A network is a group of computers connected to share resources. These computers can be connected via cables, telephone lines, and satellites. There are 2 types of networks, local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). Local area networking is when computers are confined to a small area and are connected via cables or wireless. The LAN can use and share resources such as files, software, hard drives, and peripherals (devices used to input or send information into a computer). Peripherals can reduce the amount spent as you don't need to purchase a printer for each station as you can all share a printer. LAN users can also save their work to the main server, meaning they can retrieve it from whatever workstation they are working on, meaning they don't always have to work on the same workstation. The LAN also makes sharing easier as you can save documents on the main server. It can also be a problem as cabling can be expensive to buy and install and if the network goes down, all the computers would be down. WAN is a network a LAN that has been connected to another LAN to create a larger network called a Wide Area Network. LAN networks are connected via fiber optic cables, satellites, telephone systems, or modems. Many companies use WAN as they can connect worldwide to their businesses in different countries. The WAN is useful in that you can quickly send messages to anyone else who is on the network, which means communication happens faster. They can also include images in messages. The WAN also allows the use of peripherals by all users on the network. WAN is also useful as it is a larger network, meaning you can share more without being as close to each other as the LAN network. It also allows you to send things to people who are in a different environment