SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER WORK

The project can be implemented using the Unix operating system on a much more cheaper scale and surprisingly more secure manner but the down side is the time frame required to install, configure and deploy such an option is often too long for organization.

Another fact is that organizations generally do not have Unix administrators and find that costly to obtain. If Sun InfoSys Ltd.'s company size and operations increases two folds then I would suggest to implement a Unix solution and hire a Unix Administrator to maintain the network.

The benefits & advantages of a UNIX based solution are that it is a cheaper option to procure and implement than the more proprietary Windows based solutions by Microsoft , it is more effective on a larger scale and offers more stability and security. The biggest advantage that lies in the UNIX platform is its security since the Microsoft platform is plagued by security loopholes, viruses, hackings, bugs, patches etc hence not offering the stability a larger organization would require to keep its operations up and running all the time.

Another advantage of the UNIX environment is that it does not require expensive new hardware or updated to run and can run on an old cheaper computer. Its offers more speed.

UNIX operating system was originally adopted by big financial institutions like banks etc which required ultimate security and stability as they have huge amounts of money and consumer confidentiality etc at stake. UNIX was written with these requirements in mind so it utilizes less memory and hardware, furthermore it is a centralized operating system with one source being accessed by thousand of users simultaneously.

With all the above in mind my suggestions for further work would be to research a solution offering Virtual Private Networking under a UNIX platform rather than the Microsoft Platform. Just like Microsoft, UNIX is an operating system but is more stable and secure, in order to implement Virtual Private Networking there are applications that can be installed and configured namely the Apache Tomcat server which is very similar to the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). The Apache server can then be configured to offer Virtual Private Networking via third party software.

One key point to note is to consider the organization's size and its budget to implement a solution. At the given time this organization had a very low budget but also a small organization size. In my opinion a UNIX based solution would have not been feasible because there are underlying factors namely expensive staff to manage and monitor UNIX. Because UNIX is generally used in big financial organizations they have a complex structure and quite difficult to manage and require expert UNIX staff to maintain their facilities. These staff work in high paid postitions and would not consider working in a smaller organization such as Sun InfoSys Ltd. with lower wages.

Therefore I would only recommend such a UNIX based solution, when this company expands and increases in size exponentially. As only then it will have the adequate resources to justify the expensive labour.