Is Bonded ADSL a business class solution?
Many businesses are feeling the squeeze and have to cut costs to stay competitive in today’s financial climate. This is a fact of life and impacts on every facet of an organisation. The drive to cut costs and increase operating efficiency is nothing new, however the almost unprecedented recent events in the financial markets are pushing businesses to address wastage as an operating imperative.
IT and communications are not exempt from this focus, as budgets and processes across all business areas are under scrutiny today as never before.
One of the key areas that should be considered is that of internet connectivity. Are you paying too much for your internet connection? The chances are the answer to this question is, yes. The problem is that with advances in technology delivering applications that require more and more bandwidth, many companies are faced with an ever rising communications bill if they are to take advantage of the technologies that will give them a competitive edge.
An increasing number of businesses are turning to bonded ADSL as a solution. There are a number of factors that need to be considered when looking at bonded ADSL. Cost is a major factor, however for companies with an existing leased line infrastructure this is usually a pleasant surprise. Bonded ADSL solutions are usually a magnitude cheaper than legacy leased line costs.
When considering migrating to a bonded ADSL solution it would be wise to put some thought into the ways in which your business uses its internet connection, and how best to configure a bonded ADSL solution to meet your business needs.
The majority of business users simply require a high bandwidth connection that staff can use for web surfing and email. The faster the better is usually the message from the powers that be. It is usually down to an IT or Network Manager to hunt around for a supplier and make a decision based on bandwidth versus budget.
Bonded ADSL can deliver high download capacity links, with the resilience of built in failover between the bonded links.
When considering a bonded ADSL solution however, it would be sensible to consider the wider implications of your choice. In addition to delivering high bandwidth solutions, a bonded ADSL link from a reputable supplier has the capacity to deliver huge benefits to any business.
Bonded ADSL means multiple connections delivered as a single data stream. This bonding architecture means that large files are broken down at packet level, transmitted simultaneously via multiple sessions on multiple links and then recombined at a central point before hitting the internet.
A bonded ADSL solution will therefore increase the data transfer rate of large files. But not all traffic is large files, not all traffic is internet traffic. What about VoIP? Video conferencing? Site to site traffic?
These are issues you should discuss with any potential supplier. When discussing a bonded ADSL solution you should ensure that your potential supplier has the technical expertise to support your various data transfer needs.
Ask about resilience as well, not just failover between lines – this is standard in a bonded ADSL solution – rather check the set up of the central infrastructure. High availability is by no means an industry standard, and it seriously compromises the resilience of a bonded ADSL solution to have all the data routed through a single central “master” bonding device.
In conclusion, a bonded ADSL solution has the capacity to add considerable value to the operating efficiency of a business, as well as delivering welcome cost savings. However, it is worth taking the time to properly spec both solution and solution provider before taking the plunge.
Click to find out about Evolving Networks range of industry leading bonded ADSL solutions, or call 0845 652 2212 for more information.