The Essential Guide to Networking is the complete briefing on networking and the Internet for every non-technical professional! In one easy, easily understood book, James Keogh explains today's hottest networking technologies and the fast-changing networking industry! It's the perfect networking guide for every business decision-maker, salesperson, marketer, PR professional, and technical writer -- and for everyone interested in how networks are transforming the world. Start by reviewing the technical fundamentals of networking, and how networks have evolved to where they are today. Next, review the elements and types of networks: components, connections, wide area links, intranets, extranets, and the Internet. Understand how network professionals attempt to maximize network reliability and security, and their key resources for troubleshooting network problems. Finally, in Part IV, Keogh offers a high-level briefing on the networking industry, its major players, and the powerful trends that are already at work shaping tomorrow's networks.