Brad administers a small office network. He wants a setup that stays simple yet secure, lets users retain full control over their own data, and still allows easy sharing within the office. The staff have excellent networking knowledge. Which network model is the best fit?

Introduction / Context:
Small teams often need file sharing and collaboration without the cost and administrative overhead of dedicated directory services and centralized servers. Choosing the right network model depends on the balance between simplicity, security, control, and staff skill levels. When users want to control their own data directly and are technically adept, a peer-to-peer model is frequently appropriate.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Small office network with limited infrastructure budget.
• Desire for simplicity and reasonable security.
• Users want full control over their local data while sharing selectively.
• Staff are comfortable managing settings and permissions.

Concept / Approach:
In a peer-to-peer network, each workstation acts as both a client and a server for specific resources, enforcing permissions locally. This minimizes centralized administration and cost while maintaining user autonomy. With knowledgeable staff, proper local account management, strong passwords, and OS-level sharing controls can achieve a secure environment. In contrast, a server-based or domain model centralizes authentication and policy, which is powerful but more complex and may not match the simplicity requirement.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Workgroup configurations on modern desktop OSs allow secure sharing via user/group permissions and network discovery settings. For small offices with under ~10–20 users, this arrangement is common and effective when the team is diligent about security hygiene.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Master domain/Server-based: require domain controllers and centralized administration—powerful but opposite of “simple.”
• Ethernet: describes the link technology, not a network model.
• Share-level (legacy): dated, weaker security compared to user-level permissions in modern peer-to-peer setups.

Common Pitfalls:
Underestimating backup needs—peer-to-peer still requires disciplined backups. Also, mixing user-level and share-level permissions inconsistently can cause access confusion.

Final Answer:
Peer-to-peer