QoS

Quality of Service (QoS) refers to the set of technologies and mechanisms used to manage and prioritize network traffic to ensure reliable performance for critical applications. It helps control bandwidth usage, reduce latency, prevent packet loss, and improve overall user experience. By assigning higher priority to specific types of traffic, such as voice, video, or real-time applications, QoS ensures these services function smoothly even during high network congestion.
QoS is widely applied in enterprise networks, internet service providers, and cloud environments where performance consistency is essential. Without QoS, important business services may suffer from delays or disruptions due to competing traffic demands.
Advanced
QoS operates by classifying network traffic, queuing packets based on priority, and applying policies to control delivery. Techniques include traffic shaping, policing, and scheduling methods such as Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ) or Priority Queuing (PQ). QoS parameters often focus on latency, jitter, throughput, and packet loss, all of which affect performance-sensitive applications.
Advanced deployments use Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) to provide end-to-end traffic prioritization across complex networks. In cloud and SD-WAN environments, QoS integrates with intelligent routing and analytics to adapt dynamically, ensuring consistent service levels across distributed infrastructure.
Relevance
Applications
Metrics
Issues
Example
A global company implemented QoS on its corporate network to prioritize VoIP traffic during peak business hours. By reducing latency and jitter, call quality improved dramatically, customer satisfaction increased, and the business avoided costly disruptions in communication.