How to Scale A Secure Network for Business Growth
1. Build Strong Network Infrastructure
A successful business will have invested in network infrastructure that can fully take on whatever you and your customers need. The first step then to build that strong foundation is to learn what those needs — and your options — are: What are the types of services and resources available? Do you need Internet, voice services, hosted communications, or a bundle of combined services?
Once you’ve thoroughly researched your options, adopt solutions that can be scaled up or down to accommodate the changing needs of your business. (If you’re still not sure, contact a Windstream representative today to see what might be best for you.)
2. Choose the best Internet speeds
In many cases, your Internet speed can affect business continuity and customer satisfaction. To fully measure your current bandwidth usage, ask yourself: How many devices do I have accessing the Internet at any given time, particularly my peak hours? What are those devices using the Internet for?
Then, you can determine just how much speed you need to enable your employees to do their jobs without the frustration of a sluggish Internet connection. And, keep in mind that as you put greater demands on your Internet connection — or as you add employees — your bandwidth needs are likely going to grow to keep the same productivity level.
3. Strengthen Your Network Security
Now more than ever before, secure network access and protecting the data traveling through it is critical to the livelihood of your business. If you can’t protect your own proprietary information — or that of your customers — your business is at risk of major fallout that could get in the way of your plans for growth.
According to IDC, a global market intelligence firm, 71 percent of security breaches target small businesses. And it’s not just Internet security software that we’re talking about: Your employees need to understand how their online activity can be compromised, too, and learn the protocol to match your business processes.
