In this episode, Tom Maasland, a Partner in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Technology team, and Rosie Park, a Senior Solicitor from the same team, discuss and demystify the world of networking services by explaining some frequently used technical terms and concepts used in contracts for these services.
[01:12] Tom begins the episode noting that he and Rosie will examine network services contracts through the lens of a lawyer who has no prior background in tech contracts; what technical terms and acronyms should they look out for in a network services contract, and what do they mean?
[01:24] Rosie and Tom discuss Local Area Networks (LAN), their functions and common technologies like Ethernet and Wi-Fi and how they connect to the internet. Rosie explains what an IP address is and the role of Internet Service Providers (ISP). They also discuss various wireless access services including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular data networks.
[04:38] They then consider Wide Area Networks (WAN); what are they and how do they differ from LANs? Rosie explains what a managed WAN service would entail and how a Storage Area Network (SAN) can offer a business data storage.
[06:57] Tom and Rosie consider Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and examine how they provide greater security when using public networks.
[08:18] Rosie then outlines some additional measures that a business might use to secure its network connections, including protecting key devices like routers, switches and servers and maintaining both LAN and WAN firewalls.
Information in this episode is accurate as at the date of recording, 6 May 2024.
Please contact Tom Maasland or our Technology team if you need legal advice and guidance on any of the topics discussed in the episode.
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