# Benefits of clustering

Clustering engine nodes can significantly reduce the risk of problems with availability and maintenance.

A Single Engine can be a single point of failure. This can affect the availability of business critical applications and complicate the maintenance of the engine equipment. Clustering engine nodes can significantly reduce the risk of these problems.

The Forcepoint Network Security Platform solution uses built-in clustering technology. No additional software or hardware is needed to cluster several nodes. If a node itself or the surrounding network equipment malfunctions, the other nodes in the cluster take over the traffic processing, minimizing any disruptions to the traffic flow. Similarly, maintenance is easier with a cluster, because individual nodes can be taken offline and even exchanged for new hardware without causing service outages.

Engine Clusters also balance the load of traffic processing between the engine nodes. You can flexibly add nodes to scale up the Engine Cluster, improving the throughput and performance.