Unlocking the Power of 10Gbps: Why It’s Time for SMEs to Get Up to Speed for Improved Data Handling, Productivity and Resilience

Posted on 15th June 2023

In today’s competitive business landscape, the need to efficiently manage and transfer increasingly large volumes of data is a priority for many SMEs – but they can quickly fall foul if they have insufficient bandwidth. Yet by expanding available network capability on company servers through a 10Gbps bandwidth add-on, businesses with high data transfer requirements can access several connection advantages.

Here Justin Bateman, Senior Product Manager at Fasthosts, outlines why increasing the size of a company’s bandwidth should seriously be considered as part of a strategic business plan for SMEs looking to optimise data handling, security and connectivity.

For SMEs working in sectors like media, entertainment, scientific research, financial services or engineering, chances are they’re regularly seeing data intensive workloads sitting at the heart of business activity. As such, server bandwidth efficiency should be a priority for those looking to optimise their day-to-day output, build better resilience against spikes in data traffic and to support ambitions focussed on safe and secure business scale-up.

Any business that has high data transfer requirements or needs to support a large number of user applications, will instantly benefit from a 10Gbps bandwidth server expansion. Many of these businesses will be familiar with GB file sizes, especially if they’re dealing with data on a server, but to put 10Gbps into perspective, if you have a 1GB file and a 10Gbps connection, it would take less than 1 second to download or transfer it. So, the less bandwidth you have, the slower the download or transfer.

Additional server bandwidth is easy to access and has the flex to handle unexpected short spikes in traffic, no matter the sector. Let’s bring this to life with examples of how this can benefit businesses. . For example, the ability of retailers to tap into ‘bursts’ of extra server bandwidth to complement exceptional need when it occurs. There are some real tangible benefits in doing this. By configuring a company’s server with a 10Gbps add-on to expand their bandwidth, SMEs can better manage data flows, or more strongly position themselves to handle peaks in e-commerce-related data transfer needs.

The continued growth of high- traffic e-commerce sites can also benefit from fast data transfer speeds that are able to oversee exceptional volumes of network traffic and unexpected spikes in site traffic. Visitors will undoubtedly be put off by slow loading sites that are hard to navigate and don’t deliver the speed that today’s online consumer expects .

Let’s take another example, high-traffic websites, like entertainment ticketing sites can be swamped with demand very quickly, putting stress and strain on the current data infrastructure. Being able to use up to 10Gbps of bandwidth quickly and easily, means that any such spikes in demand can be effectively managed and customer service levels maintained.

In this and other cases, users experiencing an unsatisfactory online interaction may decide to terminate the l purchase and a valuable conversion will be lost. The built-in insurance provided by additional bandwidth will guarantee his doesn’t become an avoidable reality.

And it’s not just ecommerce sites that can reap the benefits of 10Gbps bandwidth – loads of businesses and server users can jump on board too.

Take financial service companies, they must be confident in their ability to process and analyse large volumes of data in real time. Doing so underpins customer service expectations, financial security and strengthens corporate reputations. On a more practical level, SME scientific research organisations rely on data-intensive applications to conduct simulations and other essential data analysis. Effective data handling is critical to hitting project timescales and getting a competitive advantage.

Likewise, engineering and manufacturing firms require fast data transfer speeds to optimise large CAD file sharing requirements on complex tasks, as well as having a reliance on other data-intensive applications needed for successful production-related outcomes. They don’t want to have staff waiting for large-scale shared files to download – a scenario that could have a negative impact productivity and business deadlines.

Businesses working on projects that require high volumes of file sharing, such as content delivery networks or government agencies, can also benefit from increasing their bandwidth to 10GB. Doing so will enhance resilience and better protect them against the ever-present threat of cyber-crime and attack.

Faster data speeds, thanks to improved bandwidth access, can help detect and provide an immediate response to these types of data incidents or breaches. If left unchecked this could lead to severe financial and reputational cost.

Extended bandwidth is also a great tool to support growth ambitions. With a larger and stronger server capability standing behind an enterprise, it can have the confidence that it has the infrastructure to further scale up its business, hold and manage more data, explore new sales channels, and look to thrive in an increasingly competitive business environment.

Improved bandwidth, better business outcomes

Taking the step to extend server bandwidth will naturally help drive day-to-day operational efficiencies, while also providing better data security. Importantly it will also deliver an enhanced customer experience to keep visitors coming back.

At a time when data connectivity is key to business success, it’s vital that all organisations dealing with data consider the limitations of the server bandwidth they currently use as well as the untapped potential of an enhanced server.. It’s also easy to get caught out by hidden costs or capped bandwidths, so companies should take time to research and choose the right provider for their business requirements.

For those seeking to improve general data handling, drive productivity targets, set new business ambitions or better secure their data, a closer examination of the possibilities linked to an easily added 10Gbps Premium Bandwidth feature, makes clear business sense.