As a small business, it can be difficult to know whether you need business broadband and to recognise the right time to get it.
While buying business broadband is not legally required, it can make a huge difference in ensuring operations run smoothly and efficiently.
At home, people are generally streaming (downloading) films, music, or games. However, most businesses today use Cloud services such as video conferencing or Microsoft 365, so a fast symmetric (same upload and download speeds) service is increasingly necessary for everyday work.
Typically, business broadband services are more comprehensive than residential broadband, so you can get faster speeds, connections that are more secure and reliable, and a service guarantee and support.
What’s more, you’ll need business broadband if:
A home broadband package might work for businesses just starting or with very low bandwidth demands.
That said, it would be unsuitable for businesses that rely on online collaboration, for instance using Microsoft 365, or that regularly share and distribute video content with colleagues and customers.
With most of us often using several devices on the same network, low bandwidth can result in network congestion. If you get fed up waiting for files transfer or being mocked by the dreaded buffer icon spinning, it’s time to re-consider your current connectivity arrangements.
Business broadband can provide the perfect solution, boosting your speeds with a symmetric service, facilitating the transfer of data up and down, whilst providing optimal support and helping your business operations remain as efficient as possible.
As the way we work continues to evolve, the modern workplace isn’t always based at your desk or office.
More often, it’s online with video calls and VoIP (voice over Internet) services, giving us the ability to talk anywhere and anytime you have an internet connection.
What’s more, with the digital switchover coming soon, copper services such as PSTN and ISDN will soon become obsolete, so a cloud-based phone system, like VoIP, is without a doubt the best option for micro businesses that don’t require multiple lines, or extensive features day to day.
However, with more of us online, insufficient bandwidth will see devices slow down to the point where simple web browsing can become painful, video meetings are affected and drastically impact VoIP services and your day-to-day operations.
Nothing slows down business quite like slow broadband. If you spend most of your working day online, you’ll likely require faster speeds and more reliable broadband than the average home broadband package can offer.
Additionally, if you’re not tech-savvy, many business broadband packages come with a service guarantee.
Business broadband provides a minimum uptime guarantee for your service and if you do experience a fault you’ll have quicker access to support services to get your connection back up and running as soon as possible to minimise disruption.
Ogi Pro provides ultrafast business connectivity with market leading managed IT services, with local support based in South Wales.
We help you shape your IT desk, covering not just incredibly fast internet, but everything you need to run things day-to-day with complete confidence.
This ensures that should an issue occur, Ogi Pro can help support operations.
Another circumstance to opt for business broadband is when you want improved cyber security.
Security leaks can cause a range of problems, from losing the trust of customers to impacting business relationships and can be detrimental to your reputation.
Considering that ‘46% of all cyber breaches impact businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees’, the need for improved cyber security is all the more critical for small business owners.
Business broadband packages are generally considered much more secure as they’re equipped with higher-grade security.
When managing confidential client information and data, you want to ensure that your clients are protected.
Business broadband can help to bolster your business’ security, providing you with the peace of mind you need.
Lastly, a reason to get business broadband is if you require static IP addresses (IP addresses that stay the same over time).
The majority of home WiFi packages use dynamic IP addresses. However, there are numerous circumstances when a business would need a static IP address.
For instance, if a business hosts its websites, servers, or applications, having a static IP address is important as it allows users to reliably access them using the same IP address.
For VPN users, having a static IP address is recommended, as static IP addresses provide more reliable connections over longer periods when compared to dynamic IP addresses.
Additionally, static IP addresses enhance security measures, including access controls and firewalls. Businesses are able to set up specific rules and restrictions based on IP addresses, adding an additional layer of security.
At Ogi, we pride ourselves on giving our customers the best broadband experience possible.
We give businesses and communities great value, ultrafast and ultra-reliable services from a talented local team you can trust. We’re a Welsh business investing in next-generation digital infrastructure to bring choice to businesses and communities in Wales.
As it’s our network, we proactively monitor, manage and maintain the service ourselves, so if there’s ever a problem, we’ll often fix it before you even notice. And if you need our help, our expert team is based just around the corner.
Check whether you can get our broadband today with our postcode checker, or if you’d like to chat with a friendly member of our team, get in touch here.
Written by Jemima for Ogi.
