In this talk, we will address the sampled-data synchronization control problem for a class of general complex networks, and then deal with the sampled-data filtering problems for two special classes of complex networks – wireless sensor networks and genetic regulatory networks. The sampling period considered here is time-varying that is allowed to switch between two different values in a random way. The main purpose is to deliver the message that sampled-data issue is vitally important for the applications of complex network theory and the sampled-data filtering/control problems are interesting yet challenging. Both the theoretical research and engineering applications will be discussed, and a series of recently published results will be reported.