The Anytown network consists of several remote buildings connected to Town Hall at various speeds. Interdepartmental communication is quick and easy since all of the Township’s computers are linked together. Internet access is available to all locations through the Town Hall connections. The Internet Internet connectivity can be made available to everyone on the Township’s network through one, high-speed connection. The administrator can protect his/her internal network from unauthorized access through the use of a firewall and can control the level of Internet access users have with various software packages. Town Hall Town Hall usually hosts the Local Area Network consisting of the main server(s) and connected workstations. It is the focal point of the Wide Area Network which includes any remote locations which are connected to Town Hall. Finance, including tax/utility collections and remote purchasing, is usually the first program to be implemented. Next come some type of Mod-4 software for the Assessor and a package to support the Building Department. Internal and external email can be made available through a connection to the Internet. Department of Public Works The Department of Public Works is not usually located close to Town Hall and requires a dedicated communications link back to the Administration. Due to the high volume of transactions generated by the DPW, a high-speed connection to Town Hall is needed. One of the most important uses of the Network is remote purchasing and approval within the appropriation system. Other heavily used programs include Facilities Management and GIS. Police The Police department is usually relatively close to town hall and can be linked with either copper or fiber optic cables. Most police departments have their own network and specialized software that is connected to the State police and NCIC (National Crime Information Center). This system must remain secure and cannot be interconnected with the Township network. Fire Department Fire headquarters is usually located near Town Hall or the Police Station and can be connected to the Network with a dial-up line. Many Fire Departments have an internal network running incident tracking and training software. Since message volume is normally low, remote Fire Houses can communicate with Headquarters using a dial-up connection.