Question

Discuss whether a small business environment should use a workgroup network or a domain network setup. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of either option.

Answer 1

I think a small business environment should use a workgroup network because a domain is more complicated and works better with large businesses that have many computers and departments within departments like a university structure or the structure within the Microsoft Corporation. A workgroup is a basic network infrastructure with slack security control and there is basically no central controlling administrative center. A workgroup works better for with small networks, this is because it is one where it does not warrant to have a domain network installed. With a workgroup no other extra computers are required and by far the cheapest setup for a local in-house network. One of the advantages of a workgroup is the fact that it works best with fewer computers, it also is easier to set up than a domain. Another advantage is that all content and resources can be shared with peers in the network, so everything will be accessible to all employees. Lastly, setting up a workgroup name is independent of any hardware dependencies so as long as you have a Microsoft pc, you should be able to set up or access the workgroup network. One of the disadvantages is that workgroups are not suggested for sensitive data; this is due to the lack of the security measures, they are not as strong as the security measures for a domain.