Course Description
Explores infrastructure design, architecture, implementation, and security using the TCP/IP stack. Applies the stack to Internet backbones and cloud-native systems through hands-on exercises, and discusses artificial intelligence infrastructure, and quantum networking. Also explores implications for resilience, scaling, and capacity planning.
Athena Title
IT Infrastructure
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in MIST 5640
Non-Traditional Format
This course will be taught 95% or more online.
Prerequisite
(MIST 4600 or MIST 4600E with a minimum grade of C) or (MIST 4610 or MIST 4610E with a minimum grade of C)
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will explain the functions of each OSI model layer and their integration in enterprise IT infrastructure.
- Students will evaluate infrastructure design trade-offs involving scalability, performance, and security.
- Students will analyze contemporary technologies (e.g., cloud, edge computing, routing protocols, satellite networks) for service delivery.
- Students will communicate infrastructure concepts and emerging technologies through written, oral, and visual means in professional settings.
- Students will collaborate on infrastructure-related group projects to research, present, and defend technical recommendations.
Topical Outline
- The course will cover fundamental concepts, design, implementation, and security of network-based IT infrastructure. It will follow the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network model spanning the application, transport, internet, network, and physical layers.
- The course will cover all three facets of modern IT portfolios: Foundational IT infrastructure, TCP/IP applications, and data. The emphasis will be on how these facets are influenced by the business needs and priorities of an organization.
- Physical layer: Students will learn about the physical components of Internet backbone and last-mile networks and the associated protocols.
- Network and Transport layers: Students will understand the standard Internet protocols.
- Security implications: Students will examine the strengths and weaknesses of TCP/IP and how to design and manage a system from both the client and server side. The security implications and tradeoffs associated with each architectural design choice for IT infrastructure at various levels of the overall IT portfolio will be covered.
- Architecture: Students will learn about the security, performance, and scalability implications of various enterprise-level IT infrastructure design choices and application layer-level architectural design choices (e.g., cloud computing versus client-server).
- Scalability: Students will learn about vertical versus diagonal scalability in infrastructure, data, and applications.
Institutional Competencies
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
