Starting up or relocating a business can be a daunting experience. Choosing the right location for your customers, fitting out the premises to create the best customer/client/office experience are all big decisions that can be overwhelming. Perhaps one of the most tedious decisions can be choosing the right Internet plan.
There seems to be so many plan options out there with lots of weird acronyms and tech lingo such as Megabites (Mbps), Gigabytes (GB), DSL, Fibre, that for some it feels like you are trying to learn a new language. Obviously, the cost is also a major factor that you have to think about as no one wants to pay for services they aren’t using or go over the service limits to pay extra.
In the following we give you a quick overview of what plan speeds and data usage mean then we dive into some quick tips on how to choose the best plan for your business needs.
How does Plan Speed work?
Internet speed, the number we give you (5 Mbps, for example), has nothing to do with how fast your internet works. It’s not like driving in your car where you can measure how fast it goes in kilometres per hour. Basically, it means that the higher number of Megabites you choose the more data can travel down the internet connection cable at the same time so that you can receive files such as video’s and images much faster which means less loading time for you. So, to put it into perspective this may translate into the workplace as you having to wait an extra 30 mins for a large video or image to come through or not having to wait at all if you have a faster speed plan.
Plan speed is typically offered at different download and upload and speeds. Most plans are listed like this: 5/1 Mbps. What this means is that an internet plan has a download speed of 5Mbps and an upload speed of 1Mbps. Most businesses typically download more (watch more videos, browse on the web, receive e-mails and download attachments) from the internet than upload, so most plans have differing upload and download speeds to suit the demand.
What is Data Usage?
Data Usage refers to the overall amount of data you can use on your plan. So, every time you do something on the internet, data is transferred back and forth. This includes when you access the internet, check and send e-mails, or watch a video. Background tasks, such as backups, cloud and file syncing or location services, will also use data. If you are on an unlimited plan, then there are no problems. However, if you have a data usage limit, it means that your data will be measured each month and then once you use more than the allocated amount you will be charged extra for going over your amount. We recommend selecting an unlimited plan if you are at all concerned about going over your data allowance to avoid the stress of additional costs. So, let’s get to the plans now to help you make the best choice.
What are your Business Internet Needs?
In most cases you’d think that a small business with a handful of employees could get by with less speed and data usage, but what if they’re downloading and uploading huge files and video conferencing all day? By the same token, 80 employees doing little more than trading emails and funny emoji GIFs probably don’t really need ultra-fast plans or much data usage no matter how funny the emoji are.
The first step is to understand what you are doing and what services you require to run efficiently.
Ask yourself the following questions and write down a list of what you use to see the bigger picture.
Does your business rely on cloud software and backup services?
How many Employees will need constant access?
Will you require remote access for Employees?
Do you use video conferencing often?
Do you send and upload large files (e.g over 100Mbps) like videos and images to the web?
Do you need to send large files quickly to provide the best service to your customers?
Do you run subscription software that is continuously streaming e.g Audio, High Definition Video?
Do you run other services such as multiple phone lines, EFTPOS, security cameras and access control services over the internet?
Do you plan to expand your services and increase your employees and operation within a standard contract period (12 – 36 months)?
Do you require Wi-fi or require access points to your devices?
If you have under 20 people in your business and your answer is yes to most of these questions we would recommend that you look at the highest speed plans at with unlimited data allowances to ensure that you are accommodating the most efficient operations. If your list only includes some of the above we recommend that you take a quick look at the example plans below as a guide to understand what works best for you. You can also check out our business plans here and get started right away on choosing the best internet plan for your business.
If your business is much bigger and requires much more complex services, the best plans for your business will be the hefty Enterprise plans that offer much more customised options to suit your business.
Examples of Plans for different business
| Plan Speed
Data Usage |
20 Mbps (download) / 4 Mbps (upload) 400GB |
50 Mbps (download) / 10 Mbps (upload)
1000GB |
100 Mbps (download) / 40 Mbps (upload) Unlimited |
| Number of Employees/Users |
1- 3 employees
|
1-7 Employees |
1-20 Employees |
| Suitable for |
|
|
|
| Business Types Suitable |
Small Retail outlets such as small coffee shops, clothing boutiques. |
Retail Outlets, Small Offices |
Offices Large Retail Outlets |
Enterprise Plans
Enterprise Plans can accommodate much more speed and data and are suitable for 20+ employee’s businesses that are rapidly growing. If you are a much larger business we suggest that you talk to one of our business consultants to ensure that you can get the most customised enterprise plan for your needs at sales@piv.lighthousedd.au
If you are still a little unsure about what will be best for your business our friendly staff will be more than happy to guide you through the process. Contact our team today on 1300 66 33 20 or fill in the contact form here.