, and services a device operator uses. Internet service providers and apps can collect one’s browsing data and share them with third parties (Iqbal & Riadi, 2019). With a VPN, one’s browsing data is always encrypted and secure. VPNs also allow one to access geo-restricted data. For instance, when a website only allows visits from the UK and someone from the US wants to visit the website, he can find a VPN service provider with servers in the UK, connect to the servers and access the data. Another use of VPN is

3 securing data when working remotely. VPN encrypts the data and puts it in a coded format, thus protecting confidential information.

Despite its numerous benefits, VPNs have several downsides. Firstly, VPNs can slow down internet speeds. It may take a bit longer for an encrypted connection through secure tunnels to access a website. A VPN may also provide a false sense of security. Even though most VPNs are reliable, some VPNs, especially free ones, can offer a low degree of encryption or offer no encryption at all, and this may leave one exposed (Sharma & Kaur, 2020). Another downside of VPNs is that they increase data usage. More data is used when one uses VPN, which can be costly, especially when using limited data. Some websites can also detect IP addresses from VPNs and deny them access. Lastly, better VPNs are always expensive.

Question 3 Four examples of wireless technologies are; Wi-Fi, radio broadcast, Bluetooth, and cellular communication system. Wi-Fi is a networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless access to the internet (Sigh et al., 2020). Radio broadcast, on the other hand, is a technology that transmits content like music, news, and other types of programs from a single broadcasting station to several receivers. Bluetooth is a short-range wireless radio technology that allows devices to connect and exchange data. Lastly, cellular communication refers to communication that takes place over a cellular network, especially through mobile phones.

Wi-Fi works by enabling the computer's wireless adapter to translate data into radio signals and transmit it. The signals are received by the router, which decodes them and sends them to the internet (Pahlavan & Krishnamurthy, 2020). The router will search for the IP address of a server containing the information being searched. Once the data is found, the router doing

4 the search connects with the router that connects the server with the data to the internet, and this enables two to exchange information.

The function of a radio is to convey information. Radio waves are generated when electricity passes through the transmitter. The transmitter translates voice and texts, and videos into radio frequencies and transmits them. Different radio stations transmit signals at different frequencies so that those with receiving devices can change the frequencies of their receivers to enable them to switch between different stations (Reddy & Mandati, 2020). Bluetooth also works by changing data into radio frequencies, but it transmits them over a short distance. Bluetooth is primarily used to exchange data, but once devices are paired, it can enable files in one device to be played in another or a mouse to operate a computer wirelessly.

Cellular communication is used for phone calls through smartphones, cellphones and dial-up devices. This communication is based on a geographic division of communication into cells. Cells in densely populated areas are always smaller (Antonczak, 2019). Mobile devices work by converting voice and text into radio frequencies. The mobile phone base receives and transmits the signals to other networks and phones.

Radio and mobile communication differ from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in that the former pair sends signals over long distances while the latter short range. The similarity of the four technologies is that they work by converting data into radio frequencies. Radio is unique among the four because its signals can be received by thousands or millions of receivers at ago.

Question 4: Cloud computing is the delivery of on-demand IT services and resources through the internet. Cloud computing enables clients to use networking resources like servers, software,

5 storage, databases, and analytics in remote locations, thus bypassing the need to have them on their premises (Huawei Technologies Co., LTD (2023). The use of cloud computing may enable a company to save costs and enhance speed, efficiency, productivity, and performance. The three most utilized cloud computing models are; IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Internet as a service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model in which the cloud service provider provides the client with networking resources like storage, servers, etc., over the internet (Mohamed & Zeebaree, 2020). Businesses mostly use IaaS when the infrastructure it needs is expensive or inconvenient/ uneconomical to set up and maintain. For instance, Pinterest and Netflix would need very robust infrastructure and data centres which would be uneconomical to maintain since this would require a significant upscaling workforce. Using IaaS from Amazon Web Service enables companies to concentrate on customer satisfaction.

SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a cloud computing model in which the cloud service provider offers on-demand access to software, often on a subscription basis (Mohamed & Zeebaree, 2021). SaaS services are often accessed via web browsers through which clients can log in. A company may use SaaS because it offers conveniences like accessibility and working without installation. SaaS may also help when a company has no capacity to develop the software. Examples of software clients may access through SaaS are; Google docs and dropbox.

Another cloud computing model is PaaS or Platform as a service. PaaS provides a complete platform for developing, managing, and running applications without the complexity, cost, and inflexibility one would encounter if the platforms were hosted on the premises (Mohamed & Zeebaree, 2021). PaaS service gives their clients access to network infrastructure components they need. Advantages clients get from using PaaS include scalability and

6 eliminating the need for extra infrastructure. One application of PaaS is Application Program Interface (API) development.

Question 5 Internet of things IoT refers to physical devices or groups of devices with processing ability, sensors, and other technologies that can connect and exchange data with other systems and/or devices (Nguyen et al., 2021). Areas where IoT is applied, include home automation, transportation, agriculture, maritime technology, and manufacturing. Home automation applications include heating, lighting, security systems, and air conditioning.

IoT has several security issues. One such issue is their lack of visibility. IoT devices can be deployed without the knowledge or approval of the IT department, and this makes monitoring inventories quite challenging (Nguyen et al., 2021). Another issue is limited security integration.

IoT systems always consist of devices of different types and scales, which makes it challenging to integrate them into the security system. The fact that IoT devices always generate enormous amounts of data is another issue. A large amount of data makes oversight, management, and protection difficult.

Current trends indicate that the deployment of IoT will increase in the future. According to (Fan et al., 2021), IoT-connected devices are expected to reach 29 billion. Factors that will favour an increase in the deployment of IoT include 5g, chip-level innovation, and AI. The popularity of IoT is also likely to increase due to advantages like enhancing efficiency and enabling a better understanding of customers, which a business can use to deliver enhanced customer services. Other advantages of IoT include the reduction of operation costs and optimizing the supply chain.

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References Antonczak 1, L. (2019). Mobile technology: A new ba of work organization?. Journal of Innovation Economics & Management, I67-XXVI. Ezra, P. J., Misra, S., Agrawal, A., Oluranti, J., Maskeliunas, R., & Damasevicius, R. (2022).

Secured communication using a virtual private network (VPN). Cyber Security and Digital Forensics: Proceedings of ICCSDF 2021, pp. 309–319.

Fan, J., Zhang, Y., Wen, W., Gu, S., Lu, X., & Guo, X. (2021). The future of the Internet of Things in agriculture: Plant high-throughput phenotypic platform. Journal of Cleaner Production, p. 280, 123651. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123651 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (2022). Network Basics in Cloud Computing. In Cloud Computing Technology (pp. 145–195). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

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Mohammed, C. M., & Zeebaree, S. R. (2021). Sufficient comparison among cloud computing services: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS: A review. International Journal of Science and Business, 5(2), 17-30.

Nguyen, D. C., Ding, M., Pathirana, P. N., Seneviratne, A., Li, J., Niyato, D., ... & Poor, H. V. (2021). 6G Internet of Things: A comprehensive survey. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 9(1), 359–383. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-019-0268-2 Pahlavan, K., & Krishnamurthy, P. (2021). Evolution and impact of Wi-Fi technology and applications: A historical perspective. International Journal of Wireless Information Networks, pp. 28, 3–19.

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