Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘Speed kills’?
Maybe in terms of driving or in the movies, but have you heard it in relation to your broadband? If your business doesn’t have high-speed internet, that could kill your business’s productivity, efficiency, and reliability. Which, in turn, could affect your business’s competitive advantage within the marketplace.
However, the subject of internet speed is a grey area for many business owners. Because what was once considered as fast internet two or three years ago, could easily be regarded as slow internet today.
So, in this article, I’m going to explain exactly what high-speed internet is, while providing you with some clarity on why having high-speed business internet is pivotal for your organisation’s success.
What is high speed internet?
When it comes to assessing internet speed, there are two key variables that you should consider above all the others. These metrics are download speed and upload speed. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), high-speed internet is defined as an internet connection that delivers download speeds of at least 25Mbps and upload speeds of at least 3Mbps.
Nowadays, the internet is vital to every business under the sun. It doesn’t matter whether you have a restaurant, a book shop, a finance company, or a consultancy service. Your teams require the internet to perform the majority of their daily tasks.
But why is this the case?
This is because we live in a digital-first world where the internet has become integral to almost all business functions. From internal communications to marketing and sales. In this modern age, all these essential business activities involve the internet to some degree. As a result of this, every business owner needs to have access to high-speed internet in order to complete everyday tasks.
Having a reliable internet connection enables businesses to have seamless communication channels, more efficient workflows, and better collaboration capabilities.
In today’s age, a business losing their internet connection can produce disastrous knock-on effects that could potentially bring the business to a standstill. Just imagine how disastrous your workday would be if you lost access to the internet for a whole day.
So, now that we’ve established what high-speed internet is and why it’s important. Let’s delve into some additional reasons why high-speed business broadband is crucial for every company.
Why high-speed internet is important for your business
1. Speed should be your priority
Just take a minute to think about all the functions that your business performs daily.
Now, how many of those tasks can your business complete successfully without having access to the internet?
If your business is like most modern businesses out there, then a lot of what you do probably does rely on the internet.
For example, your sales team might have to respond to customers’ enquiries using cloud-based email applications like Outlook and Gmail. Or your marketing team might utilise social media applications like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to promote your businesses products and services. Your colleagues will catch up on projects across Teams or Jabber, and co-author documents via SharePoint.
If your businesses internet connection is slow then all the work your teams do daily will take a lot longer than it should do. These delays could ultimately lead to your business missing growth opportunities and falling behind your competitors when it comes to productivity and output.
2. Access to stronger security
You may not be aware of this, but cyberthreats pose one of the biggest threats to SME’s. To the extent that last year 48% of small businesses reportedly fell victim to cyber security breaches. With each individual breach amounting to an average cost of £4,200.
Why is this important? It’s important because if you want to keep your business safe from security breaches, then it’s crucial that you not only invest in a high-speed business internet service but a highly secure internet service as well.
Your business should have access to a high-speed internet connection that is monitored 24/7. This will ensure that you can proactively defend your business against cyberthreats and safeguard your data. Nowadays, many business owners do this by subscribing to a managed wi-fi service, by hiring an MSP, like 848, to proactively manage and maintain their internet connection for them.
3. Ability to scale your network
One of the biggest benefits of modern high-speed internet is the ability to scale your usability and network connection based on fluctuating business needs. It’s important to leverage an internet connection that grows with your business. Sometimes, bundled services or added extras can be great. You can get your broadband connection, and then for a fee you can add all kinds of products and services to your network solution.
But it’s not so great if you don’t need them. With a good broadband provider, you won’t have to pay for added extras that you don’t need and won’t use, but should your business expand, you can easily scale to meet those evolving needs.
4. Downtime costs money
Reliability is an important factor to take into consideration when it comes to selecting your business’s broadband. Quite simply, if your connection isn’t available then, you can’t complete the tasks you need it for or meet the deadlines you need to meet.
The downtime from an unreliable internet connection could in-turn lead to your business experiencing high opportunity costs. As if your business isn’t connected, you’ll be less able to make sales and expand your business, which will benefit your competitors at your expense.
The internet has given modern customers access to a plethora of vendors. So, if your customers can’t place their orders with you, then they’ll simply take their business to another company.
5. How the 2025 PTSN switch off will affect your business
At the end of 2025, the UK’s old analogue and integrated phone networks, referred to as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PTSN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (IDSN) are both due to shut down for good.
This means that every business in the UK will be moved to a modern network that uses internet protocol (IP), across a fibre-based service. Which simply means that all phone calls will be made via the internet. So, for that reason, it’s essential that your business gains access to a reliable and fast digital, internet-based phone system, to adapt to this change.
As if that isn’t enough, the rapid growth of flexible working practices has led to rising levels of file sharing, video calling and virtual conferencing. So, if you want your business to communicate and collaboration efficiently then it’s very important that your organisation gets access to high-speed internet that will propel your businesses efficiency forward, rather than holding you back.
Look for a future-proof broadband solution, that can scale up alongside your business and handle the extra demands of the digital future.
Get the fast and reliable connection your business deserves
If you’re seeking a future-proof high-speed internet connection that is ready for the digital future, then look no further. Broadband One gives you exactly that and more.
Broadband One is designed for businesses like yours. You can choose from a range of speeds, right up to a superfast 1Gbps over full fibre. It’s backed by the BT network, so it offers availability of 99.999% – so you can be confident you’ll stay connected.
That speed and reliability makes Broadband One the ideal foundation for digital phone services when you’re ready to upgrade to them. You won’t have to change broadband later when the old phone network is switched off in 2025.
Broadband One is also fuss-free, without any unnecessary additions. For more information about Broadband One, get in touch, and let’s talk about getting you connected.