This post was sponsored by Utility Telecom, a California-based company providing internet and data services to businesses.
Many people, Utility Telecom says, overestimate how much bandwidth their organization requires and wind up spending more money than is necessary. To help businesses cut down on costs, Utility Telecom is committed to providing education and awareness on bandwidth usage.
Organizations depend on bandwidth, and sufficient bandwidth is critical to meet the demands of your internet usage. How much bandwidth your organization requires depends on what you plan to do with your internet connection. Every organization has different speed requirements. Businesses that only require basic e-mail and web browsing don’t need as much bandwidth as one that frequently downloads or has multiple devices per user.
Calculating Bandwidth
Understanding how much internet speed you need comes down to a simple calculation that considers several factors:
- Total number of internet users at your office
- Internet dependent activities
- The necessary bandwidth to meet those activities
- Amount of employees will be conducting those tasks or activities simultaneously
By assessing your current bandwidth requirements, you can estimate the amount of bandwidth your business really needs. For example, if you currently have 10 light internet users, you’ll need a connection between 2 and 7 Mbps for your office. If you currently have 15 power internet users who are doing heavy video conferencing, streaming, or large downloads, you’ll need to calculate between 21 and 26 Mbps.
If you rely on cloud computing services to handle your data, it is even more crucial for you to consider your bandwidth requirements, especially if you regularly transfer large amounts of data from one location to another. Most cloud services will be able to provide a recommended per-user bandwidth allotment for their service. Multiply those numbers by your number of users to calculate your requirements, but be sure to include overhead for other normal internet usage not directly related to that cloud provider.
Bandwidth and Your Connection
Different connections will offer varying levels of reliability and your connection also affects bandwidth and internet speed. With a dedicated T1 line, you buy exactly the bandwidth you need and add more as your business grows. T1 offers reliable, flexible, and scalable business internet with consistent speeds, though it can be slower than other connections.
DSL connections offer high-speed connectivity and faster download speeds than T1 connections, but have higher latency than T1 circuits, meaning they can experience longer delays. For any type of hardwired connections, having a wireless backup in place means you can roll over to wireless even if your hardwired connection goes down.
Assessing Can Help You Save
While it’s often assumed that more bandwidth is better, that’s not the case for every business. Since different online tasks use up various amounts of data, the assessment should predict the actual activities taking in place at your office, the amount of internet required for those tasks, and how much bandwidth will handle them.
Don’t end up paying for more bandwidth than you need! Simply matching your internet to your specific needs can save you money. The best approach is to do periodic reassessments of your internet use, and upgrade your bandwidth as necessary to meet your requirements.
Every business is unique and has different internet requirements. Contact Utility Telecom for a no-obligation consultation today.
