SSH can also compress the data. This is particularly useful if the link between your management console and the managed device is a slow one, such as a modem, but even on a faster network it can be helpful, because encryption takes a certain amount of time and can slow the link down a little. To add simple compression, use the -C option. For more control, set it up in your SSH configuration files. To see how much your data is being compressed, use the -v option.