Bandwidth management is the process of controlling and optimizing the amount of data that can be transmitted over a network, in order to ensure that critical applications and services receive the necessary bandwidth and to prevent congestion and performance issues. Bandwidth management is important in ensuring that network traffic is managed in a fair and efficient manner, and that critical applications are prioritized over less important ones.

Figure 1. Bandwidth management [1]

There are several techniques and technologies used in bandwidth management, including:

Traffic shaping:

This involves prioritizing traffic based on the application or service that is being used, and limiting the amount of bandwidth that is allocated to non-critical applications.

Quality of Service (QoS):

QoS is a technique that allows network administrators to prioritize traffic based on the type of data being transmitted, such as voice or video traffic. QoS can ensure that critical applications receive the necessary bandwidth to function properly, while less important traffic is limited.

Bandwidth throttling:

This involves limiting the amount of bandwidth that is available to certain applications or services during peak hours, in order to prevent congestion and ensure that critical applications continue to function properly.

Network traffic monitoring:

This involves monitoring network traffic in real-time to identify congestion and performance issues, and taking action to optimize network performance and ensure that critical applications are prioritized.

Content caching:

This involves storing frequently accessed content locally on a server or endpoint, which can reduce the amount of bandwidth required to access that content.

Effective bandwidth management is essential in ensuring that network performance remains stable and that critical applications and services are not affected by congestion or bandwidth limitations. Bandwidth management can also help organizations optimize their network usage and reduce their overall bandwidth costs.

References:

1. http://www.maxigain.ph/solutions/bandwidth-management/

Cite this article:

Hana M (2023), Bandwidth Management, AnaTechmaz, pp.101