Designing a Secure Network Infrastructure for DFS (Digital Finance Services)

Small businesses are increasingly vulnerable to network security attacks, which can lead to financial loss, downtime, and a loss of customer trust. A recent survey in the UK showed that 37% of small businesses lost customers and 17% lost revenue due to downtime. This emphasizes why network security must be a top priority, even for smaller organizations.

I recently worked on a network design project for DFS, a well-established small finance service provider offering online finance solutions. DFS was previously relying on third-party IT services, but rapid business expansion prompted the move to an in-house network infrastructure, including LAN, WAN, and external server connectivity.

Key Project Highlights:

-Designed a Hierarchical LAN with separate network segments for each department (HR, IT, Customer service, Marketing) to ensure internal security and isolation.

-Configured VLANs for each department and implemented 802.1Q trunking for inter-VLAN routing, allowing secure and efficient communication between departments.

-Developed a structured IP addressing and subnetting plan for all departmental networks.

-Connected the LAN to an external server-side location hosting DNS, Web, and Email servers via WAN for critical services.

-HSRB protocol applied to enhance efficiency and network stability.

-Configured DHCP servers for automatic IP assignment and OSPF dynamic routing to manage WAN traffic efficiently.

-Secured network devices by applying encrypted passwords for console access, user access, and privileged exec modes.

-Ensured IT users have full access to ping all departmental devices for network monitoring and troubleshooting, while keeping other departments isolated.

Business Impact:

-Strengthened the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of network communications.

-Laid the foundation for scalable and secure network growth as DFS continues to expand.

-Established departmental network segmentation to minimize risks and maintain operational efficiency.