A technique used within a company's IT infrastructure to distribute incoming online traffic evenly across web servers. When utilized properly, this process can optimize server functionality, decrease traffic congestion and improve usability through faster page load times, resulting in a more efficient information delivery system.
As more users access an organization's website and web applications, the traffic load handled by its servers increases. Web servers that are required to manage this increase in traffic but are not properly configured or equipped can suffer from a variety of problems including slow data delivery time, traffic bottlenecks and even crashes. Utilizing web server load balancing can help minimize potential troubles by evenly distributing HTTP traffic to the servers that are appropriate for each request. This method, called IP spraying, uses a multi-layer switch to efficiently dispense traffic across the web servers of a company's data center. In doing so, the processing capability of these servers is utilized more effectively and is subsequently better protected from potential overloads and failed connections. By implementing web server load balancing, organizations can effectively manage their online operations, providing uninterrupted availability and optimal performance of business activity on the web.