Security Solutions

2-11
Customer Needs Assessment
Types of Connections
Access Control Zones
Based on your users’ access needs, you can begin to identify which network
segments must support wired, wireless, or even remote access. For example,
the lobby might require only wireless support for guests. A warehouse might
also require only wireless access because workers are very mobile, moving
freely throughout the area with no fixed work area.
However, the area where the accounting department works might need only
wired access because users have traditional workstations without wireless
cards. And to protect highly sensitive financial data, your company may not
want accounting employees to access the network via a wireless or remote
connection.
Your company’s conference rooms, on the other hand, might need to provide
both wired and wireless support.
As you evaluate users’ network access requirements, you can begin to identify
zones, or areas within the network, that must provide particular types of
network access. (See Figure 2-1.) In the examples listed above, the lobby and
warehouse would be wireless zones, whereas the accounting department
represents a wired zone. The conference room is probably a more typical
example because it is a mixed zone—requiring both wired and wireless access.
Accounting Wired only 24x7 Server 10.1.1.50
Email
Internet
Printer 10.1.1.201
Color printer 10.1.1.210
Guests—platinum partners Wireless only 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Internet only
Group Permitted Connections Access Times Network Resources