This course presents the fundamental concepts of data communications, networking, distributed applications, and network management and security. The course will cover the networking hardware and software: network protocols and topologies: network design techniques; local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs); the Internet; intranets and extranets; and wireless networking. Topics such as firewalls, cryptography and data compression are also included. The aim of the course is not only to provide a solid understanding of how current technologies work, but also to discuss the emerging technologies and demonstrate how current and emerging technologies can be applied to create business solutions. The course relates technology concepts to the business environment and demonstrates how data communications and networking supports business objectives.