Fiber-optic internet connectivity is a much newer technology than broadband internet on copper cable and many businesses have found significantly higher returns on their investment in fiber. Fiber-optic connectivity can lend a great advantage to companies of all sizes, particularly organizations who use the cloud for apps or data storage. Fiber coupled with our voice package is a powerful combination for business communications. Right now, let’s learn 11 major ways your business can benefit from fiber connectivity.
- Speed
Fiber-optic internet is so much faster than even the highest-speed copper internet connections, with Craw-Kan’s options available that range from 10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps. During periods of high demand for internet access, your business should not notice the Internet slowing down.
While the time your team spends waiting on slow internet can seem minor, it adds up significantly over time. Your internet connectivity should never inhibit productivity. It should be a tool that supports your employees’ desire to work productively.
- Cloud Access
From customer relationship management (CRM) tools to data storage, the cloud is an important business tool for apps, hosting, and more. 82% of organizations are now using the cloud in some capacity. The speed and bandwidth capabilities of fiber internet mean faster access to your data and applications stored in the cloud.
Your business can benefit from fewer delays in accessing cloud-hosted information and other platforms, which mean your sales and customer service representatives will no longer face delays with communicating with prospects or customers. As businesses move more services to the cloud, fiber-optic internet is becoming critical.
- Reliability
Fiber internet connectivity offers significant reliability advantages over copper internet connectivity, due to the fact that fiber is much stronger than copper. Fiber-optic internet is not vulnerable to inclement weather conditions, which can damage or stall data transmission via copper cabling. Fiber is also resistant to human (or animal) or electrical interference unless fibers are physically cut.
Unreliable internet connections can lower a businesses Return on Investments (ROI). Any amount of unplanned downtime can bring business communications and productivity to complete stop. If your company requires an internet connection to make phone calls or access applications, reliability is a necessity!
- Signal Strength
With traditional broadband internet using DSL or Ethernet over Copper, the signal degrades over time. The signal strength of fiber-optic Internet does not degrade as quickly over distance. Organizations in relatively large spaces could benefit from better signal strength throughout the facility.
- Bandwidth
For businesses with a high need for data transmission, it’s relatively easy to “hit the cap” on your cable internet bandwidth, especially if you run an e-commerce website with a lot of traffic. At Craw-Kan, we don’t throttle your data and there are no data caps. The bandwidth availability is significantly higher and speed does not decrease as high demands are put on the network. The following user activities are examples that can place particularly high demands on business bandwidth:
- SIP trunking
- Web Conferencing
- Streaming high definition video (example… training video)
- File sharing
- Cloud Applications
Signs of low bandwidth availability can include slow speeds, delays, and pixelated video or photo quality.
If your current internet connection is not sufficient to support your company’s legitimate bandwidth demands for telephone service via SIP trunking, video conferencing, or accessing cloud applications, you could significantly benefit from an upgrade to fiber-optic internet connectivity.
- Synchronous Speed
“Synchronous speed” is a term used to refer to equal upload and download times on an internet connection. With Craw-Kan, your employees can benefit from equal upload and download times.
Today’s employees are more likely to upload video content, files, or make phone calls while downloading content while they work than they were a decade ago. Synchronous speed enables users to accommodate heavy demands on downloads and uploads simultaneously via their data connection. We offer synchronous speeds with our Business and Enterprise Packages, as well as Gigabit with Fiber-To-The-Home.
- Latency
Latency is a term used to describe delays that occur while processing data over an internet connection. Fiber-optic internet eliminates many of those issues users experience on cable internet, particularly when downloading or uploading video or high-definition content. The business benefits of lowering your latency could include:
- Better voice quality
- Ability to move more apps to the cloud
- Downloads & uploads of huge files without disruption
- Improved collaboration between employees
- Security
Would-be hackers and information thieves can gain access to business cable internet with relative ease, due to cable tapping or other relatively simple methodologies. The only way to penetrate fiber-optic internet is to physically cut the fibers, which will cause the signal to disappear. Fiber-optic internet is one of the most powerful ways to increase your company’s protection against cyber-crime.
The average cost of an information security breach is $3.8 million. Companies who leak protected information can face stiff financial penalties and customer defection. While media coverage of high-profile security breaches often focuses on large organizations, companies of all sizes are at significant risk of an attack. While an upgrade to fiber-optic internet connectivity won’t alleviate all of your organization’s risks, it’s certainly an important means of protection.
- Resistance to Interference
Copper cable internet that supports broadband is sensitive to electromagnetic interference, which can be caused by the proximity of heavy machinery. Fiber-optic signals do not degrade or disappear due to electromagnetic interference because it doesn’t operate on electrical signals, rather light pulses. If your organization shares a telecommunications room with other businesses, fiber-optic internet can protect your connectivity from disappearing if other organizations are using equipment that can interfere with your connection in the same space.
- Cost Savings
Fast internet is “widely considered” to be a productivity tool for businesses. As mentioned above, eliminating speed issues could result in a week’s worth of productivity increases each year. If your business suffers from unreliable connectivity because of your region or weather, you could be losing thousands of dollars each year. Productivity issues that are directly attributed to slow or unreliable cable internet could disappear with fiber.
Perhaps more importantly, your business will gain flexibility and growth with fiber-optic internet connectivity. If your IT team is hoping to move more applications and services to the cloud, a fiber connection can support these initiatives.
- Support for HD Video
For many companies, teleconferencing and video conferencing are important tools for employee training, marketing, and sales. With a fiber-optic internet connection, businesses can increase their investment in video conferencing as a business tool without sacrificing available bandwidth. Research indicates that increased investment in video conferencing can save companies thousands of dollars per employees each year or even month, particularly if you’re able to cut out excessive business travel.