How to stop connectivity issues disrupting your business.
How important is the internet to your business? – for many, the answer is “critical”.
For something so critical it is worth spending time mitigating and planning for the worst… a disruption in connectivity. Many of us take modern utilities for granted, but let’s be honest it’s probably unwise.
Whilst products such as ‘leased lines’ & FTTP have provided far greater reliability versus their older siblings FTTC & ADSL, no broadband/data product or provider can promise 100% uptime. Here are 3 tips to pro-actively protect against connectivity issues disrupting your business.
1 – Monitor
Can you see how your network is performing at your stores/practices remotely?
If the answer is no, then this might be something to look at. Connection monitoring software is a great self-sufficient tool to take advantage of. Utilise a connection monitoring tool to pick up outages promptly, view bandwidth utilisation and deploy estate wide changes to your network with a click of a button.
Connection monitoring can give you newfound insight into your broadband, detect abnormal behaviour, find patterns, identify problems, and use this information to pro-actively protect against connectivity issues disrupting your business.
2 – Use appropriate Technology
When was the last time you reviewed your infrastructure?
It can be hard to keep up, with advancements in technology far outpacing the average lifecycle of a piece of equipment/service. Ensuring you have the right equipment and technology solutions to run your network can be a great way of getting ahead of challenges.
There are a few great pieces of kit and services that could be worth investing in.
Failover broadband – Why not invest in a separate broadband connection to serve as a back-up should your primary service fail. If you have a FTTC/FTTP as your primary, why not have an ADSL or second FTTC/FTTP, on a separate carrier to ensure you’ll always have high speed broadband, even in the instance of a failure.
Router with failover sim – There are some great routers out there now that can handle a 4G sim card to kick in when the primary connection fails. This allows you to stay connected, and continue your business activities. How about a Draytek Vigor 2620Ln , this is a router with 4G as the backup connection solution. In addition, it can use any one of three methods for its primary.
3 – Partner
How much do you trust your connectivity partner to react quickly when a challenge arises, and how much do you trust them to resolve your issue in a timely manner?
Ensure you know how to report a fault via your partners preferred channels, understand the SLA’s you have agreed to and know your escalation points, should you not be receiving the service you deserve.
I know that here at Global 4 we see this as being the best way to protect against connectivity issues disrupting your business. Partner with someone you trust.
At Global 4 you will receive a dedicated account manager to proactively manage your account, keeping you up to date with the changing technologies. You will also have direct access to our 1st Line support team, ensuring you can speak to the right people at a crucial time for your business.
Choose a partner you can trust, one that values your business.
If you have any questions around your connectivity solution, or if you feel like you want to make the switch to Global 4, contact me today for a free, no obligation quote of the product on 01403 2729190, or tom.endacott@global4.co.uk
Tom Endacott
Account Manager
