How to know if fibre internet is right for your business

There are a lot of “business internet” services out there, but are they really business-grade? Learn why fibre internet might be the business-grade connection your organization needs.

It goes without saying that businesses have different telecom needs than your average consumer, and that includes their internet needs—or at least, it should. The truth is that many businesses’ internet services are not substantially different than what most people are using at home.

An actual business-grade internet solution should offer features that go the extra mile in helping to ensure constant connectivity, up-to-date security and specialized support because, for a business, a severed internet connection or cyberattack can mean lost revenue, a poor customer experience and brand damage.

But if your business frequently relies on HD video conferencing, real-time access to cloud-hosted applications, sharing large files and databases, and other high-data demands, your business-grade internet connection should be via fibre—and here’s why:

• Reliability
  When compared to other methods of transmitting data, fibre optic cabling is less sensitive to moisture, temperature fluctuations and electromagnetic interference (EMI). EMI in particular is a common culprit of network interruptions. EMI is a natural by-product of electricity running through copper, and even coax cable can be vulnerable to electricity, especially if it’s running close to powerlines (and that’s why a backup connection is always a good idea for businesses using cable internet). But fibre is made of very thin strands of flexible glass that transmit light; no EMI is produced, nor is outside EMI a factor.
• Fast, guaranteed symmetrical speeds
  When businesses consider the internet speed they want, they’re often primarily concerned with download speed. That’s because most internet users, including businesses, are consumers of data rather than creators of it. But times are changing, and for companies that rely on the high-data tasks like those mentioned above, download speed is only half the equation. Fibre allows for symmetrical speeds—that is, equal download and upload speeds—guaranteed. Not only that, but speeds are generally much faster with fibre than with any other media, reaching up to 100 Gbps. That means you can download and upload data at great speeds and at the same time.
• Volumetric DDoS attack protection
  Dedicated 24/7 technical support should be a given for any business-grade internet solution. But ensuring your have the proper cybersecurity measures in place is also crucial. Among the most common cyberattacks out there is the volumetric DDoS attack. Volumetric DDoS attacks send large volumes of irrelevant traffic to your network infrastructure from potentially hundreds of thousands of infected “zombie” devices under the attacker’s control. This floods your bandwidth, making your online properties inaccessible to customers and employees. The result can be a huge hit to your productivity, revenue and reputation. While fibre is not inherently more vulnerable to these attacks, the fact that such attacks are so common means that 24/7 monitoring and mitigation of them should be a priority, especially since firewalls and on-premises security devices are ineffective: they can quickly become overwhelmed by the massive levels of illegitimate traffic. A proper volumetric DDoS solution spots and eliminates illegitimate traffic before it can reach your network and inflict harm—and it should be included as part of your fibre internet service.

Remember, business internet should be business-grade—and if your business regularly relies on not only downloading high volumes of data from the internet, but also uploading high volumes to it, then fibre is your best connectivity choice.

Rogers offers fibre internet solutions with guaranteed symmetrical speeds and 24/7 volumetric DDoS monitoring and mitigation options. Click here to learn more and to reach out for a personalized quote.