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Section I
Planning for Communication Systems

It is most appropriate to begin the initial section in this handbook with a series of chapters related to the communication systems planning process. Planning represents the first and perhaps most important stage in the life cycle of a communications project. If you can plan correctly, literally “cover all bases,” and examine alternative courses of action, you will obtain a foundation of information which enables projects to be focused and to be implemented in a timely and economical manner. Thus, the old Boy Scout adage “proper planning prevents poor performance,” commonly referred to as the “5 Ps,” is most applicable to communication systems.

In this section we will turn our attention to a variety of planning topics. The first chapter in this section, “Improving Communication Between End Users and System Developers,” introduces us to techniques we can use to enhance a user/developer relationship that can alleviate project controversies, reduce finger-pointing, and facilitate fixing problems in a cooperative manner.

Due to the growth in the use of Windows NT in the corporate environment, this operating system is rapidly becoming an integral part of communication systems. Recognizing the necessity to appropriately plan for the deployment of Windows NT, the second chapter in this section, “Windows NT Project Planning,” covers this topic. This chapter will assist you in identifying resources to facilitate a migration to NT as well as indicate methods to use in selecting vendors to assist your organization in the computer transition process.

The third and fourth chapters contained in this section cover strategic planning and Internet security planning, respectively. In the chapter “Inventing the Future: Strategic Planning,” we will examine a six-step procedure that can be used to facilitate the strategic planning process. In the chapter “Framework for Internet Security Planning,” we will obtain an appreciation for the issues involved in Internet security, and how we can assess available security options.

In a networking environment, it is important to be able to determine the utilization of existing network equipment and transmission facilities as a mechanism to access the impact of day-to-day changes in transmission activity. The process by which this occurs is referred to as baselining and is covered in the chapter “Network Baselining as a Planning Tool,” the fifth chapter included in this section. That chapter is followed by the inclusion of a topic which is rapidly gaining interest as corporations, government agencies, and academia apply Internet technology to their internal networks to develop intranets. Thus, the sixth chapter in this section, “Developing Corporate Intranets,” provides us with information on how the Web paradigm differs from conventional client-server operations and the overall impact of an intranet on a company’s bottom line.

Although we live in a technology-driven world, many times technological advances occur so rapidly we are hard-pressed to obtain their benefits. Fortunately for many persons involved in communications, the rapid evolution of cable modems has not translated into widespread product offerings as cable operators must first upgrade their infrastructure to accommodate the technology. This provides us with the ability to prepare for the use of cable modems, the focus and title of the seventh chapter in this section.

In concluding this section we will turn our attention to a topic which goes to the heart of the planning process, for if omitted the results can be catastrophic. That chapter, “Network Disaster Recovery Planning,” provides us with detailed information covering different methods that can be employed to protect both equipment and transmission facilities from acts of God and acts of man. Thus, it is fitting that we conclude this section by examining how we can prepare for the unthinkable, for doing so provides us with the ability to have well-thought-out alternate courses of action to enable our organization to overcome problems that could conceivably put us out of business.


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