Do You Need to Increase Your Business Internet Speed in 2021?

2020 is finally in the rearview mirror, but its impact has fundamentally changed how and where we work—and our reliance on the internet.

Many businesses are relying more on digital technologies to connect employees—who may be working from home—and serve their customers. And employees increasingly expect the ability to work faster, while customers expect faster service and response times.

What that means: It’s a critical time to consider, if you haven’t already, whether to upgrade to a higher-speed internet plan.

Here are three important questions to ask when making that consideration:

1. Have you been relying on the internet more?

Video conferencing surged in 2020 and isn’t likely to wane much this year. Hosting video calls—especially those involving more than two participants—consumes more bandwidth than many other types of online activities. While one video call may not strain your internet and slow down your connection, remember that you (and your employees) are likely using multiple internet-connected technologies at the same time.

For example, many employees have team collaboration, customer relationship management (CRM) and cybersecurity tools always running in the background on their computers. And they may need to download large email attachments—which requires significant bandwidth to do quickly—or watch or edit videos. Or they may be streaming music while they work. It all adds up and can clog your connection if you’re not paying attention to your company’s bandwidth and speed needs.

2. Are you planning to adopt new business technologies or tools?

Most business technologies today rely on the internet to some extent, whether cloud-based software or storage programs, automation tools, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors or mobile devices that are connected to Wi-Fi. As you adopt any new technology, consider whether your current business internet plan can easily support it, so you don’t risk compromising your productivity or customer service.

3. Do you expect to add more employees?

If you have an office or facility and plan to hire more employees to work there, evaluate how that will impact your internet usage and speed needs. While internet usage differs greatly between businesses, a general guideline is that each employee requires at least 30 Mbps of download speed.

A business with up to about five employees will generally want a plan with at least 200 Mbps of download speed. But businesses with more than five employees may want to consider a plan with at least 600 Mbps of download speed.

Ultimately, upgrading to a higher-speed internet plan can provide relief because you won’t need to worry as much whether a less-than-adequate plan will hinder your employees’ productivity or interfere with their ability to serve your customers.

Spectrum Business offers business internet plans at three download speeds: 200 Mbps, 600 Mbps and 940 Mbps (Spectrum Business Internet Gig). We can help you determine which is right based on your company’s usage and needs. Contact us at 855-299-9353.