If you want a faster, more reliable business internet connection, a leased line is a worthwhile investment. Once you’ve experienced the many benefits, you won’t look back.
In this guide, we’ll share 10 key advantages of leased lines, and how they can help your business.
What are the benefits of a leased line connection?
Leased lines provide a wide range of benefits to businesses. From increased reliability to more flexible bandwidth and faster speeds, there are a number of reasons why you might consider investing in a dedicated line.
Let’s take a look at some of the key advantages of leased lines for businesses.
1. High-speed connection
High speed internet is now more of a necessity than a luxury, especially in fast-paced business settings. A leased line provides a powerful connection that can deliver higher speeds of up to 10GB, even during peak hours. This is because the line is more direct and the bandwidth is not shared with any other businesses or premises.
2. Symmetrical upload/download speeds
With a leased line, you get guaranteed simultaneous (symmetrical) upload and download speeds. This means that the bandwidth isn’t used more by a download or upload, and instead is shared equally to the maximum capacity allowed.
3. Scalable bandwidth
A leased line contract can be flexible and allow scalability. You can adapt quickly to changing business needs by upgrading bandwidth at short notice, increasing capacity and only paying for what you need, when you need it.
4. Less downtime
A leased line contract will be covered by a service level agreement, meaning the provider has a responsibility to provide a guaranteed service. You can also have a secondary connection (failover line), or a diverse routing connection, both of which provide a backup option if the primary connection goes down.
5. Better productivity
Faster transfer speeds and less downtime of course means that your staff are able to be more productive. If their internet connection is fast, reliable and available, they’re able to do their jobs much more efficiently and easily, which in turn is good for business productivity.
6. Increased privacy and security
A dedicated leased line is exclusive to your business, meaning it’s not shared with other premises in the area. This helps make the line more secure and improves privacy by reducing the chances of external users accessing your network.
7. Interlocation productivity
A leased line provides the ability to connect multiple offices or premises for seamless multi-location operations. This is particularly useful if you regularly share large amounts of data between your various premises.
8. Unlimited usage and data transfer
A key advantage of a dedicated line over a standard broadband connection is that it is not subject to fair use smallprint. Many standard connections promise ‘unlimited’ data, but this can in reality be limited. With a leased line, you can download and upload as much data as you need to without worrying about reaching a cap or incurring additional costs.
9. Managed service
A dedicated line also comes with dedicated support. The provider will offer management and support services to ensure any problems or issues are quickly resolved and you’re never left without internet access.
10. Greater Cloud Service Opportunities
Not so long ago, if a business required a sophisticated CRM, marketing, project management, HR, or accounting system (to name a few), a whole server infrastructure would be required, along with all the capital expenditure, set up and running costs. Now any size of business can tap into the myriad of cloud based systems. However, cloud based systems only work well when the connection is fast and reliable. Leased lines offer this speed and reliability, opening up huge opportunities for any business.
Are there any disadvantages to a leased line connection?
As we’ve outlined above, the benefits of a leased line are plain to see. Almost every business these days requires an internet connection, and having a reliable, fast, well managed service is key to ensuring your business runs smoothly.
In terms of disadvantages, the likely stumbling blocks are:
- Setup time — the installation process for a leased line can be more complex than a standard connection, and therefore may take longer. Typically, the line will be installed within 30 to 60 days.
- Cost — because of the increased level of service, reliability and performance, a leased line connection comes with a more premium price, starting from around £250 per calendar month.
It’s important to consider these points alongside the vast benefits, however. Although the cost of a leased line may initially be off-putting, think about how costly it would be if your business and staff were not as productive as possible due to a poor quality connection.
Take the time to weigh up the benefits and decide if a leased line is right for your business.
Conclusion
As your business grows, a reliable and fast internet connection will likely become more important. In that scenario, a dedicated leased line will offer many benefits as outlined above.
Contact The PC Support Group today to learn more about our leased line solutions and see how we can help you.
If you need further information, download our free, easy-to-follow checklist to help you decide which is the best leased line connection for your business.