Learning Objectives
- Explain why communication and networking matter to business.
- Define data communication (sender, medium, receiver, protocol).
- Preview media, types, topologies, hardware, and wireless.
Next: media and transmission, types and topologies, protocols and hardware, wireless.
Why networking matters
Without networks, every computer is an island. Organizations network to share resources (printers, files, internet links), communicate (email, chat), coordinate (ERP, POS), and reach customers. Cost per user falls when many devices share one connection and one server.
Data communication in one picture
A sender encodes a message; a medium (copper, fiber, radio) carries signals; a receiver decodes. Protocols are agreed rules (when to speak, how to detect errors). Bandwidth is how much data the path can carry per second; latency is delay.
From communication to a computer network
A computer network is a set of devices plus the media and protocols that let them exchange data. Later chapters classify LAN/WAN, star/bus/ring, TCP/IP, switches and routers, and Wi-Fi.
Nepal / business example
A supermarket in Pokhara with isolated tills cannot update stock in real time. A LAN plus a link to a head-office WAN turns those tills into one information system.
Key Takeaways
- Networks share resources and enable IS that span locations.
- Communication needs sender, medium, receiver, and protocol.
- Unit 6 is the technical base for the internet (Unit 7).
Discussion Questions
- What resource does a small office share first: printer, files, or internet?
- Why do protocols matter if the cable is perfect?
- Is a mobile hotspot a LAN, a WAN, or both in practice?
