A spare copy of important data in case the original is lost or damaged. Backup to an external drive or cloud storage.

Having multiple paths for data to travel. Helps maintain connectivity if one path fails.

Scrambling data so it can only be read with a special key. A must for sensitive info.

Proving a user’s or device’s identity, usually with a username and password.

An extra login step beyond a password, like a code from an app. Enable it wherever you can!

How long it takes data to get from source to destination. Lower latency means snappier connections.

Variation in latency. Too much can cause choppy audio and laggy video.

The percentage of data packets that get lost in transit. Can noticeably degrade voice and video quality.

The actual amount of data that gets sent over a connection in a given time. Less than bandwidth due to overhead.

A Virtual LAN. Partitions a physical network into separate virtual networks for improved management and security.