- Is your business internet critical?
- Do you need to connect geographically distant or remote offices?
- Do you get frustrated with slow internet speed?
- Does your business take a hit because of usage restrictions?
This blog explains the six most important things you need to know about leased lines, so you can make an informed decision whether your business would benefit from a dedicated internet connection.
What is a leased line?
Simply put, a leased line is a dedicated, fixed-bandwidth, symmetric data connection. It is the fastest, most secure and most reliable data connection option available to businesses today. It is a dedicated telecommunications circuit from your business to the carriers’ or the providers’ network in exchange for a monthly rent. Unlike with a shared or contended broadband connection, the full bandwidth on a leased line is always available to just your business and it assures a consistently high quality connection.
A leased line is not the same as an internet connection
It is so much more…
A leased line can be used to carry a variety of data traffic such as internet traffic including web pages, emails; video streaming; VPN (Virtual Private Network) traffic over WAN or LAN; phone calls, and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). However, it is most common for companies to buy internet access at the same time they buy a leased line.
Leased lines can be used to:
- Link corporate offices to the internet
- Connect local area networks, or several corporate offices together
- Link PCs and servers in different locations
- Carry phone calls
- Share IT resources and carry data between sites
- Enable remote connections to head office PC
6 key facts you need to know about leased lines
1 – Your company’s dedicated connection to the world-wide-web
If your business relies on the internet for its day to day running, you will know that broadband is just not enough. Your business needs a reliable connection to the web that is consistent and ‘uncontended’ at all times. A leased line provides your business with a dedicated line with no contention from other businesses or individuals. You no longer have to worry about Fair Usage Policy (FUP) as you can use as much data as you like for the monthly price you agree.
2 – Say goodbye for good to failing internet connection
You don’t have to worry about a drop in your internet connection anymore because your dedicated leased line is exclusive to your business and it will maintain its performance levels 24/7. So, you can always meet that deadline, communicate with your workforce and close that deal with confidence.
3 – Get super-fast internet every day
A leased line is so much more than fast download speed. What sets leased lines apart is that they provide your business with a synchronous connection, which means that you get the same transfer speed for data in both directions. This is important if you are uploading to the cloud, downloading large volumes of data on a daily basis, if you are running your own in-house servers to host websites, if you are streaming, using VoIP telephony, sharing large data files or use financial trading.
Unlike broadband, there are no usage caps on the amount of data you can transfer and you simply can not exceed your data allowance.
4 – Save money
Contrary to popular belief, leased lines do not need to cost the earth. They have in fact become more cost effective over the years. It is true, that while broadband connection will cost tens of pounds, leased lines will cost more than that but they have become a favoured choice for businesses looking for a consistently reliable, high speed private internet connection.
With leased lines, there is also the option for flexibility. You can alter your bandwidth to follow fluctuating business demand, and pay for what you require. You can also future proof your company by anticipating how your bandwidth needs may grow in the future.
Most leased lines are unmetered, which means no matter how much you use them, you will never have to pay more than your monthly agreement.
5 – Customise your leased lines as and when you need it
Leased lines are surprisingly easy to improve and customise to suit your business needs. You can add on extras such as security, backup options in case your primary email service fails, spam control, managed authentication services, and upgrades. You can also arrange for the deployment of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which allows you to connect your workers, remote sites, partners and customers to your network safely. You can also choose back up connections and ensure that you always have internet access wherever you are.
6 – Faster fix time than broadband
If your broadband connection goes down, you could be without an internet connection for days. This could have disastrous consequences for your business. This is why a leased line comes with a Service Level Agreement (SLA), which guarantees that major connectivity issues will be resolved quickly and efficiently. The providers’ Network Operations Centre monitors their connections around the clock ensuring that help is on the hand if a line goes down.
Should you choose a leased line?
To assess whether a leased line is right for your business, you need to ask yourself how business critical is your internet connection. If your business operates in multiple locations and you need a highly reliable connection backed by a Service Level Agreement (SLA), a leased line is probably the right choice for you.
To find out how much a dedicated connection would cost your company location, get in touch with us. Our team would be delighted to speak with you.
