Is your business stuck in the slow lane?

With a greater reliance on data, email and the internet, businesses are becoming more aware of the damage that a slow or unreliable broadband connection can cause. Every online task takes longer and this costs your business in wasted time.

If you multiply even a few minutes wasted every day by the total number of employees and take this across a whole year the case for faster broadband is made! Far from costing you more each month it is actually saving you money when wastage is factored in.

Could FTTC improve your broadband speed?

There are several options when looking for faster broadband for your business. One of the latest ones is called FTTC - fibre to the cabinet. You will probably already know this product as BT Infinity with its much advertised TV commercials aimed at consumers.

This product is based on BTs rollout of fibre optic cabling which allows greater amounts of data to go further than traditional copper lines. The fibre takes the data from the exchange to your local "cabinet" and then it travels the short distance to your premises over copper lines. More fibre and less copper means increased speeds - up to 40mb download and 10mb upload.

Where your business is based determines whether you can access this product and what speeds you are likely to receive. However BT are working hard to bring this new fibre network nationwide so if it's not available to you now it could be in the very near future.

For the latest availability and pricing on FTTC please contact us.

Even faster business broadband!

Businesses looking for faster speeds or guaranteed services will be more interested in EFM (Ethernet First Mile) and leased lines. These services provide private lines (ie. not shared with other customers) and download and upload speeds are agreed in advance.

Obviously these Ethernet services are more expensive, and they also require advanced installation, whereas FTTC can be implemented quickly as it uses your current copper lines for the last hop.

For a full assessment of the services available to your business together with their associated costs please contact us.

Posted in: Broadband , Data Solutions , EFM - Ethernet First Mile , Ethernet , FTTC , Solutions , Technology

For businesses that rely upon data, a strong internet connection is a must. This should be reliable, and fast enough to serve all of their users with spare capacity for busy times.

Standard ADSL business broadband can offer this for some customers, but for others it is not up to the job. The next step up in connectivity is EFM - Ethernet First Mile.

This is a dedicated internet connection, meaning that no-one else is sharing the bandwidth. The speed you get is guaranteed and is symmetrical - meaning you can upload as fast as download. This makes it ideal for VoIP telephony and video, for instance.

We offer EFM with speeds ranging from 1MBps through to 20MBps. The speed you can actually receive is determined by the distance from your local exchange. Contact us for an accurate assessment.

Data is carried by multiple copper pairs from the exchange into your premises. If one of the copper lines fails temporarily the others share the load to keep you connected.

We can also provide fibre leased lines with faster speeds, although these are more expensive and there is a longer installation time. EFM can typically be up and running within 30 days.

EFM is more reliable than standard broadband and our service is actively managed. This means that we provide a pre-configured EFM router to you and are notified of any issues with your line immediately. The SLAs on EFM lines are much quicker than for standard broadband so any downtime will be minimal (we can also provide failover options to eliminate downtime if required).

EFM can be included as part of a total data solution for larger businesses, connecting multiple sites. We can tailor a package for you that meets your requirements and budget.

So if your current broadband is too slow or unreliable you should consider EFM - the cost is coming down and is now within the reach of many small and medium sized businesses. Contact us for a free review of you data connectivity and a cost/benefit analysis.

Articles about EFM:

What is EFM?

Posted in: Broadband , Data Solutions , EFM - Ethernet First Mile , Ethernet , Hosted Solutions , Solutions

We offer a number of corporate telecom solutions which can be implemented on a standalone or package basis. Some of the products on offer include:

Corporate Data Solutions - Utilising a mixture of technologies to deliver resilient data solutions to corporate multi-site operations. Enable faster communication between office staff, remote staff and multiple sites.

Unified Communications - Integrating your voice and data, combining your mobiles and landlines, will improve efficiency and yield savings in the long term.

Telecom Consultancy Services - With 15 years experience in the telecoms sector we are able to guide you through the myriad of options available which could significantly improve your communications both internally and with customers.

Corporate Mobile Phones - Benefit from cost reductions AND improve your communications simultaneously via the use of new mobile technology. Bespoke corporate mobile tariffs that properly reflect your usage both in the UK and overseas.

Corporate telecom review

We can analyse your current telecoms infrastructure; where it is working well and where it is failing. A review focuses on two main areas:

1. Cost reductions
2. Improved communications

A successful corporate telecom review will deliver on both fronts, maximising cost reductions as well as improving the way your company communicates to increase productivity and improve the ROI of your overall telecoms spend.

Investing in new technology now could see your business becoming leaner and more competitive and prove a real boost to your bottom-line in the long term. Let us show you how the very latest technological advancements in the telecoms sector will allow you to work smarter and gain a competitive edge for your business.

Posted in: Business Mobiles , Business Phones , Business Telecoms , Corporate Deals , Data Solutions , Ethernet , Solutions , Telecoms , Unified Communications

Many businesses are now totally reliant upon their data connectivity, not only for standard data but also for voice services. When broadband goes down, the company comes grinding to a halt. Yet a lot of these businesses, particularly small businesses, are relying upon consumer grade broadband with high contention ratios.

This means that a lot of other users are sharing your line, diluting the speed into your premises. Once it reaches you it is then further reduced by being split amongst your own users. If every user in your building is waiting on a slow internet connection productivity drops and, over the course of a year, or even a month, this drop could really damage your profits.

Faster broadband = increased productivity. No waiting for downloads or portals to open - unlimited access during your working hours. Investing even a small amount in faster (and more reliable) connectivity will quickly pay for itself.

That is why we don't offer consumer grade broadband to our business customers. Contention ratios for our standard products are 1:8 and we are seeing more businesses taking up dedicated lines with 1:1 uncontended bandwidth. This will become even more popular as prices continue to drop.

Dedicated ethernet services with guaranteed upload and download speeds are ideal for VoIP services. As well as giving you guaranteed speed you will benefit from a four hour fix on any problems that arise. This type of line rarely fails in comparison with a general broadband line.

For companies who are reliant upon a constant connection there are failover systems which can be employed in order to keep you running seamlessly. You will not even notice there has been a problem.

Because we use a range of suppliers we are able to source a mix of connectivity products which can work together to give your business an integrated data solution. This can be for a single premises or across multiple sites nationwide.

We have expertise in new technologies and a dedicated data solutions department. Ask us about MPLS networks and Ethernet connectivity and how they could help your business perform more efficiently.

Are you currently using a VoIP phone system? If not, why not? VoIP offers better features than standard telephony and has matured into a business grade product which you can rely upon.

You can even take advantage of hosted VoIP which involves no initial outlay or set up costs - ideal for small businesses and new businesses. It is flexible and scalable and can grow with your business. It's a very cost effective solution.

Posted in: Data Solutions , Ethernet , Mobile Data , Networks , Solutions , VoIP

The need for faster and more reliable internet access from businesses has increased dramatically over the past twelve months in the UK. This demand is driving the price of high availability leased lines and Ethernet circuits down.

We have an aggregated approach to supplying connectivity. We buy access from multiple carriers allowing us to be as flexible as possible with our solutions. This aggregated strategy allows customers to mix and match products from various suppliers which we can bring together in to a single working solution.

Ethernet (Fibre)

Ethernet leased lines are delivered using fibre optic cables all the way in to your premises and offer a guaranteed service. We can deliver speeds from 1mb all the way up to 1gb of guaranteed bandwidth both up and down to your location. The service is installed on an access bearer with 10mb, 100mb or 1gb of capacity, we then partition off the amount of speed you require.

The most common service we sell is 10mb of bandwidth on a 100mb bearer, this guarantees the full 10mb and also gives the option to increase the speed in the future without having to re install the connection as there is the capacity to deliver up to 100mb of access if required. You only pay for the speed you use and do not have to pay for the spare capacity.

The service includes a fully managed router which allows us to monitor and maintain the service 24 hours a day 365 days of the year.

Ethernet First Mile (EFM)

EFM is a high availability guaranteed speed service using a mix of fibre optic and copper cables to your premises. We can deliver speeds from 1mb to 20mb of guaranteed bandwidth to your location.

The service comes in two flavours, a 2 pair service can deliver up to 10mb of up and downstream bandwidth and the 4 pair option can deliver up to 20mb of up and down bandwidth. Because the delivery in to the premises is completed using copper the service has a 35 to 45 working day lead time rather than the standard 65 working days of a fibre based ethernet service.

The service includes a fully managed router which allows us to monitor and maintain the service 24 hours a day 365 days of the year. For any organisation that requires high uptime connectivity to the internet, Ethernet based services should be the product of choice due to the high guaranteed speeds and rigid fix times and service level agreements.

For more information about our ethernet packages or connectivity solutions please contact us.

Posted in: Broadband , Ethernet , Networks , Solutions , Telecoms