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The Ingredients: Most likely if you have more than 2 or 3 people in your organization you can benefit from a
network with a dedicated server and workstations. So what exactly does that mean? In its most basic form, it means one specialized PC (a server) is dedicated to
securely storing and sharing files for users on the network. To protect your data, it is standard practice to install a tape backup drive to make scheduled data
backups.
Typically, the server runs a specialize operating system such as Microsoft Small Business Server 2003. In order for these devices to talk to one
other you'll also need a switch where everything is plugged in to. You might have a printer or two attached as well for shared printing. With the Internet in the
mix, you'll also need a router that provides a bridge from your Internet provider to your network so everyone can access the web. You can also add wireless
capabilities into the mix by adding a wireless router. That in a nutshell is a basic network. Of course, it can get very elaborate from there.
