The Need For (Internet) Speed

“I feel the need… the need for speed.” – Maverick and Goose, ‘Top Gun’, 1986

This iconic line from a now-classic movie – the one that shot Tom Cruise to super-stardom – is still going strong nearly four decades later.

When Top Gun was released, it was hailed for its amazing aerial footage that was shot inside actual fighter jets – no CG or AI in this movie; the flying was real.

And at the time the film was produced, the World Wide Web wasn’t yet in existence.

Fun fact!

Almost 40 years later, the days of sharing time on an organisation’s main frame computer are over, and we all feel the need for internet speed, every day – and especially at work.

But how fast is fast enough for today’s organisations?

Let’s unpack.

Measuring your Internet Speed: Microlight, Commercial Airliner or Fighter Jet?

Internet speed, also referred to as ‘bandwidth’, is a measure of how much data can be downloaded or uploaded in a second, measured across your network.

• ‘Downloading’ means your computer is receiving data from the Internet. You will need a faster download speed with every employee you add onto your network.
• ‘Uploading’ means sending data from your computer to the internet – for example, sending email, posting photos on a social media site and using a webcam.

Internet speeds are measured in megabits per second (Mbps), and so the greater the megabits per second, the faster your internet. When clarifying an Internet speed, we read the download speed first – so, for example, a given Internet package speed of 20Mbps / 10 Mbps means users can download at 20Mbps and upload at 10Mbsp.

As mentioned, it’s measured across your entire network, which means that if two people are downloading files on the same network at the same time, the download speed is halved for each of them.

It therefore follows that increasing the number of internet users and simultaneous tasks can increase Internet lag. Data-heavy tasks can also slow things down, for example, large file downloads or video conferencing.

Just How Fast is Fast Enough?

For any business, choosing the right internet speed is crucial for tasks like fostering employee engagement and productivity, downloading files quickly, and communicating with customers properly – to name just a few.

And when it comes to the Internet, the larger your employee base, the more speed your business needs.

Add in productivity and communication tools like Microsoft Teams, to boost efficiencies and help people stay in touch around the country and across the globe, and the need for internet speed and efficiency grows.

A high-speed business internet service is designed to efficiently and effectively meet the needs of organisations with considerable bandwidth requirements, while maintaining low latency and stable connectivity.

Every business will have different Internet speed requirements. Let’s look at some examples.

• For a small business with less than 10 employees, an internet download speed of 10 Mbps could be perfectly adequate, with employees’ tasks perhaps typically including web browsing and sending emails. Add in the need for a phone and video conferencing service and this same company may need at least 25 Mbps.
• Businesses that use cloud-sharing or cloud-based applications may need at least 50 Mbps as this speed supports backup services and web-based applications.
• Looking at a larger company, a 100 Mbps plan may be perfect for the immediate present – but as the company owner, you are aware that your business strategy is paying off and that you’re about to hit a growth phase and hire in more employees. So here, you might plan to add in some jet fuel to your current required Internet speed to make room for future business growth, and take out a business fibre package with higher download capacity than you currently need.
• Now consider a call centre with more than 30 employees who are required to be simultaneously on the phone and Internet, all day long. So you’ll need to pull out the big guns and opt for a 1 Gbps, or 1,000 Mbps, plan.

Most internet providers offer a variety of speed tiers to accommodate the varying needs and sizes of your business.

The bandwidth required is essentially related to the count of devices requiring internet access and what the devices do on the internet at a specific site.

As an example, you could be running a small, single site media company, but your employees work with massive video files to be uploaded. Alternatively, your business could be a large enterprise with multiple branches, but each branch only requires 20 Mbps links, as they only connect their point of sale (POS) devices, emails and VoIP services.

Don’t Be a Maverick or a Goose…

As outlined above, it’s important to understand what speed your organisation actually needs.

Bear in mind that sizing your Internet requirements properly could help save you money in the long run by allowing you to allocate funds to different areas of your business. In other words, faster may not always be better – at least in the short term – and a reliable Internet Service Provider will very easily enable to you to scale up your needs when required.

So don’t be a maverick – or indeed a goose – and choose the wrong Internet speed package for your company’s requirements!

In a small business, you don’t want to go too large and spend money on capacity you don’t need. At enterprise level, you need to know that your employees can have the speed they require with no down-time.

Future-proof your business and build it on the most reliable, scalable, versatile and cost-effective connectivity solution for your requirements.

Our Vox Business Fibre Solutions offer scalable options with tailored value-adds to suit your business needs. Find out more about our Business Fibre, Premium Business Fibre and Dedicated Fibre solutions – here’s a sneak preview:

• Business Fibre: For broadband solutions at the best possible prices; up to 10:1 contended bandwidth.
• Premium Business Fibre: To get more bang for your buck; up to 2:1 contended bandwidth.
• Dedicated Fibre: For uncontended connectivity to any destination; Uncontended bandwidth through your business’s own dedicated line.

One thing is certain: when speed is the name of the internet game – no matter what the required speed might be – Vox is in your corner.

We can help you find the perfect solution.