Best internet options for offices

Introduction

A computer is one of the most essential things you need in an office. It has multiple tools, such as MS Word, Excel, etc., which assist in office work. This is the power of an unconnected computer. But when you have a network-connected computer, it can add enormously to the strength and functionality of your trade.

Based on the size and requirements of your business, you need to connect computers and some other types of equipment with a Local Area Network (LAN). It then becomes capable of sharing information across the business. But if you have several offices across the globe, you can connect the business network by a Wide Area Network.

An internet connection allows you to communicate with your employees, customers, suppliers, or anyone related to your business. Additionally, you can also sell products and advertise them across the entire globe. Not just to be used in offices, the internet also allows employees to access the business network while working from remote locations, such as home or while traveling.

This is especially needed in the current situation when the whole world is working remotely amid COVID-19. The virtual private network allows employees to connect to the business network securely with the help of an internet connection.

If you are exploring different internet options required for your office, then this article might be helpful to you.

How much internet speed do businesses need?

The need for the internet to run any business varies according to the business needs. It is a crucial task to choose the right internet speed required for your business. The employee base generally marks the internet speed requirements for businesses. A larger employee base needs high-speed business Internet. As the number of employees increases, downloading speed keeps reducing and gets divided between them. Also, the time taken by each employee to download data increases. That is why larger businesses need high-speed internet.

For instance, if you are running a small business that has a couple of employees, then a 75 Mbps plan may work. On the flip side, if you run a communication company with around three dozen employees, you will require a 1000 Mbps Plan. But you may also need a top-up to increase the internet speed, which will help in the growth of the business.

Internet options for offices

The different internet connection options available for businesses might seem confusing. It may seem easy to select any plan according to speed and cost, but that may result in poor performance and downtime. We have listed two types of internet options for offices along with the pros and cons of both.

1. Shared networks

   Shared networks are the most commonly used internet options in businesses because of their low cost, general availability, and faster downloading speeds. These internet options are majorly used by retail establishments, small businesses, and backup connectivity requirements in larger businesses. As the name suggests, it is a shared network where the bandwidth of the network connection gets shared with other users in the same area through local nodes by providers. The speed of these networks usually fluctuates depending on the connection loads by other users, as these are shared.

   Being shared is the major drawback of this network type as it may affect the cloud apps, BOIP, and video. Another issue with these networks is that they are asymmetrical, which means they have high downloading speed and low uploading speed. Due to this, it gets difficult or almost impossible to send large files, carry out data backups, and stream data.

   Shared networks also suffer downtime and reliability issues. This is because the shared networks are not well-established to provide the same performance as provided by dedicated networks. As a result, the shared networks are more susceptible to outages. Internet service providers also do not prioritize the repair of shared networks as they do for dedicated networks. Therefore the repair time gets also extended.

   The main types of shared network connections are:

   1. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
   2. Shared Fiber – AT&T Business Fiber, Google Fiber, Branded Fios, etc.
   3. Coax Internet (Cable)
   4. Wireless – Satellite, 4G/5G

2. Dedicated networks

   

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   These are the most reliable internet options for businesses as they provide high bandwidth speeds and excellent performance. These network types are set up at the office, so performance is guaranteed, and the bandwidth stays fixed. Unlike shared networks, the dedicated networks are symmetrical, which implies that the speed does not fluctuate for downloading or uploading the data. Hence dedicated networks provide consistent performance 24x7.

   This internet option is mainly used by large businesses having mission-critical applications demanding high reliability and Quality of Service (QoS). Service providers also give priority to the repair of these networks with a guarantee of repair within four hours or even less.

   The only drawback these dedicated network types have is the connection cost, which gets even higher if the building is not fiber-lit. The outage in these network types may last for a few minutes in a month, but that few minutes outage or downtime can prove to be much costlier to businesses.

   The commonly used dedicated internet options are:

   1. Fixed Wireless
   2. Fiber – Ethernet
   3. Ethernet over copper

Conclusion

All in all, the internet option you need for your office varies according to your business needs and demands. If you need fast-speed internet, then fiber is the best option for you. You should prefer a DSL solution in case you have budget constraints. Satellite internet is the option to consider if the office is located at a remote location.

Whichever internet option you opt for, there should be a balance between speed, cost, and service needs.

ACT Fibernet is a broadband service provider with multiple plans to offer. If you are looking for an internet service provider, you can consider ACT fibernet to fulfill your office internet requirements.