Capterra Glossary
LAN (Local-Area Network)
A local area network (LAN) is a communication network that connects users in a specific area. A single enterprise typically owns and manages a LAN and uses it within a building, such as an office complex or college campus. A LAN performs functions such as transferring data between systems connected to the network. It also sends output to printers and emails to users in the network. A LAN can also access a wider area network (WAN) such as the internet via a direct connection. More LANs use internet standards and protocols nowadays, but firewalls typically protect them from the public internet.
What Small and Midsize Businesses Need to Know About LAN (Local-Area Network)
SMBs might use a LAN because it costs cheaper than a WAN and allows employees in that network to share resources such as hard drives and printers. Because a LAN consists of a group of computers or devices in one network, it helps small businesses centralize their IT operations.
Related Terms
- Synchronous
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Intranet
- Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)
- Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Managed Service Provider (MSP)
- Haptics
- WAN (Wide-Area Network)
- Service-oriented Architecture (SOA)
- Augmented Reality (AR)
- Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Service-Level Agreement (SLA)
- Scalability
- Data Center
- Authorization
- Multitenancy