MSPNetworks Blog

For small businesses, having a fast, reliable Internet connection is needed to run all the digital tools that your staff has come to depend on. If you don’t have the bandwidth in place, you can deal with bottlenecks that can ruin communications, stall productivity, and cause operational issues of all types. Today, we’ll take a look at how to determine the amount of bandwidth you need to support your business’ computing infrastructure.

What Exactly Is Bandwidth?

There is a misconception that bandwidth is the speed of the Internet that you obtain through your chosen service provider. It does play a role, but it is not synonymous with connection speed. Bandwidth is actually the measurement of the amount of data that can be sent over your Internet connection and across your network in general in a designated time frame; typically measured in megabits per second (Mbps). The more bandwidth you have, the more data can be transmitted at one time. With a lot of businesses now leaning quite heavily on digital tools, knowing how much bandwidth your company needs is extremely important.

What You Need to Know to Get the Bandwidth Your Company Needs?

The first thing that you need to get the bandwidth your company needs is to find a reliable ISP (Internet Service Provider). Not all ISPs are created equal and for business purposes having an ISP that can easily scale your bandwidth to your needs is an important factor. You also don’t want to overpay, and waste your operational capital.  

Let’s look at the variables you have to consider when choosing the right amount of bandwidth for your business:

The Number of Connected Devices

This is pretty simple. The more devices that need to be connected to the Internet, the more bandwidth you are going to need; especially if these devices are consistently being used to access Internet-fueled applications. You also need to take into account all the mobile devices that are connected to the network. In many cases they will outnumber workstations and other hardware. 

The Type of Applications Used

Your business has a unique profile that is made up of all the tools you use and the processes that govern the use of them. For basic use, such as online browsing, email, and social media, a company would only need about one Mbps per user. Most businesses nowadays use their Internet connection for much more than this. Activities like VoIP calling, video conferencing, video streaming, and cloud computing can multiply this by up to five times. 

This is why it is important to get a good read on all the potential uses your business has to build a connection that works to support your business’ computing requirements. 

At MSPNetworks, we know how important the Internet is for your business. Our consultants can help you estimate the level of bandwidth you need, and can actively help you acquire that bandwidth so that you can operate as efficiently as possible. Give us a call today at (516) 403-9001 to talk to one of our IT professionals to set up an assessment of your Internet connection and applications to give your business the best chance of success.

That’s an interesting question, as there are many things that can create some form of lag in a business’ network. Let’s go into some common causes of this slowness, starting with one clear indication that something is up.

Causes of Lag

Insufficient Bandwidth

You may be demanding too much of your Internet service at a given time, leaving too little bandwidth for your desired process to complete efficiently. If you consistently encounter issues, you may consider investing in a greater bandwidth for your business. Before doing that, check to make sure nobody is misusing the company network. If employees are streaming video content, uploading a lot of data, or other things that might not be a part of their everyday job responsibilities, you might experience bottlenecks due to this overwhelming amount of unnecessary traffic. Setting up a content filter is a good way to block a lot of this.

Hardware and Software Issues

This one is straightforward: out-of-date software and older hardware simply won’t work as well as the newer stuff, which could lead to network issues.

Malware

Many examples of malware can tax your network, hindering its performance and holding you back, among other detrimental outcomes to your data security and efficiency.

Network Misconfiguration

The issue may really be within your network in the form of poor configurations. An internal audit can help you identify if this applies to you.

Issues with the ISP/Website

On the off chance your Internet service provider is experiencing issues, your performance will see some detrimental impacts. There isn’t much you can do about this other than reaching out to your ISP. The same goes for those times that you’re accessing an online tool or cloud-based database. If things aren’t working right on the provider’s end, you will also have difficulty.

Latency

Latency is just one side effect of a greater issue; and, is also one of the most frustrating for a user to experience.

When your computer reaches out to another part of a network, like a website, it sends a small data packet (known as a ping) to confirm that there is a connection made through call-and-response. Latency is the delay in the time it takes for the ping to be sent out and returned. The higher the latency, the longer it takes, and the worse the user’s experience is.

Like we said, frustrating.

There are many reasons that you may be experiencing high latency, which can impact the operation of your entire network and each of your processes.

Reach out to your IT resource for more assistance with your network’s performance, or give the team here at MSPNetworks a call. We can be reached at (516) 403-9001.

With so many people depending on the Internet for a litany of reasons, there might not be the general acknowledgment of just how powerful the ubiquitous use of the Internet really is for businesses. From the storage and redundancy of business’ data to virtualized computing platforms to browser-based interfaces that provide access to productivity and communications software, today’s Internet is filled with solutions for the modern business.

High-Speed Data
The Internet was around a while before broadband was rolled out, but today data delivery systems necessitate that users have a fast Internet connection. With all the options that the average business has to choose from, many of them are only feasible if a company has the necessary bandwidth available to run the technology they depend on.

The strength of the Internet for today’s business is largely based on the availability of high-speed Internet. If your business lacks the bandwidth it needs to utilize cloud-hosted platforms, communications solutions, and other important business applications, it can not only create substantial data bottlenecks, it can hinder collaboration and productivity.

Mobile Data
The development of the Internet has coincided with the development and innovation of the smartphone. Today, 77 percent of all Americans have a smartphone. The main benefit of a smartphone is the development of applications (apps) that provide shortcuts to web-based platforms, and plenty of additional functionality.

The numbers suggest that more content is viewed on mobile devices than on desktop or laptop PCs today, making it extremely important that cellular and wireless Internet is readily available and fast enough to facilitate all the demand. Most of us pay twice for Internet (home and cellular), but the figures show that there are more people than ever today eliminating the cost and paying for one or the other. This has led to nearly 20 percent of smartphone owners forgoing at-home broadband service and utilizing their cellular data plans. As this number rises, it will have an effect on every device market, as well as the sustainability of affordable high-speed Internet.

Communication
Another strength of the modern Internet is the numerous ways it can facilitate successful and secure communications. Platforms such as telephone, instant messaging, email, as well as newer applications that prioritize collaboration fuel what are major changes in the way people communicate.

Today’s Internet-based communications are a major profit center for a business. While it would seem that these solutions would come without a lot of return, without them, many businesses would see their profitability fall off to a point where growth simply isn’t possible. The Internet also provides options for conferencing, webinars, and other group meetings that provide organizations the kind of end-to-end communication they need to keep business rolling.

Supply Chain
One of the biggest challenges for business is to keep a successful supply chain running. Changes in technology have provided the ability for businesses to acquire the things they need affordably improve dramatically. Internet-connected software, communications solutions, and other platforms are changing the way manufacturers and retailers handle their supply chains.

Tackling the logistical problems that typically come with a supply chain system can be one of the biggest headaches for any business. Access to resources that can be connected to the Internet, such as e-commerce, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management; not to mention the significant real-time communications options provided on the Internet, allow people to manage their procurement and distribution better, while routinely providing direct access to vendor representatives that can keep business moving faster and more effectively.

Marketing and Sales
One of the most obvious ways the Internet has helped business is by making a company’s products or services available to larger markets. Since marketing - and, specifically Internet marketing - has become a major investment for many organizations, companies have to have a dedicated plan in place that turns traditional advertising on its head.

Many organizations have invested heavily in this aspect of their business, but for those that cannot, the use of social media is another great option. With low overhead and the ability to touch hundreds and thousands of people in a short span of time, many organizations that do invest heavily in marketing also utilize their social media accounts for their benefit.

The Internet continues to be used by many organizations to conduct business. How does your business utilize the Internet? Has it been beneficial for your company, or has it been a struggle? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below, and make sure to return to our blog for more great technology information and commentary.