Over the years, computing has begun to focus on not just individual computers but on entire networks of them. This has been facilitated by the rise of cheap and fast internet. What components make up these networks, and how do they work?

Switches are considered the foundation of modern networks. A switch acts as a controller that connects computers to other computers. This can include the connection you have to a wireless printer in your own home. These simple networks are usually facilitated using your home Wi-Fi connection. Switches can either be on-premises or cloud-managed. On-premises switches allow you to personally control the devices connected to your network and the security access they each have. Cloud-managed switches have grown in popularity recently with the idea of the “cloud”.
The cloud is a term used to describe all file-sharing platforms on the web. This could be your Gmail, your Google Drive, or a YouTube video. By creating a large network accessible anywhere, companies and individuals can have cheaper and more efficient access to files and communication services.

Routers are a tool for connecting several separate routers. In your home, there is most likely one router that shares a connection that several devices can connect to. That’s the main goal of a router: provide a single wireless connection to multiple devices. Routers themselves do a fair bit of decision-making. They analyze the several different “paths” for information to travel through and send it through the best ones while distributing the total amount across several “paths”. This allows for efficient data transfer, which is the reason why we can all browse the internet so easily.