Is A Leased Line Right For Your Business?

Fibre broadband is under the spotlight and for most organisations, it is fast and reliable enough to handle everyday business operations, high staff numbers and the most innovative online working practices.

So, how do you know when your business should be considering the next step up with a leased line?

What is a leased line?

 

A leased line is completely dedicated to your business. It is a dedicated high performance telecommunications network connection, which can carry voice, data and Internet traffic via a copper or fibre connection.  Speeds can go from 2Mbps to 10 Gbps.

What are the leased line facts you need to know?

 

Speed

  • The more users on a fibre connection, the more likely the speed will be affected. Broadband speeds are quoted as being ‘up to’ therefore, in best case scenario.
  • It doesn’t matter how many users are on your Leased Line circuit, your business will consistently enjoy the circuit’s top speed. A leased line delivers what it says it will deliver.

Bandwidth

  • Imagine bandwidth as a tunnel. It can get congested and grind to a halt. That can still happen with broadband.
  • With a leased line, the speeds are so high, and the circuit so dedicated that the congestion simply doesn’t happen.

Flexibility

  • With broadband, you sign up to download and upload speeds.
  • With a leased line, you choose your bandwidth at the beginning but you can change it to suit your business needs. E.g. Your business may have a particularly busy April period where you need additional capacity.

Reliability

  • With broadband, it’s impossible to predict a drop in connection.
  • With a leased line, it is not only less likely, but you are backed up on broadband as well as having the comfort of a Service Level Agreement including money-back targets on service availability, delivery and performance.

Security

  • A leased line is more secure in its own right because it operates as a point-to-point service with no others on it.

Cost

  • Cost depends on the distance between your premises and the service providers Point of Presence (PoP – an access point). The greater the distance, the greater the cost.
  • More bandwidth = more cost but you can vary it.
  • Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) and General Ethernet Access (GEA) are recent cost reduction measures you should ask about.
  • A leased line is typically more expensive to run but economies can be gained through good use of the connection with calls run over VoIP saving call costs, improved working practices and operational efficiencies.
  • Remember that when you are comparing the speed of a leased line with the speed of a broadband line, you are not comparing equals.

 

How do you know your business needs a leased line?

 

Internet Use

  • If your Internet connection is for email, surfing and website maintenance, broadband is probably enough for you.
  • Leased line will be of huge benefit if you have a remote workforce or offices accessing your network via the Internet, use the web to run critical business applications, use video conferencing etc.

Users

  • If you have more than 20 users, a leased line is worth considering.
  • If you also have employees or suppliers that access your network remotely, a leased line will be a great advantage.

Reliance

  • If your business cannot operate without Internet access and would lose money or credibility in the event of an outage, a leased line is definitely right for you. A service level agreement ensures your supplier would have a liability for lost revenue but most importantly, ADSL back up should ensure it never happens.

 

For a more detailed review of whether a leased line is right for your business, give us a call on 0141 404 8008.

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