Free CompTIA A+ 220-1101 Practice Question

A layer 3 switch is designed to perform both switching (at layer 2) and routing (at layer 3). This enables it to segment the network into different subnets or VLANs, reducing broadcast domains and improving security by isolating departmental traffic. It also allows for the management of internal routing through the switch, without the need for an external router. A standard switch or hub would not provide the routing capabilities or the ability to enforce policies and manage traffic across VLANs. While a firewall offers security features, it does not offer the intranet routing capabilities of a layer 3 switch.