Does the new year or a new product offering have you thinking about how your business could grow faster and operate more efficiently if you had faster internet?

Or, perhaps you're experiencing lag or a network reliability issue -- and that has you wondering if adding speed could be the solution.

Whatever the reason, if you find yourself questioning whether your business needs are being met in terms of internet speed, it may be time for an assessment. Check out this refresher on speed options and a few of the tasks and abilities associated with levels of connection.    

How They Stack Up

Business internet providers offer a variety of tiers of speeds, which are essentially measured by how much data can be uploaded or downloaded in a second. Typically, business internet speeds range from xxx to xxx.

The recommended speed for your business comes down to several factors, such as the size of your company, i.e., number of employees, type of business, your growth stage or plan, how many cloud-based apps you need to access, etc.

For businesses with 10 or more employees, providers might recommend a speed tier in the range of 150-500 Mbps, which could accommodate website hosting and heavy Wi-Fi  traffic.

Another key factor is whether your internet is being shared across desktops, laptops, VoIP phone systems, smartphones, and/or tablets.

“Businesses need to make sure they have enough bandwidth to support all of these devices,” explains a blog on the research and review site Business.org.

COMPARING BUSINESS INTERNET SPEEDS

Download/Upload Speed * Accommodates

25/3 Mbps     * Point-of-Sale Transactions, emails

50/5 Mbps     *Email, Web browsing and Basic WiFi

150/15 Mbps   * Frequent cloud computing, data backups, up to 10 users

300/30 Mbps   * Seamless streaming, video conferencing, 15-20 users

500/50 Mbps   * Seamless streaming, video conferencing

1000/50 Mbps * Extreme operational speed, server hosting, conference calls, multimedia projects

Source: Sparklight Business Internet

Opt for Fiber Internet

If fiber internet service is offered in your area, your business could have access to up to 5 gig, identical download/upload speeds, and seamless upgrades as you grow.

With high-speed fiber, visitors to your website get in and around quicker with fewer interruptions due to lag, giving customers an improved experience.

And while your public-facing site is excelling with high-speed data fiber, your online experiences with vendors, suppliers, and employees behind the scenes can flow smoothly.

 “Stay in touch with fewer disruptions and keep supply chains flush—or pivot as needed without missing a beat,” explains a blog on The Wire.

Further, a fiber connection allows a business to run voice and video data on the same line, which can improve quality and reliability.

WHAT YOU COULD DO WITH BUSINESS FIBER INTERNET

This is how fast your business could handle these files if you had 5 gig business fiber internet service:

Size of File * Download/Upload Time

3 GB   * 9 seconds

10 GB * 17 seconds

64 GB * 2  min

Source: Sparklight Business Fiber Internet