Internet is an essential part of any business these days. However, it’s not enough to simply have a connection to the internet. Your business needs a reliable connection, one that’s fast enough to handle all of your employees’ tasks while protecting your internet traffic from intrusions. If you think your business’s internet could use some improvement, here are some strategies to boost the speeds and provide better security.
Talk To Your Service Provider
One of the first things you can do is talk to your business’s internet service provider. There may be a few things that your provider can do that will help with your internet performance. For one, they may be able to upgrade you to another plan, which gives your business more bandwidth and faster internet speeds. This may cost you more money, so you’ll want to weigh the benefits of better internet versus the additional costs.
Your ISP can also investigate to see if there are any issues with your internet connection. If you feel that you’re not getting the speeds promised by the ISP, they can investigate to ensure there’s nothing causing the slowdowns. In some cases, they may send out a technician to your location to perform on-site assessments and see if they can make any improvements for you.
Upgrade Your Equipment
The next thing you’ll want to explore is upgrading your equipment. To provide internet to your business, you’re likely relying on equipment such as a modem and routers. Routers play a big role in determining how much internet speed you get, especially when you have a large number of people connecting to your internet service. One of the first things you should explore is upgrading to a better router, which will allow for faster internet speeds.
After that, consider adding some network switches or hubs to your network. These are devices that expand your network’s distance, making it easier for people further from the router to connect. If you’re in a large office building or your location covers a lot of ground, adding more equipment may help those who don’t work physically near the router.
Change Your Network Architecture
Network architecture refers to how your network equipment is set up. In some cases, changing this structure to another type of setup can help improve performance and security. For example, you may currently be using a Local Area Network (LAN) to provide access for your employees. However, LANs are best for small environments, such as homes. Your business may benefit from a different setup, such as a WAN or even an SD WAN, says Flexiwan.com. Using a setup like an SD-WAN, you can make it easier for your entire business to quickly connect to important internet applications in a secure fashion. If you’re not sure what type of network setup is best for your business, consult an expert systems administrator for some advice.
Implement New Policies
The policies within your business can have a big impact on the speed and security of your network connections. One important place to start is by ensuring your network uses strong passwords and that your employees have secure passwords as well, says CNet. Set password requirements within your business, then ensure that your employees are following them. Having a strong internet setup doesn’t do much good if someone can simply guess one of your employees’ passwords.
Next, you may want to implement policies regarding your internet traffic. For example, you can limit which sites your employees can access during the day, blocking traffic-heavy websites like YouTube. You can also request that your employees close out any applications that use the internet when they are finished with them. Small adjustments like this can make a big difference if everyone in the company adheres to them.
Hire New Personnel
Finally, if you’re still struggling to improve the performance and security of your business’s internet connections, you should consider hiring someone to assist you. Many companies hire network administrators (definition here) who can install reliable and fast network systems for an organization. After the initial setup, the network administrator can monitor the network to ensure everything operates efficiently. Hiring a network administrator often makes sense for large organizations that have the budget to afford them and who cannot afford to lose their internet connection for any period of time.
Start Improving Your Organization’s Internet Today
Don’t settle for slow or unsecured internet at your business. The faster speeds you have and the more reliable your connections are, the more your entire team can get done. Start exploring some of the strategies mentioned above today, and before long, you should see a noticeable improvement in your internet, which will ultimately lead to improvements throughout your business.
Last Updated: September 13, 2022
