Data Communications.

Data communications—the sending and receiving of facts, figures, details, and other information over a communications network—support us in our everyday activities both at home and at work. For businesses, data communications have become vital to success in the marketplace, particularly with the increasing trend toward globalization. Communications networks allow both individuals and teams to communicate faster and better, obviate the need for many in-person meetings, and even transfer funds electronically. Through local, metropolitan, or wide area networks, individual computers or workstations can be linked together to enable data sharing and communication. Networks can also be linked with each other to better meet the needs of the organization and the growing demands for communication and data in the Information Age.