The Internet plays an extremely important role in maintaining a workplace’s efficiency. A bad internet connection can act as a bottleneck in the company’s operational flow. According to a HuffPost article, employees waste a week per year waiting for their company’s internet connection to become responsive. So, in order to meet with everyday workflow, a solid internet connection is sometimes all a business needs to function at its best.

Internet – A sneak peek into its history

The Internet has evolved tremendously with time. Since 1969 when it was first used in the US military as Arpanet, the internet has gone through several upgrades to acquire the form it now has. Relative to Arpanet, where the number of computers that could connect with the network was limited to only a handful, today’s internet can connect billions of computers around the world, in a matter of a few seconds. Ever since its advent 50 years ago, the number of computers that can now connect with the internet has risen to a whopping level. According to Wikipedia, the International Telecommunication Union revealed in 2015 around 3.2 billion people (which is half of the entire population in the world) have access to the internet.

Now, let’s put all these history lessons aside and talk about the internet of current times. Whether it is for home or business, the internet plays a role similar to that of oxygen for the human body – we need it to keep things running! If you’re a business owner, we realize how crucial it is for you to have a stable internet connection. So sit back and put your reading glasses on, because we are about to walk you through some types of internet connections, while discussing their benefits as well as flaws, so you can find out which one is the most suitable for your business.

1.      Cable Internet

Cable internet or cable broadband is the one where internet packets are sent over coaxial cables. These are the same type of cables which we have been using all this time in our television sets and can be used to set up internet connectivity as well. For small businesses where moderate file sharing is intended, along with web browsing and creating online backups of data, cable internet can be opted for. Not only this, businesses can utilize VoIP services and stream audio, along with downloading, through cable internet.

However, there’s a slight disadvantage too and that is if there are others in the neighborhood using the same cable internet connection, during peak times you may find the speed of your internet going down, which may hinder your business’ ability to meet deadlines and complete tasks on time.

2.      DSL

Digital Subscriber Line, popularly known as DSL is another type of internet connection considered among the best for business purposes. It is a low tech broadband internet connection that provides a fixed speed. The internet connection over DSL is transmitted along copper lines and works with a two-wire technology so that it is met with as a minimum a hindrance as possible from your phone service.

A DSL connection is set up usually with the help of a DSL modem, which acts as the bridge between digital devices and the Local Area Network. For businesses that intend to carry out light web browsing, backup data, and share files, a DSL connection is a way to go. Plus, if your business requires frequent video conferencing and downloading, DSL can serve that purpose as well. But, just like cable internet, DSL has its downside too. For instance, if your connection is at a distance from your ISP, you may notice the speed of your internet connection going down. To make a DSL connection work for your business in the most ideal way, you will have to make sure your connection is well within the reach of the ISP.

3.      Fiber Optic Internet

Another type of internet connection that has gained quite a popularity in just a little time is fiber optic internet. With this type of connection you can benefit from a speed of up to 1GB per second, which is pretty cool especially when you compare it with the previous two types. Initially, fiber optics had limited availability in only 11 cities in the US. But now with top providers like internet plans, businesses across the US are switching from cable and DSL to fiber optic, for it is the ultimate solution as far as remarkably effortless heavy web browsing, downloading, data sharing and uploading.

However, just like everything else that has benefits and a couple of drawbacks, we cannot overlook the downside of fiber optic internet connection. Fiber optic cables cannot work for a mobile connection; the source of connectivity must be near the ground where the cables are or the connection won’t turn out to be stable. Another drawback of fiber optic internet is the fragility of fiber optic cables; if mistakenly bent or twisted, your connection will be affected while the only solution would be a complete replacement.

The Take-away

A good internet connection is all one needs especially when your entire business is dependent on it. An internet connection is nothing without its speed and that is one of the many things to look for while picking an internet service provider. According to an article on LinkedIn by John White, businesses are in constant need of higher bandwidth. If we compare the current global data usage with the past 5 years, we’ll see a spike in data that is only bound to rise further in the anticipatable future. Internet speeds that were considered of the highest standard only a couple of years ago have now been surpassed by their successors. White concluded his article by stating a good and stable internet connection can add to employees’ efficiency. Where there is a slow internet connection, not only the number of tasks delivered will be lower but also the generation of revenue will be disappointing. So choose wisely.