What is the common term for communications that occur within the data center?

The term that refers to communications occurring within the data center is "east-west." This designation describes the data flows between servers and applications within the same data center or cloud environment. East-west traffic often involves internal systems and applications communicating with one another, contrasting with north-south traffic, which denotes communication between the data center and external networks. Understanding east-west communications is crucial for developing effective security measures and optimizing data center resources, as these interactions are typically where lateral movement and security breaches can occur within the data center infrastructure.