Discovering Computer Networks Today Essay -- Technology, IP, Protocol

In many countries worldwide businesses and educational institutions make up a large percentage of society. These places need a way of being able to share information and to communicate within the business or school. They also need to be able to share business plans or other information with outside organizations. Computers were originally developed for individual use only. The importance of sharing data forced manufacturers to create techniques for connecting computers and this was the beginning of computer networks. Soon the importance of networks was realized in business organizations and today almost every organization in the world has its own computer network. Educational institutions are also following suit because networking provides a method for effective management and can also help in improving the knowledge of students. Computer networks are becoming the main source of operation and communication for businesses and educational institutions. To know more about computer networks it is first important to know about the internet. The internet was thought up in the early 1960’s by people who saw potential in the fact that information and research could be shared between computers. In his book Defining Moments the Internet Revolution (2005), Hillstrom notes that: a researcher at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology named J.C.R Licklider proposed a plan for a global network of computers and went to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop it. In 1966 Lawrence Roberts of M.I.T moved over to DARPA to develop his plans for the ARPANET. The ARPANET was the world first computer network it was brought online in 1969 under a contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). The internet’s s... ... in government offices, small businesses as well as large corporations. Network technicians ensure that the designs of a computer system allow all of the components, such as computers, the network, and software all properly work together. They also troubleshoot problems reported by the users and by automated network monitoring systems and make recommendations for future system upgrades. Many of these workers are also responsible for maintaining network and system security (Bureau of labor, 2009) Without the internet businesses and educational institutions wouldn’t be able to function or operate as well as they do now and the amount of business they conduct would not be nearly as great. Computer networking makes everything easier and more cost effective for everyone. The internet and computer networking just may be the most effective tools in the everyday world.