How can FortiGate reduce network congestion?

FortiGate can significantly reduce network congestion through bandwidth shaping and traffic management policies. This approach allows for the prioritization of different types of traffic across the network, ensuring that critical applications receive the necessary resources while less important traffic is limited or shaped. Bandwidth shaping involves configuring specific rules that control the flow of data based on application type, user role, or time of day.

By managing how various types of traffic are handled, FortiGate can effectively allocate bandwidth, prevent bottlenecks during peak usage times, and maintain optimal performance for essential services. Traffic management policies can include Quality of Service (QoS) settings, which help to align available bandwidth with business priorities, contributing to overall network efficiency and reducing instances of congestion.

Using firewalls exclusively or relying solely on VPNs does not address the issue of bandwidth allocation or flow control, which are vital for mitigating congestion in a busy network environment. Increasing network bandwidth, while it may provide a temporary solution, does not resolve the underlying traffic management issues and could lead to inefficiencies if not paired with appropriate shaping strategies.