Unit 11- Computer Networks BTEC First Extended Certificate Unit 11- Computer Networks L2-U11-CNW-A1.1-uses of Networks Tutor: Mo Abdul

Objectives By the end of this session you will be able to: Give accurate description of a network Identify the various uses of networks Give examples of activities for each use Describe how each use can be utilised

What is a network Computer networks are a collection of interconnected, wired or wireless, hardware and software that allow computer devices to communicate and share data with each other.

Uses of networks There are various uses for a network. Some of these uses are: Communication Sharing hardware resources Exchanging information Multi-user environments Storage Applications use

Communications Networks allow communication between users in Many forms such as: Email instant messaging social networking Blogs Forums Wikis web conferencing

Sharing Resources Each resource on the network can be shared between all users, this save money as well as time. Example of shared resources are: Internet connection Printer Scanner Processing power

Exchanging Information Once you are on a network, you can easily share information such as: Files Data All other types of information

Multi-user environments A multi-user environments are evidenced in the following areas: Gaming Collaborative working such as updating the database of a travel agent at the same time.

Storage Storage is an important part of a network. Users’ data/Files can be saved centrally to make it easy to back up. Storage is also important for Data Centres that handle large amount of data to be accessed and processed by many users.

Use of Applications With cloud computing, nowadays it is easier to access and use applications on line. Example of applications that is easily used online are: Online databases Online spreadsheets Intranet Extranet