Clearvoice CMS

Page 1

Getting Broadband Right for Business

In mid-2005, the UK passed the 5 million broadband connections milestone meaning that more people were using broadband to connect to the Internet than were using traditional dial-up methods. At the time of writing the figure is approximately 10 million users.

Put simply, broadband has become a term referring to the technology that delivers high Bandwidth connection to the internet. That means more speed and more capacity; but why are we talking about broadband in the context of a guide to Voice over IP?

If you want to find out how to get the best deal and make sure you you put your broadband to best use.

ADSL (asynchronous digital subscriber line) is a common broadband service for both business and domestic users and is delivered over an analogue exchange line. To get the service you require you would need to subscribe to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or network provider.

Broadband has superseded dial-up as the preferred method of connection as it allows users access to the Internet more quickly and efficiently and most importantly to have an “always-on” connection. Broadband also allows you to download content-rich material such as videos and presentations very quickly.

Page 2

However, the most important benefit to business is that broadband provides the bandwidth-hungry applications to run more efficiently. Applications such as accounts, financial systems, and databases can all be run, accessed and updated remotely. But why is that important?

The potential cost savings are enormous when compared to slower dial-up circuits where you pay the cost of the call on a time and distance basis. Broadband is an always-on service so you are connected all the time and just pay for the rental of the circuit not matter how frequently it is used.

Here’s the context

Broadband circuits connected via the Internet can be used to link offices, branch networks and home workers to the VoIP enabled telephone system. Broadband services are increasing in bandwidth and reducing in cost. Typical downstream speeds of 1, 2 and 4Mbps are now available and often cheaper than the 512kbps circuits originally offered by ISPs. All broadband ADSL circuits have a limit of 256kbps upstream. However, ISPs are starting to offer SDSL (synchronous digital subscriber line) with broadband services with upstream speeds the same as the download speeds, which may be useful in say, design studios where images are being tranferred to different locations. This all adds up to even greater functionality for businesses in the future; a sure-fire recipe for potential cost savings and increased productivity of the small to medium-size enterprise.

Page 3

What does this mean for business?

A travel services company employing around 80 staff, spread among four offices plus home workers who required remote access to data, installed broadband in order to increase productivity and reduce costs. By deploying a VoIP enabled phone system, a saving of over £6,000 a year in call charges was made, and further significant efficiency gains were made by giving all employees, whether in one of the offices or at home, access to one overall telephone system.

A recent no-cost upgrade to a faster service has enabled further functionality to be added for both staff and customers. A real-time online video application to help train and inform staff of new travel services which in the past, without broadband, would have necessitated a visit to the central office, has now been extended to include providing customers with travel videos highlighting travel destinations.

Page 4

Broadband Summary

Broadband is a permanent, high-speed connection to the Internet. It accelerates the information superhighway, reducing the time to access and download files. VoIP technology now means that broadband can also be used to carry telephone calls and multi-media.

Using an IP PBX extension phone and broadband can provide full PBX functionality for remote locations.

Applications run faster over broadband and new applications can be considered.

Broadband services are increasing in speed, reducing in cost and are available in more areas.

ADSL broadband provides faster download (1Mb, 2Mb, 4Mb up to 20Mb) than upload speeds (256K). SDSL broadband provides upload speeds that are as fast as the download speeds.

Action

If you don’t already have broadband or are weighing up the additional benefits and applications for your business and want to discuss it further please contact us now.