The precise classification for a WAN or, a Wide Area Network is described as a Data Communications Network whose communications links go beyond all metropolitan, regional, or nationwide boundaries. From the viewpoint of a user, WANs are no poles apart from Local Area Networks (LANs). If that is the scenario, then a user must be able to contribute to a document, spread sheet, presentation et cetera, with an additional user in real time by just copying the desired files to his/her workstation. This can give the other user the right to use his/her computer, immediately as they are seated in the place of work right next-door.
Considering the advantages, let us see how this can be beneficial for your business. If the nature of your business is such that you have to have offices in disparate locations, another city, country, or continent, you are faced with the possibility of document management spanning different locations. The people working in your different offices in different geographical locations may need support from each other, or might need to collaborate on different projects in real time.
Connecting your LANs (via leased lines, dedicated circuit, Virtual Private Networks etc.) can create a WAN allowing you to work across it seamlessly. Projects that span the globe require constant interaction of the resources involved with it. People might need real time teleconferencing or require updating the main office with reports.
Even if your requirement is not to connect to another office, it could be that your business needs to order supplies or material from across town on a regular basis and the supplier’s network is capable of interfacing with yours. Another scenario would be if your many customers want to track their orders in real time and want to be connected to your servers.
Using the internet connectivity as a medium, this would again create a wide area network. More and more people are opting to work from home throughout the world. They can create a WAN at any time when they connect to the internet. They are availing the applications that reside partly on their computers, and partly on the servers of the office. The greatest benefit of WAN is that your employees can still be productive while staying at home.
One of the most classic examples of wide area networks is present banking. You can cash your cheques at any subdivision of your bank, as if each branch maintains your bank account. By means of your ATM card is an additional illustration. It is WAN facility that gives you the resource to use your ATM card all across the complete ATM network instantly.
Almost every multi-national business is now connected through WANs. A central management is used for user access controls, and security. Similarly, document, memos, requests, emails are managed the same way. Increasingly, businesses that are connected through WANs are using a central database to store company data, but are backing it up elsewhere. In this way, you will always have a backup of your data in case of any disaster such as a fire, destruction of office, etc.
Most of the centrally maintained corporate blogs are like the bulletin boards of the past, keeping employees abreast of happenings, and future events, which needs to be constantly updated. Apart from the businesses, the modern universities, and schools are now maintaining WANS across their many campuses, thus allowing the existence of one big educational centre. Through this, the students can check their grades, schedules, and events across campuses.
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