Why Your Business Should upgrade to Dedicated Internet

Would your teams benefit from dedicated internet access (DIA)? Answering this question requires a close look at how your organization operates – how much bandwidth is consumed each day, the current budgetary constraints on IT, which performance-sensitive apps (such as hosted VoIP and video conferencing) enter the picture, and whether there are frequent issues with jitter, latency and packet loss across the network.

In this context, choosing the right mix of service providers and plans is often a complex process. The rise of cloud delivery models, especially Software-as-a-Service, has spurred more movement toward broadband connectivity, which is less inexpensive than technologies like MPLS and much better suited to cloud traffic, but not always reliable. Its infrastructure is shared by the ISP's many customers, and as such it might never achieve its listed speeds during real-world use.

At the same time, connecting the company LAN to the internet via MPLS or various legacy technologies like ATM and Frame Relay is not always a viable alternative, due to the associated complexity as well as the poor bandwidth scalability in increasingly cloud-centric environments. There are tradeoffs with any choice, but there is a Goldilocks option – i.e., something that's "just right," without the cost and performance issues inherent in many solutions – in the form of Ethernet DIA.

Shared versus dedicated internet access, and the advantages of Ethernet DIA

Ethernet DIA leverages a familiar and dependable technology – Ethernet – to simplify the connection from the LAN all the way to the internet backbone. Plus, it's a dedicated connection. Let's look at why that matters, by comparing shared and dedicated options:

Shared Internet

Chances are that your home internet service is at least somewhat slower than its theoretical maximum speeds. There are many possible reasons for this discrepancy, including the presence of older Wi-Fi tech in some devices, distance from routers, older cabling (for wired connections) and congestion on the ISP side. The shared nature of the connection exacerbates such issues.

Shared connections are unpredictable, with performance that fluctuates throughout the day based on external conditions you can't control. A plan rated at "100 Mbps" might only register 50 Mbps in regular use as other customers consume their shares of bandwidth. The slower-than-expected speed can spell trouble for VoIP and video apps in particular.

It's similar to how water shortages can arise from overuse of public water supplies. However, while private water lines are usually only feasible for some remote sites and for facilities such as factories, private internet connections are readily available to any business working with a trusted DIA provider like Telesystem.

Dedicated Internet

With dedicated internet circuits, you get guaranteed speed and bandwidth from a connection that belongs solely to your organization. You don't have to compete with anyone else for network resources.

Other key benefits of DIA from Telesystem included 

• Scalable bandwidth: You can select the right connection for your requirements, in any range from 1.5 Mbps to 100+ Gbps.
• Protection from DDoS attacks: Our DIA service passes through the core of our network, meaning it's secured by our anti-DDoS measures.
• Reliable connectivity: Bandwidth is bidirectional, with symmetrical download/upload speeds, and the connection itself supports 99.99 percent uptime.
• Service-level agreements (SLAs): World-class performance is assured through SLAs guaranteeing specific levels of latency and packet loss.
• Cost-effective pricing: Customers only have to pay for what they actually use and can save money as they expand the number of hosted VoIP lines they use.
• Fast response times: If any issue affects the quality of the DIA connection, technical support will respond quickly.

We mentioned Ethernet DIA earlier because Ethernet is one of the most popular options for DIA, even though it's not the only one. DIA is also possible over T1 and T3 lines and via fixed wireless. All of these choices provide the benefits listed above, with a few difference separating them:

• Dedicated fiber: This connection type delivers the lowest latency and fastest speeds, with an Ethernet connection over fiber optic cables that are immune to electrical interference.
• Ethernet over Copper (EoC): EoC is deployed over plain old telephone system (POTS) lines and delivered to the customer via Ethernet cabling. The use of POTS infrastructure reduces costs compared to fiber. EoC is also a good choice for hosted VoIP and traditional voice services.
• T1: A classic option for DIA, with some limitations on speed and scalability.
• T3: Similar to T1, but with greater speed and superior scalability.
• Dedicated fixed wireless: Under this setup, the DIA connection is streamed to your organization via a line-of-sight microwave signal. This has some advantages in deployment time, since the ISP doesn't have to run any wires into your buildings.

Taking the next steps toward DIA

For any organization relying on VoIP, video and other modern communications apps, DIA is essential in delivering acceptable performance. By minimizing downtime and network congestion, DIA – whether through fiber, EoC, T1, T3 or fixed wireless – it goes far beyond shared broadband while also being highly cost-effective and secure.

The Telesystem team is ready to help you find the right DIA package for your business. Contact our team directly or request a quote to get started today.