Technology, specifically the internet, has become crucial to our lives because we now do a lot of things online. If you want to reach a friend, you might video call them or send your boss a report they need no matter where you are in the world. One thing you will notice is that when there are lots of devices on a single network, its quality and latency are impacted. This can be especially bad if you need the bandwidth and low latency for something like a video call. Apart from upgrading your internet connection, using VLANs could be a great option for your business.
Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
A virtual LAN is a connection of different devices that are on the same network so they form a local area network. It works and is managed like a physical network. VLANs are used to ensure machines in a single location can talk to one another.
Because of how it is set up, a VLAN can help keep devices connected without breaking the connection. These connections are found in schools, office buildings, labs, and anywhere else where more than one computer needs to communicate with other computers.
When setting up a VLAN, you can route connections and data to ports, depending on a protocol and depending on the MAC address. When you buy a computer from companies like Lenovo at Lenovo.com you can set a port that is used to connect to the network. You then tell your network switch to allow connections from this port, and you are good.
Using the MAC address allows you to direct packets to a device depending on its MAC address. You configure these addresses by adding them to a VLAN table and then connect the device this way.
The Benefits of using a VLAN
The first benefit of using this type of network is related to how it is used. A VLAN can help you segment traffic, so it only goes to one computer or device on the network. Doing this can improve latency, efficiency, and reliability.
Another use is limiting access to certain information. You can set things up in such a way that a computer only has access to certain file locations. This helps you control which employees have access to which data. This improves security.
Security
Speaking of security, a VLAN can keep unauthorized persons from some part of the network. Even when they can break into your networks and firewalls, they only get access to a single network. This helps protect sensitive information and reduces security threats. It also reduces the amount of damage a malicious actor can do.
IT Management
IT professionals have to fix bugs from time to time. Having a VLAN makes their job much easier because everything is on one network so they can access the various devices on the network. Management becomes much easier when there is total control over a network like this.
Conclusion
VLANs can be an incredibly useful tool for improving the reliability, usability, flexibility, and security of a network. The best thing about them is that they are easy to set up, and you can have them running in a few minutes if you have the right equipment.
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What is VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network)
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