Quality of Service (QoS)

Quality of Service (QoS) is a technology that manages and prioritizes certain types of data traffic on a network with the goal of reducing packet loss, latency and jitters for that specific type of network traffic or protocol (for example VoIP).

QoS controls and manages network resources by setting priorities for specific types of data on the network. QoS optimizes the network by managing bandwidth and setting priorities for applications that require more resources than others. QoS is an underutilized tool allowing system administrators to adjust the network settings, splitting up the available bandwidth between applications. With proper QoS rules in place, you can ensure that, for example, streaming Netflix doesn’t buffer because a large file is downloading at the same time, or that your work laptop isn’t slow when trying to meet that last minute deadline while your roommates are playing games online.

Source: TechTarget, HTG

Related Term: Bandwidth

What does this mean for an SMB Owner?

SMB Owners need to ensure that Quality of Service (QoS) is set for important types of network traffic and protocols. Voice over IP traffic is very important to most businesses today and should have QoS applied to it in SMB’s to ensure that someone watching Netflix on their lunch break is not crushing the Internet bandwidth and causing an important phone conversation to fail.

IT professionals working on your network should be aware of QoS rules and what can be implemented to improve bandwidth and Internet speeds. If your organization is experiencing slower than usual Internet speeds consistently, then it may be a good idea to to determine what applications are causing these bottlenecks. Once your IT staff has determined application priorities, they can implement QoS rules to improve bandwidth and productivity on those most critical applications needed by your business.

If the Bandwidth still isn’t sufficient, you may consider investing in a larger Internet Pipe to your company from the Internet to alleviate bottlenecks that QoS did not solve. Combined, you’ll be in good shape to operate your business with the Internet properly supported at your company.

To learn more about Quality of Service, watch this short video:

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