Opting for Optic – 4 Reasons Why South African Businesses Need a Fibre Optic Connection
If South African businesses are going to compete on the world stage, then we need to grab hold of any available tech which will tip the scales in our favour. We have always been the poor cousin on the international playing field when it comes to internet connectivity, however, with fibre being rolled out across SA, the goalposts have shifted.
If your business has the option of making use of a fibre optic connection, then we wholeheartedly suggest that you seize it with both hands.
Why? Can fibre really make a difference to your business?
We believe so, and here’s why.
Better Bandwidth
What exactly is bandwidth? Bandwidth refers to the amount of data which is transferred over a network. Data can be likened to the water flowing in a river; a wide river allows more water through than a narrow stream, even though the water is flowing at the same speed. In the same way, a high bandwidth network can deliver more information than a low bandwidth network in the same time frame.
It stands to reason that we want as much bandwidth on the fastest connection available for our business. If not, we’ll be facing data bottlenecks as millions of packets of data compete for the same space on existing cables, which offer a smaller bandwidth than fibre.
High bandwidth connections over fibre allow for web conferencing, file sharing, busy cloud apps without degradation in quality or speed.
Cloud Access
With so many of our processes being held in the cloud – from accounting to CRM – we need fast and reliable access to these resources at any given time.
Salespeople and customer service staff have instant access to client information held securely in the cloud; no delays in accessing this information means a faster turnaround, better service, accurate data and happier customers. The reliability of a fibre optic connection means that you can still operate at full capacity even when bad weather conditions have knocked out the cables in your area or those pesky vandals have dug up the copper lines– again.
Speed
We know that fibre is fast – as fast as the speed of light – but how does that impact our business? A super-fast internet speed allows for clear voice and video transmission, which is essential if we are connecting with clients on voice or video conference calls. Call made minus buffering or interference results in a professional, uninterrupted meeting.
However, even if we are a small office with minimal staff, research has shown that slow Internet connections cost employees one week per year in lost productivity. And it’s true – how many times have you sat and stared at your screen while a little bar inches its way across saying “Loading….”? It’s frustrating and totally unnecessary and eats into our day.
Fibre offers symmetric speeds for upload and download, so you will find your files will transfer that much quicker. (And your clients won’t have to put up with the “my internet is slow” excuse anymore.) We are more likely than ever before to make a telephone call, download a file and access a cloud app at the same time, which makes the issue of speed of the utmost importance.
Latency
Latency in this context refers to the time taken for data to travel from one point to another when either uploading or downloading information; in other words, time delays.
We want minimal latency when we are saving vital information to the cloud, or we are sending data-heavy files to customers or suppliers. Telephone calls are of far better quality with less latency, and simultaneous uploads and downloads don’t over-tax your connection when you’re on fibre.
There are so many practical benefits to choosing a fibre optic connection for your business, all of which ensure that you can operate on an international level to attract global clients. If you’ve been considering fibre, then we can help. Our preferred partners, have proven themselves reliable associates with whom we work alongside to supply fibre optic connections to businesses throughout SA.
Let’s connect.
