Internal users report high latency when connecting to external servers in the cloud. Which of the following should a network administrator optimize?

High latency when connecting to external servers in the cloud often indicates that the bottleneck is occurring on the wide area network (WAN) pathway. The WAN is responsible for communication between different geographic locations, including the connection to external cloud services. By optimizing the WAN, network administrators can reduce latency, improve data transfer speeds, and enhance overall connectivity for internal users interacting with cloud applications hosted on external servers.

This optimization could involve various strategies such as increasing bandwidth, implementing WAN acceleration technologies, or optimizing routing protocols. Each of these efforts is aimed at improving the transmission of data over long distances, which is critical when the internal users connect to external services, as they typically traverse the WAN to reach those endpoints.

Considering the other options: the storage area network (SAN) is focused on block storage for data centers, and the local area network (LAN) deals with short-distance connections within a localized area, not affecting the external connections in question. The virtual local area network (VLAN) helps manage traffic within a LAN by segmenting networks, but it wouldn’t address the performance issues related to external connectivity.

Consequently, the focus on the WAN for optimization aligns directly with the situation presented, as it's the network segment primarily responsible for connecting users to external cloud resources