Network Design -

High availability is non-negotiable. Designers use dual-homing (connecting a switch to two upstream devices) and protocols like STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) or LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) to ensure that if one cable or switch fails, the network stays live.

Not all data is equal. A good design prioritizes time-sensitive traffic—like Voice over IP (VoIP) or video conferencing—over standard web browsing to ensure clear communication. 3. Security by Design

Using VLANs to isolate sensitive departments (like Finance or R&D) from the rest of the network. This prevents "lateral movement" if one device is compromised. network design

A "solid" design anticipates growth. This involves using modular hardware and a structured IP addressing scheme (IPv6 or CIDR) that allows for easy expansion without reconfiguring the entire system.

Most modern network designs follow the (Cisco’s classic hierarchy), which prevents a single device from becoming a bottleneck: High availability is non-negotiable

Moving away from "trusting everyone inside the building" to a model where every user and device must be continuously verified.

Modern networks assume the perimeter is porous. Design-level security includes: This prevents "lateral movement" if one device is

The "interchange." This layer implements policies, routing between VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks), and security filtering. It bridges the high-speed core with the user-facing access layer.