Network Traffic

Network traffic is the main component for bandwidth measurement and management. Moreover, various topologies of the network can only be implemented based on the amount of network traffic in the system.

Network traffic can be broadly classified into the following categories:

• Busy/heavy traffic - High bandwidth is consumed in this traffic
• Non-real-time traffic - Consumption of bandwidth during working hours
• Interactive traffic - Is subject to competition for bandwidth and could result in poor response times if prioritization of applications and traffic is not set
• Latency-sensitive traffic - Is subject to competition for bandwidth and could result in poor response times

Proper analysis of network traffic provides the organization with the following benefits:

• Identifying network bottlenecks - There could be users or applications that consume high amounts of bandwidth, thus constituting a major part of the network traffic. Different solutions can be implemented to tackle these.
• Network security - Unusual amount of traffic in a network is a possible sign of an attack. Network traffic reports provide valuable insights into preventing such attacks.
• Network engineering - Knowing the usage levels of the network allows future requirements to be analyzed.