A step-by-step guide to setting up a leased line

Having a reliable and high-speed internet connectivity functions as the backbone of contemporary businesses. Broadband internet can hardly meet the speed and bandwidth requirements of a business. According to a recent report, 75% of businesses surveyed link the loss of profitability to a bad internet connection.

With the dedicated, symmetric, and uncontended connection of an internet leased line, the IT ecosystem is sure to flourish with increased revenue. But there are a number of factors to consider before any business sets up a dedicated internet leased line.

Factors to consider for businesses before getting a leased line

Any business or organization needs to consider the following factors before getting a business leased line set up for itself:

• Number of users

  The very first factor to consider before setting up a leased line is the total number of employees in a business. Businesses with more than 20 employees who need access to the same network, should get an internet leased line connection. This helps in achieving improved connectivity and facilitating user experience.

• Intensity of internet usage

  The intensity of internet usage is another factor for a business to consider before setting up a leased line. For simple online activities such as sending emails, or browsing the internet for information and data, a corporate broadband service would suffice. However, if the business operations require high-internet usage for applications such as video-conferencing, VoIP, cloud-based services, and so on, or if the business has remote branches, getting a leased line would be suitable.

• The cost of getting a leased line

  The cost of getting a leased line is significantly more than most other internet connections due to the reliability and dedicated network provided by it. However, the good news is that lately, the cost of getting a leased line internet connection has dropped significantly.

  The price of a leased line connection depends on the location of the ISP and the multiple sites of a business, the competition between different service providers, the bandwidth required by a particular business, and the technologies used by an ISP in order to provide the connection.

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of setting up a leased line

After taking note of the above-mentioned factors, businesses should consider and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of a leased line.

• Download and Upload Speed

  The leased line connections are dedicated and uncontended. These connections have symmetrical upload speeds, which means that they offer equally fast upload speeds as the download speeds. This makes the overall internet connectivity much faster.##BlogVASBanner##

• Reliability

  The reason why a leased line is considered the best internet service for business is because it is highly reliable. Leased lines use expensive and high-grade hardware that makes it extremely reliable to use. They are usually safe against any kind of electrical interference or water ingress. Moreover, they come with Service Level Agreements or SLAs that guarantee top-notch performance and offer prompt service for any shortcoming.

• Cost

  As already mentioned above, the cost of a leased line internet connection tends to be higher than other broadband products and services like ADSL and FTTC. However, the increased performance reliability and security that comes with it makes the investment more than worth it.

• Installation time

  Installing a leased line internet connection can take more than a month depending on local infrastructure and the technology used. Thus, businesses should plan the installation months in advance, while keeping an effective backup plan ready.

Plan for a backup

Usually leased lines are highly resilient. But businesses should always have a backup plan ready to go to counter the downtime. It is important to have access to some backup circuit, or a broadband service even for a temporary basis. A backhaul supplier would be useful to counter any downtime as well.

Decide the kind of visibility of the circuit required

Businesses can either have a “wires only” leased line or include a managed router in the circuit. In the case of the former, the ISPs will have little visibility of the circuit which will limit how they resolve any issues. In the case of the latter, the ISPs are able to monitor the circuit from a distance.

Decide the location where the circuit is to be placed

Once the business decides on the ISP and a leased line internet plan, it needs to figure out where in the office premises it wants the circuit to be placed. Once decided, the team from the ISP will install the leased line accordingly.

Conclusion

A leased line can, thus, facilitate the growth and operations of any business with utter smoothness. With ACT Enterprise, businesses can set up a leased line for high-speed internet connectivity with cost-effective plans and reliable SLAs that offer consistency and reliably symmetrical speeds that allow businesses to stay ahead of not only their competitors but of the ever-shifting needs of their market.