[Trae Johnson]

I haven’t found the final destination as of yet. I do believe that I am on the right path though and I and not in such a dark place I feel. I have grown and learned with this door that Lord has opened for me. I think that I will be coming to the end of the path to find my ultimate peace here soon. Which I am truly thankful for, it has been a long time coming too.

[Trae Johnson]

SOHO routers are network devices designed to deliver connectivity and management of the network for small-scale environments, such as a home office or small business. They combine several networking features into one device tailored for the needs of smaller networks that don’t need the same level of capacity required by larger enterprises. SOHO routers often come with several key features that optimize network performance, security, and usability.

Here are some key features of SOHO Routers

Internet Connectivity:
The SOHO routers connect to an Internet Service Provider to provide reliable access to the internet. Most of these are with broadband connections including DSL, fiber, and cable and have multiple WAN ports to support internet failover and load balancing for consistent connectivity when one ISP fails. Gupta & Garg, 2022

Firewall and Security Features:
Yet another great feature of SOHO routers is an integrated firewall, protecting the internal network from intrusion. This firewall disallows unauthorized traffic and can further be configured to permit or block access to specific network services or applications. Most SOHO routers also support VPN capabilities, enabling secure use of the remote office networking over the internet. According to Smith (2021), “The Wi-Fi feature in routers enables users to access the Internet wirelessly”.

Most of these SOHO routers have integrated wireless access points that provide devices on the network with Wi-Fi capability. The Wi-Fi standards that are usually accessed range from Wi-Fi 5, like 802.11ac, to Wi-Fi 6, like 802.11ax, to ensure high-speed wireless access and increase the capacity of the devices. Advanced routers may offer additional advantages such as dual-band or tri-band technology that helps reduce congestion and enhance overall network performance (Gupta & Garg, 2022).

Network Management:
SOHO routers often have integrated network management applications that help the user observe and control network traffic. Examples of such may be Quality of Service settings, allowing the identification of traffic types for instance VoIP or video conferencing to travel first compared with less important traffics thus enhancing the overall experience of using such key applications – Smith, 2021.

Port Forwarding and NAT:
Among the key features of SOHO routers are Network Address Translation and port forwarding. NAT allows multiple devices on a local network to use only one public IP address, conserving the use of IP addresses while maintaining privacy for an internal network. Port forwarding allows users to forward external traffic to internal devices on the network for hosting such services as web servers or gaming servers.

Parental Controls and Content Filtering:
Most SOHO routers have parental controls and filtering of content. These filters block any objectionable contents that may include websites among others and limit access to networks. The feature is excellent and mainly in use when it comes to home offices and small business facilities where an employee or even a family member has to control network use effectively (Smith, 2021).

Conclusion
Different SOHO routers are configured to be able to manage services related to wireless access, security, and network management over the Internet; all these services can be provided in a small-scale environment. By supporting VPN, firewall, Wi-Fi access, and QoS, the performance of routers should be such that small-scale businesses and home offices work efficiently and securely.

References
Gupta, R., & Garg, S. (2022). Networking essentials: A practical guide to small office networks. TechPress.

Smith, A. (2021). Router security for home and small business: Understanding the essentials. SecureNet Publications.

[Trae Johnson]

Fear is a completely normal thing for us to face everyday, even in our sleep we feel the presence
of fear thorough nightmares. Fear is always lurking and creeping around every corner, waiting to strike. From the smallest micro organisms to the largest creatures and all living things in between. I personally take my sense of threats and fear seriously, it tells me that something is off and I should be on alert for anything to happen. I believe the Lord gave us this sense, to help mitigate the deceptions from Satan and his demons. We feel a sense of safety and security with the presence of the Lord and the Holy spirit, however we must understand that this fear is temporary and that evil which lurks around every corner. Well it can be defused and rejected but we must accept Jesus as our savior in order to make that possible. Otherwise we will face the deception of a false safety at the hands of the evil from hell. We shall not not allow this control and recognize Jesus as out savior and accept God as out creator.

[Trae Johnson]

There are two major methods to the troubleshooting methods for Microsoft Windows, namely, systematic troubleshooting and restorative troubleshooting. Each has different steps and is used for different reasons; when to use them depends on what the problem is and how serious it is.

Systematic troubleshooting is, in essence, a step-by-step process in which the actual problem is diagnosed by simply narrowing the list of possible causes through the elimination process. This can be better employed when the very problem itself is not immediately apparent, necessitating identification of whether the problem emanates from software, hardware, or network configurations. For example, if a user reports a problem of slow system performance, the systematic method would be to check on Task Manager resource usage, run a disk cleanup, update drivers, and scan for malware. This step-by-step approach serves well when there are multiple causes for a symptom, so that the technician can eliminate the probable causes and arrive at the exact problem.

Restorative troubleshooting uses the utilities and functionality provided by Windows to return the system to an earlier point in time, when the system was known to be working. This method would be the best when the system has recently been updated or modified, and the beginning of the problems started after these changes. Features such as System Restore, Startup Repair, and Reset This PC can also be good options in the said case. For instance, if a user has been facing frequent crashes after a recent driver update, the use of System Restore to roll back to a previous state before the update will resolve the problem in a very short period and negate the requirement for further investigation.

Determining which of these methods to use, depends on the particular circumstances that surround an issue. Systematic troubleshooting is indicated for non-critical issues when identification of the exact problem is needed. It is ideal when the issue is not clear, or whenever there is a possibility that more than one variable may be at work. Conversely, restorative troubleshooting is ideally utilized in situations where critical issues have a clear origin, for instance, after system updates or fresh software installation. This technique consumes less time than when trying to get into detailed diagnostics with the sole objective being to bring the system up and running.

References
How-To Geek,. How to use Windows 10’s system restore (and what it does). 2023,. https://www.howtogeek.com/222979/how-to-use-windows-10s-system-restore-and-what-it-does/ .

Microsoft,. Troubleshoot performance issues in Windows. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/troubleshoot-performance-issues-in-windows

[Trae Johnson]

There are two major approaches to the troubleshooting methods for Microsoft Windows, namely, systematic troubleshooting and restorative troubleshooting. Each has different steps and is used for different reasons; when to use them depends on what the problem is and how serious it is.

Systematic troubleshooting is, in essence, a step-by-step process in which the actual problem is diagnosed by simply narrowing the list of possible causes through the elimination process. This can be better employed when the very problem itself is not immediately apparent, necessitating identification of whether the problem emanates from software, hardware, or network configurations. For example, if a user reports a problem of slow system performance, the systematic method would be to check on Task Manager resource usage, run a disk cleanup, update drivers, and scan for malware. This step-by-step approach serves well when there are multiple causes for a symptom, so that the technician can eliminate the probable causes and arrive at the exact problem.

Restorative troubleshooting uses the utilities and functionality provided by Windows to return the system to an earlier point in time, when the system was known to be working. This method would be the best when the system has recently been updated or modified, and the beginning of the problems started after these changes. Features such as System Restore, Startup Repair, and Reset This PC can also be good options in the said case. For instance, if a user has been facing frequent crashes after a recent driver update, the use of System Restore to roll back to a previous state before the update will resolve the problem in a very short period and negate the requirement for further investigation.

Determining which of these methods to use, depends on the particular circumstances that surround an issue. Systematic troubleshooting is indicated for non-critical issues when identification of the exact problem is needed. It is ideal when the issue is not clear, or whenever there is a possibility that more than one variable may be at work. Conversely, restorative troubleshooting is ideally utilized in situations where critical issues have a clear origin, for instance, after system updates or fresh software installation. This technique consumes less time than when trying to get into detailed diagnostics with the sole objective being to bring the system up and running.

References
How-To Geek,. How to use Windows 10’s system restore (and what it does). 2023,. https://www.howtogeek.com/222979/how-to-use-windows-10s-system-restore-and-what-it-does/ .

Microsoft,. Troubleshoot performance issues in Windows. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/troubleshoot-performance-issues-in-windows

[Trae Johnson]

Virtualization technologies are an integral part of each contemporary IT infrastructure, where efficient use of resources, flexibility in deployment, and scalability in operations are in need. Today, there are two significant types of virtualization technologies: Hardware Virtualization and Containerization. Both have certain advantages and disadvantages, which makes their application area different from one another.

Hardware Virtualization
Hardware virtualization, also commonly called full virtualization, is the creation and managing of virtual machines by an installed hypervisor. Various hypervisors, such as VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Oracle VM VirtualBox, can run several operating systems on one physical machine at the same moment in time. Of course, such a feature brings much more flexibility and thus finds broad usage in data centers and cloud environments where running multiple isolated environments is needed.

The other major advantages of hardware virtualization are the isolation properties. Since each VM is running separately with an operating system of its choice, applications, and resources, the security between different environments and the isolation is very high. Hardware virtualization is ideal in scenarios where the separation between the environments needs to be secure. The support of several operating systems makes it more variant for different applications, developments, and test environments, each with a different nature. Hardware virtualization can also be further scaled through the addition of more VMs to a host machine; hence, organizations scale up their infrastructure without investing any extra in hardware. Sharma et al. 2022, et al. say that one may consider scaling the infrastructure without extra investment in hardware.

However, the downsides of hardware virtualization are serious, too. Virtual machines are resource-intensive applications requiring heavy CPU memory and large storage. Much overhead is created to which fact the reduced performance compared with running an application on the physical hardware directly contributes. Emulation of hardware components and resource management by hypervisors also add up to make this model less efficient due to the imposition of performance overhead on some high-performance computing applications, as Sharma et al. expressed in 2022. Smith and Nair expressed this idea in 2021 too. It is envisioned that, once widely deployed, multiple virtual machines add to the complexity of managing orchestration, patch management, and monitoring layers, which need to keep up in terms of both efficiency and security. Sharma et al., 2022.

Containerization
Another front-leading virtualization technology is containerization, and it occurs at the operating-system level rather than at the hardware level. Unlike hardware virtualization, which emulates physical hardware, containerization allows applications to execute in isolated user spaces hosting containers on the same operating system kernel. Technically, such containerization has been propagated as the standard way of developing, deploying, and managing applications with the use of technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.

The lightweight nature constitutes the biggest asset of containerization. Containers share the kernel of the host operating system. Because of this, it further reduces resource consumption and leads to much quicker start-up times compared with virtual machines (Merkel 2014). Because it is very much lightweight, this approach results in better resource utilization and efficiency, especially in cloud-native environments where scaling fast and deploying speedier applications is highly required. Another advantage of containerization is consistency across varied environments. Containers package an application and its dependencies into a container to reduce incompatibility problems and ensure consistency of the application from development to production. This creates room for consistency in that it will be easy to apply CI/CD pipelines, thus creating room for development agility. It is also scalable and portable; this makes it easy to move applications between diverse environments and cloud platforms with fewer changes. According to Pahl 2015, this advantage is crucial for the study.

With all these benefits, containerization brings about some challenges. This has been a big concern with containers since they would share the host OS kernel. This might be vulnerable within the kernel and may affect all running containers, which raises security risks. Containers offer less isolation than virtual machines since every container doesn’t run a separate operating system. This lower level of isolation makes them less secure for certain use cases, especially where sensitive data is handled. Networking in containerized environments can also be hard to handle, especially in hybrid or multi-cloud deployments where different network configurations and policies have to be orchestrated in an effective manner (Pahl, 2015).

Conclusion
Hardware virtualization and containerization are the two key technologies of modern IT infrastructure, each with strengths and relative weaknesses. Where high isolation is required and multiple operating systems can be run on the hardware device, hardware virtualization is used. Resource utilization, management, and overhead will have a higher cost. On the other hand, containerization enables applications to be scalable, portable, and efficient, but a container will definitely introduce shared kernel model security risks. The selection of which virtualization technology to use within an environment is quite a critical decision for any organization and needs to be given due consideration for certain use cases, security requirements, or other resource constraints.

References
Merkel, D. (2014). Docker: Lightweight Linux containers for consistent development and deployment. Linux Journal, 2014(239), 2.

Pahl, C. (2015). Containerization and the PaaS cloud. IEEE Cloud Computing, 2(3), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.1109/MCC.2015.51

Sharma, A., Sood, M., & Sabharwal, A. (2022). Virtualization technologies: An in-depth analysis. International Journal of Computer Applications, 184(14), 22-28.

Smith, J., & Nair, S. (2021). The new face of virtualization and its impact on cloud computing. Journal of Cloud Computing, 10(1), 45-60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13677-021-00235-1

[Trae Johnson]

A network is very prone to various kinds of vulnerabilities that may result in unauthorized access, data breach, or disruption of a service. Basically, the identification of such vulnerabilities is important for the proper application of security measures. There are three common types of network vulnerabilities:

Poor authentication protocols: In most of the network breaches, poor authentication methods were used. Default and weak passwords are the most common ones applied. Without strong authentication protocols, it will be an easy job for an attacker to access the network. According to Tian et al. (2020),

Unpatched bugs in the software fail to be updated or patched, providing bugs to systems for their easy exploitation. Unpatched bugs are targeted by hackers to inject malware or take control of networking devices. According to Singh & Kumar, “To inject malware or take control of networking devices, hackers seek unpatched bugs.”.

Social Engineering Attacks: These are attacks that manipulate human mistakes instead of technical vulnerabilities. One of the most common forms of social engineering involves phishing, a method of deceiving users into giving attackers sensitive information or even downloading malware.

Multi-factor authentication: MFA simply makes the use of authentication a little more complicated as the user would have to involve another means of verification aside from the password, including a fingerprint. This helps in reducing weak authentication, as noted by Kumar & Shyamasundar (2018).

Software patching and frequent updating: Basically, patching and keeping software up-to-date simply closes down security gaps and vulnerabilities that attackers can take advantage of. This is said to apply to operating systems, firmware, and applications (Singh & Kumar, 2021).

Training in User Education and Awareness: Seasonal training sessions to enlighten the employment with the risks involved in phishing and other social engineering tactics would be crucial for reducing human mistake-based attacks. Hadnagy & Fincher. (2020).

References
Hadnagy, C., & Fincher, M. (2020). Human hacking: Win friends, influence people, and leave them better off for having met you. Harper Business.

Kumar, A., & Shyamasundar, R. (2018) Multi-factor authentication to enhance cloud-based system security. IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing, 6(3), 795-809, https://doi.org/10.1109/TCC.2017.2769643

Singh, V & Kumar, P. 2021. Vulnerability management in network security – A comprehensive review. Journal of Information Security and Applications, 58, 102731, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jisa.2021.102731

Tian, X., Wang, J., & Wang, W. (2020). Password authentication vulnerabilities and countermeasures. Computer Networks, 175, 107310. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2020.107310

[Trae Johnson]

Physical security can be said to be one very good way for business network protection due to its nature of preventing unauthorized access to equipment, data, and other critical infrastructure. Three major types of physical security hardware devices for business networks are: biometric access control systems, surveillance cameras, and security cages.

Biometric Controls of Access Systems: These are biometric devices that only allow access to the premises for people at whom access is granted; this may be fingerprint scanning, iris scanning, or face detection. Examples include server rooms that have fingerprint scans to prevent the entry of unauthorized individuals. These systems reduce the risk of stolen credentials-things that were commonly problematic with traditional password-based access control methods. Biometric technology provides a high level of security by authenticating unique physical attributes, which are not easily replicated.

Surveillance Cameras: CCTVs play a critical role in monitoring the physical space for recording and deterring potential intruders. Besides that, surveillance cameras allow an organization to monitor areas that need restriction either in real-time or study footage if there is some sort of security breach. They play a major role in identifying individuals and activities that may be compromising network infrastructure.

Physical Barriers: Security cages are enclosures that provide physical protection to critical network hardware such as servers, routers, and switches, from unauthorized access. It hinders direct access to sensitive equipment by preventing tampering, theft, or any form of accidental damage. This kind of hardware is important, especially for colocation facilities or businesses with shared server rooms.

References
Alavi, M., & Heidari, S. (2019). Surveillance cameras: Effectiveness in crime prevention and implications for policy. Journal of Security Studies, 12(3), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/17467598.2019.1618921

Kurtz, A. (2020). Best practices for securing business networks: The role of physical security. Information Security Journal, 15(2), 130-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393555.2020.1638542

Rouse, M. (2021). Biometric authentication: How it enhances security for physical and digital assets. Cybersecurity Today, 28(4), 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12394-021-00089-9

[Trae Johnson]

Discussion lesson 9:

Physical security can be said to be one very good way for business network protection due to its nature of preventing unauthorized access to equipment, data, and other critical infrastructure. Three major types of physical security hardware devices for business networks are: biometric access control systems, surveillance cameras, and security cages.

Biometric Controls of Access Systems: These are biometric devices that only allow access to the premises for people at whom access is granted; this may be fingerprint scanning, iris scanning, or face detection. Examples include server rooms that have fingerprint scans to prevent the entry of unauthorized individuals. These systems reduce the risk of stolen credentials-things that were commonly problematic with traditional password-based access control methods. Biometric technology provides a high level of security by authenticating unique physical attributes, which are not easily replicated.

Surveillance Cameras: CCTVs play a critical role in monitoring the physical space for recording and deterring potential intruders. Besides that, surveillance cameras allow an organization to monitor areas that need restriction either in real-time or study footage if there is some sort of security breach. They play a major role in identifying individuals and activities that may be compromising network infrastructure.

Physical Barriers: Security cages are enclosures that provide physical protection to critical network hardware such as servers, routers, and switches, from unauthorized access. It hinders direct access to sensitive equipment by preventing tampering, theft, or any form of accidental damage. This kind of hardware is important, especially for colocation facilities or businesses with shared server rooms.

References
Alavi, M., & Heidari, S. (2019). Surveillance cameras: Effectiveness in crime prevention and implications for policy. Journal of Security Studies, 12(3), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/17467598.2019.1618921

Kurtz, A. (2020). Best practices for securing business networks: The role of physical security. Information Security Journal, 15(2), 130-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393555.2020.1638542

Rouse, M. (2021). Biometric authentication: How it enhances security for physical and digital assets. Cybersecurity Today, 28(4), 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12394-021-00089-9

[Trae Johnson]

Emerging vulnerabilities in both mobile and physical devices are increasingly common with each passing day that technology advances. Three important vulnerabilities and their respective countermeasures are as discussed here.

Mobile Device Malware and App-Based Threats

Mobile devices are being increasingly targeted by malware, which can be used to extract sensitive data, track users through GPS, or control the device functions remotely. Applications with poor design may allow malware and spyware to attack the users. Countermeasures include patching the latest updates in the operating system, installing only trusted applications, and multi-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access. (ISACA, 2023).
Vulnerabilities of Firmware in Medical Devices

These are particularly hit by firmware vulnerabilities, up 437% this year. Such vulnerabilities could result in unauthorized access and, on the other side, theft of data or even putting life in danger when critical medical devices are compromised. The risk associated with all these can be minimized by periodic updating of firmware, software supply chain security, and periodic vulnerability assessments by the healthcare provider. Health-ISAC, 2023
Physical Device Tampering

Physical devices may include smartphone-attached credit card readers that are susceptible to tampering techniques, such as skimming, which will allow them to steal any paying information. Herein, various physical measures would be required to encrypt stored data, use tamper-resistant devices, and forms of physical locks or other barriers against unauthorized access to the device. ISACA, 2023.
These can be drastically cut down by updating the software with patches and enhanced firmware, deploying robust encryption, and multi-factor authentication. The users will consequently ensure that their sensitive information is secured.

References

Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC). (2023). Exploitable vulnerabilities that expose healthcare facilities surged nearly 60% since 2022. Retrieved from <https://h-isac.org&gt;
ISACA. (2023). Mobile computing device threats, vulnerabilities and risk are ubiquitous. Retrieved from <https://www.isaca.org&gt;

[Trae Johnson]

Physical security can be said to be one very good way for business network protection due to its nature of preventing unauthorized access to equipment, data, and other critical infrastructure. Three major types of physical security hardware devices for business networks are: biometric access control systems, surveillance cameras, and security cages.

Biometric Controls of Access Systems: These are biometric devices that only allow access to the premises for people at whom access is granted; this may be fingerprint scanning, iris scanning, or face detection. Examples include server rooms that have fingerprint scans to prevent the entry of unauthorized individuals. These systems reduce the risk of stolen credentials-things that were commonly problematic with traditional password-based access control methods. Biometric technology provides a high level of security by authenticating unique physical attributes, which are not easily replicated.

Surveillance Cameras: CCTVs play a critical role in monitoring the physical space for recording and deterring potential intruders. Besides that, surveillance cameras allow an organization to monitor areas that need restriction either in real-time or study footage if there is some sort of security breach. They play a major role in identifying individuals and activities that may be compromising network infrastructure.

Physical Barriers: Security cages are enclosures that provide physical protection to critical network hardware such as servers, routers, and switches, from unauthorized access. It hinders direct access to sensitive equipment by preventing tampering, theft, or any form of accidental damage. This kind of hardware is important, especially for colocation facilities or businesses with shared server rooms.

References
Alavi, M., & Heidari, S. (2019). Surveillance cameras: Effectiveness in crime prevention and implications for policy. Journal of Security Studies, 12(3), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/17467598.2019.1618921

Kurtz, A. (2020). Best practices for securing business networks: The role of physical security. Information Security Journal, 15(2), 130-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393555.2020.1638542

Rouse, M. (2021). Biometric authentication: How it enhances security for physical and digital assets. Cybersecurity Today, 28(4), 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12394-021-00089-9

[Trae Johnson]

Networks are very prone to various kinds of vulnerabilities that may result in unauthorized access, data breach, or disruption of a service. Basically, the identification of such vulnerabilities is important for the proper application of security measures. There are three common types of network vulnerabilities:

Poor authentication protocols: In most of the network breaches, poor authentication methods were used. Default and weak passwords are the most common ones applied. Without strong authentication protocols, it will be an easy job for an attacker to access the network. According to Tian et al. (2020),

Unpatched bugs in the software fail to be updated or patched, providing bugs to systems for their easy exploitation. Unpatched bugs are targeted by hackers to inject malware or take control of networking devices. According to Singh & Kumar, “To inject malware or take control of networking devices, hackers seek unpatched bugs.”.

Social Engineering Attacks: These are attacks that manipulate human mistakes instead of technical vulnerabilities. One of the most common forms of social engineering involves phishing, a method of deceiving users into giving attackers sensitive information or even downloading malware.

Multi-factor authentication: MFA simply makes the use of authentication a little more complicated as the user would have to involve another means of verification aside from the password, including a fingerprint. This helps in reducing weak authentication, as noted by Kumar & Shyamasundar (2018).

Software patching and frequent updating: Basically, patching and keeping software up-to-date simply closes down security gaps and vulnerabilities that attackers can take advantage of. This is said to apply to operating systems, firmware, and applications (Singh & Kumar, 2021).

Training in User Education and Awareness: Seasonal training sessions to enlighten the employment with the risks involved in phishing and other social engineering tactics would be crucial for reducing human mistake-based attacks. Hadnagy & Fincher. (2020).

References
Hadnagy, C., & Fincher, M. (2020). Human hacking: Win friends, influence people, and leave them better off for having met you. Harper Business.

Kumar, A., & Shyamasundar, R. (2018) Multi-factor authentication to enhance cloud-based system security. IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing, 6(3), 795-809, https://doi.org/10.1109/TCC.2017.2769643

Singh, V & Kumar, P. 2021. Vulnerability management in network security – A comprehensive review. Journal of Information Security and Applications, 58, 102731, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jisa.2021.102731

Tian, X., Wang, J., & Wang, W. (2020). Password authentication vulnerabilities and countermeasures. Computer Networks, 175, 107310. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2020.107310

[Trae Johnson]

Two approaches to troubleshooting are Root Cause Analysis and Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Method. Both of these techniques serve in different ways in identifying and solving a problem based on the complexity and level of the problem that has occurred.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) refers to the methodology and process of finding the root cause of the problem. Instead of taking or attempting to repair the symptoms of malfunction, it attempts to find the fundamental basis for addressing its underlying reasons. RCA is most useful when the system is complex and several factors may be contributing to an issue; hence, it is applied in situations involving a recurring problem or a significant failure (Wilson, 2022). This approach entails collection of information, analysis of contributing factors, and determination of the root cause of the problem. RCA finds wide application in any industry that depends on precision and reliability such as health care, manufacturing, and IT (Pareto, 2019). In the failure of IT systems for instance, RCA helps guarantee that such a crash is due to its root cause being found and dealt with.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Method This technique works by employing a series of logical steps in isolating a problem and resolving it. This is suitable for less complex or easier issues where the problem could be with one component or a stage in a system. The process involves starting from a basic check, like power supply, and progressively working one’s way towards more complex areas of the system. Generally, step-by-step troubleshooting applies when time is of the essence or the problem is very common and can be diagnosed in relatively less time. This type has often been used in performing troubleshooting in common hardware issues, such as printer malfunction and connectivity problems.

A choice between the two must be based on judgment about the nature and complexity of the problem. For frequent or critical systems failures where understanding the root cause is essential in preventing recurrence, it is best to apply RCA. However, for issues that are less frequent or everyday matters that can be resolved easily, a step-by-step approach could work.

References
Pareto, L. (2019). Root cause analysis: Practical tools and techniques for identifying system failures. Wiley.

Patterson, D. A., & Hennessy, J. L. (2021). Computer organization and design: The hardware/software interface, 6th ed. Morgan Kaufmann.

Wilson, M. (2022). Troubleshooting and root cause analysis in healthcare. Healthcare Management Review, 47(1), 12-19.

[Trae Johnson]

This is an informative response to the discussion, I only thought to explain how TCP/IP works. I just thought to explain what I assumed was the method in which TCP/IP operated.

[Trae Johnson]

Hi Latoya,

The words I used for the acronym bare no secondary meanings that I am aware of. While researching information outside of mile2’s provided information. I came across several videos or articles that used one version of the acronym or another, however it is still the same thing. Also, I noticed that everything we do on local networks. Well a Large network is just a combination of smaller networks working together under the same host. If a single device request a task or something and it goes all the way out. On the way back, there are bound to be check points at each level of the data transfer/ request. Another way I can explain is through my experiences as military and as a correctional officer. I can leave the prison and the base as needed or after hours. Even though the security staff knows me, they are still required to follow security protocols and verify who I am.

[Author]

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