What benefit does implementing a VLAN offer to a network?

Implementing a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) offers the significant benefit of decreased broadcast traffic. In a traditional network, all devices are part of the same broadcast domain, meaning any broadcast packet sent by one device is received by all devices on that network segment. This can lead to network congestion, especially in larger networks where numerous broadcast packets are transmitted.

By segmenting the network into VLANs, you create multiple, smaller broadcast domains. Each VLAN operates independently from others, meaning broadcast packets sent within a VLAN are only received by devices within that VLAN. This effectively reduces the amount of broadcast traffic that each device must process, improving overall network performance and efficiency.

In addition, while VLANs can have implications for hardware costs, data transfer speeds, and network management, these are generally not seen as benefits of implementing VLANs. Instead, their primary role in controlling traffic and reducing the broadcast domain size is what enhances performance and resource management in a network setup.