Which of the following is a benefit of using a VLAN?

A Virtual LAN (VLAN) is a logical grouping of network devices that are on the same or different physical LANs. The primary benefit of a VLAN is to segment a network into multiple, distinct broadcast domains. This segmentation isolates traffic between different groups of users (e.g., separating the Accounting department from the Engineering department), which enhances security by preventing unauthorized access and containing broadcast traffic. Even if devices are connected to the same physical switch, if they are on different VLANs, they cannot communicate directly without a Layer 3 device (like a router) to route traffic between them.

A. It minimizes collision domains: Switches, not VLANs, are the primary technology for creating separate collision domains for each port, effectively minimizing collisions.
B. It provides private access to cloud resources: This is typically achieved with technologies like VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) or dedicated private connections, not VLANs.
C. It increases network address space: VLANs do not create or add IP addresses. Network address space is increased by using larger subnets or technologies like NAT.

1. Cisco. (n.d.). VLANs and Trunks. In CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, Volume 1. Cisco Press. Chapter 12, "Implementing VLANs and Trunks," section "Understanding VLAN Concepts," explains that VLANs create separate broadcast domains for segmentation and security.

2. Dooley, R., & Tahan, A. (2019). A Survey on Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) and its Security Concerns. In 2019 International Conference on Computer and Information Sciences (ICCIS). IEEE. pp. 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCISci.2019.8716431. The paper discusses how VLANs are used to "divide a physical LAN into multiple logical LANs for better management and security." (Section II.A).

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). (2002). 6.829 Computer Networks, Lecture 6: Switching. MIT OpenCourseWare. The lecture notes describe how VLANs logically segment a switched network, creating multiple broadcast domains on a single physical infrastructure.