Why might an organization choose to implement NAT?

An organization might choose to implement Network Address Translation (NAT) primarily to conserve IP addresses and enhance security. NAT allows multiple devices on a local network to share a single public IP address. This is particularly valuable in environments where the availability of public IP addresses is limited, as it enables organizations to use private IP address ranges internally while still being able to connect to the internet.

By using NAT, organizations can assign internal IP addresses without consuming public IP address resources. As a result, numerous devices can communicate with external networks using a single public-facing IP address, which is crucial in the current landscape of IPv4 address exhaustion.

In addition to conserving IP addresses, NAT provides an additional layer of security. It achieves this by masking internal IP addresses from external networks, making it more challenging for potential attackers to directly target devices within the organization’s internal network. Since the only visible address is the public IP address, internal network topology and devices are less exposed to direct attacks.

The other options highlight benefits that are not primarily associated with NAT. For instance, while NAT can facilitate certain types of remote access, it is not its main purpose. NAT does not inherently improve network speed or simplify network topology; instead, it might introduce additional complexity due to translation processes.