A review of wide area network (WAN) usage discovers that traffic on one communication line
between sites, synchronously linking the master and standby database, peaks at 96 percent of the
line capacity. An IS auditor should conclude that:

A.
analysis is required to determine if a pattern emerges that results in a service loss for a short
period of time.

B.
WAN capacity is adequate for the maximum traffic demands since saturation has not been
reached.

C.
the line should immediately be replaced by one with a larger capacity to provide approximately
85 percent saturation.

D.
users should be instructed to reduce their traffic demands or distribute them across all service
hours to flatten bandwidth consumption.

Explanation:

The peak at 96 percent could be the result of a one-off incident, e.g., a user downloading a large
amount of data; therefore, analysis to establish whether this is a regular pattern and what causes
this behavior should be carried out before expenditure on a larger line capacity is recommended.
Since the link provides for a standby database, a short loss of this service should be acceptable. If
the peak is established to be a regular occurrence without any other opportunities for mitigation
(usage of bandwidth reservation protocol, or other types of prioritizing network traffic), the line
should be replaced as there is the risk of loss of service as the traffic approaches 100 percent. If,
however, the peak is a one-off or can be put in othertime frames, then user education may be an
option.