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The case is straightforward - or so it seemed. The small business’s Wi-Fi is sluggish, video calls are buffering and files take an age to upload. But who or what was draining the business broadband of this humble workplace? It’s time to investigate.
The game is afoot!
The Usual Suspects
Every good detective knows you need to gather the evidence before pointing fingers. Here are the prime suspects in our business broadband mystery:
The Conference Calling Culprit
Innocent to the untrained eye but lethal in reality. Zoom, Teams and Google Meet can devour your bandwidth, especially when using HD video. A single call may not seem like much, but multiply it for an entire team, and suddenly your internet is struggling to keep its head above water.
Encourage your colleagues to switch off their cameras or adjust their video quality settings. If conference calls are a daily occurrence, a business-grade broadband package with guaranteed speeds may be required.
The Storage Space Swindler
Is your team constantly syncing files with Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive? Any one of them could be a suspect in your slow broadband disaster. Large files silently uploading or downloading in the background can clog up your network.
Set cloud storage services to sync outside peak working hours or prioritise local file storage where practical.
The Super-Streaming Spy
A bit of background music or a podcast to boost productivity couldn’t hurt, right? Wrong. Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube can eat up bandwidth quicker than a treacherous double agent jumping ship.
If employees like to work with music, suggest offline playlists or lower-quality streaming settings. Downloading videos in advance is a smart move, as they can always be deleted afterwards.
The Delinquent Devices
From Wi-Fi-connected printers and smart speakers to personal phones, these stealthy suspects slowly drain bandwidth and often go undetected.
Implement a separate guest network for personal devices and limit unnecessary office gadgets from connecting automatically.
The Undercover Updater
Software updates are often necessary for cybersecurity and performance but can launch surprise broadband offensives during peak hours.
Schedule software and operating system updates to run overnight or off-peak hours to prevent unexpected downtime.
Cracking the Case
Once you’ve interrogated the suspects and mitigated their impact, you might find your broadband is still crawling along. This can only mean one thing: the network isn’t suitable for your business needs.
Consider the following clues:
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Are you frequently experiencing buffering?
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Has your team grown, but your broadband hasn’t?
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Do you rely on cloud-based apps, VoIP calls or large data transfers?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above, it’s time to upgrade to a stronger business broadband package, possibly with a dedicated leased line for guaranteed speeds and reliability.
Case Closed?
Your network should run smoothly with the culprit identified and solutions in place. However, a good detective never assumes the case is truly closed. Regularly monitor your broadband usage, run speed tests and assess whether your current package meets your growing business needs.
If slow speeds persist, upgrading your broadband is a wise move. Consider switching to fibre-optic business broadband for faster, more stable connections or investing in a leased line for dedicated bandwidth. Some providers offer service level agreements (SLAs) with guaranteed uptime and priority support, ensuring seamless business operations.
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