What Network is
The term actually has many different meanings depending on the person, company, or context in which it is being used. Basically, it is a collection of two or more computers and associated devices that are linked together with communications equipment. Once connected, each part of the network can share the software, hardware, and information contained in the other parts.
The most common types of network are LANs (Local Area Networks, in which the computers share the same office space, room, or building) and WANs (Wide Area Networks, in which LANs are connected at different geographic locations by telephone lines or radio waves, as in wireless communications). Network connections are established by twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, connectors, or NICs (network interface cards). Network computing depends on protocols that work with a variety of operating systems and network hardware (see: IEEE and ISO). When you hear someone talking about "sharing network resources," they are referring either to client/server networks or peer-to-peer networks.
Also, you may hear Internet companies refer to their "network of Web sites," a group of associated sites that's analogous to a television network or cable TV network. If you have a small business that uses a network for Internet access and file sharing, be sure to have a firewall installed, to protect yourself from unauthorized access.
The meaning of Vertical portal
A portal that caters to consumers within a particular industry (sometimes called a "vertical industry"). Vertical portals, also called "vortals," use Internet technology to offer the same kind of personalization tools that portals do. Another kind of vortal caters solely to other businesses rather than to an industry's consumers. The B2C portal gave the B2B industry a model to work from, and now, most business-to-business sites bill themselves as portals. We like to define business-to-business sites as vertical portals because they deliver content and services focused on their particular niche. The term "portal" is getting muddied because although many sites call themselves portals they are, in fact, simply Web sites that use cookie and/or personalization technology (see: personalize).
The two essential components of a vertical portal are that it uses this kind of technology and caters to a specific industry. The two essential components of a regular portal are that it uses this kind of technology and provides a variety of news, media, and services.
Choose a category: