A single fiber optic strand has a thickness similar to that of a single human hair. But that one strand is capable of carrying 25,000 simultaneous phone calls. Now imagine how many phone calls a cable with dozens of strands could carry!
It is thanks to fiber optic cables that we have our modern high-speed Internet. Internet bandwidth is now large enough that modern businesses can have a download speed and upload speed of hundreds of gigabytes per second. The question is, do you need that much, or will a basic data package suffice?
It’s difficult to say, as your business needs will vary wildly from the next. Keep reading as we discuss whether your business Internet speed and bandwidth are enough.
Situations Where Average Internet Bandwidth Is Enough
Think of internet bandwidth as a street. A wider street can pass more traffic through. The more internet traffic you have, the more bandwidth you’ll need.
Most businesses tend to have base-level secretarial and administrative tasks. For example, sending emails, making basic phone calls, and the occasional video conference.
If you aren’t doing much more than this, then your average Internet package will be more than enough. You can easily get away with a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps connection.
This is only the case if you have a small office with a handful of people. When you have a larger workforce and heavier data needs, you will require an upgrade.
Situations Where You Should Upgrade to Faster Small Business Internet
Do an Internet speed test during a normal work day. If you notice very low speeds throughout the day, it’s time to upgrade. Here are some reasons why you may need an upgrade.
If You Have or Hire More Employees
You will need a larger Internet bandwidth the more employees you have. As each employee uses the internet, the overall connection will slow down–taking up more lanes on the road, as it were. At some point, the connection will become overburdened and slow for all connected users.
In an office with 6-12 employees, you will easily need at least a 500 Mbps connection, perhaps more. Bigger, faster data packages also provide a more responsive and snappy Internet–ideal for productivity.
If You Have Internet-heavy Tasks
Certain tasks are heavily internet-dependent. One example is video conferencing. If you have multiple people video conferencing at once, you will require a considerable amount of bandwidth to support that.
Cloud computing is another area. Online productivity suites and collaboration software require a strong, fast Internet connection.
You will also need more bandwidth if you are downloading and uploading a lot throughout the day. Or, if you are using cloud storage backups. If you have a large workforce and they are performing bandwidth-heavy tasks, you may need a gigabit connection.
Choose the Right Internet Bandwidth for Your Small Business
Internet bandwidth determines how many users you can have, and how fast your Internet speed will be for each. Smaller businesses with smaller workforces won’t require large bandwidth. However, a bigger office that uses a lot of cloud computing software will need a better Internet package.
Voice and Data provides solutions for all of your Internet needs, be they voice, data, or cloud requirements. Contact us here to see how we can better optimize your business’ internet side of things.
