Top Ten Benefits of Fiber Internet for Your Business
There’s a good reason that fiber internet is so popular in today’s hyper-connected world. It’s because fiber internet speed is unmatched by any other type of internet connection. But speed isn’t the only benefit of fiber cable for your business, so we’ve put together a list of the top 10 reasons your business should upgrade to high-speed fiber.
1. Speed. Do you know what your current internet speed is? If not, you can check just by Googling “speed test.” Any number of free, popular speed tests can help you find out both your download and upload speeds.
2. Bandwidth. Speed is important, but bandwidth is, too. You can think of bandwidth as a pipe. You can make water travel just as fast through a garden hose as a fire hose, but since the fire hose is bigger, you get more volume moving through it. Increased bandwidth is like a larger pipe. Most businesses share their internet connection among desktops and laptops, but don’t forget all the smartphones, tablets, and other devices your team uses—they share your internet connection as well. Additionally, if your business uses a VoIP phone system, you’ll need increased bandwidth to allocate to the phone service. A fiber link can give you enough bandwidth to accommodate all your business internet needs.
3. Reliability. Fiber cable is sturdier than the copper or coax cables that carry DSL or cable internet. That means it’s less likely to be damaged unless the cable is cut through. Fiber internet connections are built to last—some fiber cable connections have been in use for more than 30 years!
4. Secure fiber networks. Fiber cable is nearly hack-proof. Believe it or not, it’s possible to tap into a copper or coax line—the kind that carry other broadband internet signals—to steal internet service. Although those situations are rare, they are possible. A fiber network, on the other hand, can’t be broken into this way, because the cable would have to be cut, which would take the system down. Additionally, dedicated business fiber connections typically are not shared with other customers, providing an additional layer of security.
5. Improving the Cloud for Your Business. If your business subscribes to cloud storage services like OneDrive, Box, Google Drive, or Dropbox, you’re using cloud computing. You might also use the cloud for your business with critical applications like Office 365, Salesforce, or QuickBooks. The best cloud services need speed and bandwidth for optimal performance.
6. Future Proof. Fiber internet speeds are more easily scalable than other types of internet connections. Typically, your internet service provider can upgrade the speed of your fiber network with a single phone call—making it easy to increase bandwidth as your company grows. Additional bandwidth and fiber speed also help power the peripheral devices your business needs to operate: your printers, credit card machines, scanners, point-of-sale terminals, and more. With a fiber link, you’ll have enough bandwidth and speed to share with the devices you have today, while also being ready for the devices of the future.
7. Cost of Fiber. When it comes to installing your fiber network, there will be upfront costs to get everything set up—the fiber installation is more complex than installing copper or coax. After your fiber link is connected, however, you’ll pay a monthly service fee as you always have for any other kind of internet service. And, like any other technology, the average cost of fiber internet will reduce over time as the technology matures. In other words, fiber optic internet service might not cost as much as you think.
8. Distance. Copper and coax signals degrade over the distance between the origin and your business. But a fiber network doesn’t have that issue. The fiber optic signal is carried with light; very little, if any, signal loss occurs regardless of distance.
9. Interference. A fiber link is the best choice for businesses that are near to, or create, high-frequency noises—or those with heavy electrical machinery. Those situations can cause electromagnetic interference that will degrade a copper or coax signal. Fiber optic connections aren’t affected by this type of interference, and are well suited for businesses like factories or machinery companies.
10. Latency. Latency refers to the delay in transmission time between two points. For a fiber network, latency is based on the speed of light. Because the internet signal travels faster over fiber, the latency is much less than other internet signals.
To keep up with the ever-changing technology landscape, you need the best internet connection you can get—and that’s fiber internet service.
