Computer Network Architects

A few months ago I started a remote job with a company based abroad, and I was a little worried about how I'd receive my salary. But after the first month, the company told me they'd send my salary through one of the institutions specialized in international money transfer services. They really did send the money, and I went to one of that institution's branches in my country and picked up my transfer right away. What amazed me at the time was that the whole thing took only a few minutes — I was able to pick up my money in my own city moments after it was sent from abroad. I didn't understand how the staff at that money transfer company's branches could communicate with each other so quickly, as if they were all sitting in the same room rather than scattered across dozens of countries. But let me explain how that actually happens. All the computers in that company's different branches are connected to each other through an extremely powerful communications network, and the moment any transaction takes place on any computer in any of its branches, it shows up on every computer in every branch of the company, anywhere in the world. This is the case for every company and institution, small or large — there isn't a single one that doesn't need all of its computers connected to each other, because that's essential for employees to communicate with one another and for transactions to be completed, recorded, and reviewed. That's why any glitch or failure in the networks linking a company's computers can bring its entire operations to a halt. That network, capable of linking hundreds of devices together, is a collection of technologies, software, and equipment created and designed by some of the most important experts in the computing world, known as "network architects." They're responsible for everything related to the networks that connect computers together, and in the Duties section you'll learn in detail about the nature of their work.

Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa