Subnet Masks

Many large network environments are divided into subnets to reflect an internal logic, to lower network traffic and to enhance security. For example, if you have a group of Application servers in your network that are managed by a 3rd party, that group often exists in a separate subnet.

With Network Security, you can use subnet masks to block or authorize connections specifically to a subnet. A subnet is defined through a combination of a network (IP) address (for example 172.16.0.0) with a subnet mask (for example 255.255.255.248).