Australia has not had the greatest track record in ensuring equitable access to the internet. Those who were outside of major urban areas have historically been at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a fast or reliable internet connection. However, with announcements made by nbn® last year covering the gamut of commitments they have made to upgrades and expansion of the network, business-grade networks are coming to even some of the most remote areas to ensure that all Australian organisations can compete and thrive on the same level playing field as their metro counterparts.
5 Reasons You Need Enterprise Ethernet
If you’re wondering if Enterprise Ethernet is right for your organisation, I’m going to break it down into 5 key considerations that you should explore in the process of making your decision.
Security
One of the most important – if not THE most important – factors to come into play for any organisation today is security. Security is top of mind for every CIO, CTO, CISO, and even CEO today due to the complex threat landscape that is only getting more vast by the minute.
An enterprise-grade fibre network allows your security team to respond faster to threats or potential threats as they happen, or as the notifications come through. It is important to bear in mind that cyber-attacks are carried out in real-time, and threat actors often have access to top-of-the-line connections and equipment. For your security team to respond to these threats, your monitoring systems and your team need to have the ability to respond swiftly to any potential attacks.
If you don’t have a security team, and you outsource your security to a MSSP, it is even more critical that the systems that are being monitored by your security partner are on a fit-for-purpose network that ensures that critical data is available for your managed security service provider.
Speed and priority
Traditional Broadband connection speeds are asynchronous – meaning the speed of uploads is slower than the speed of downloads. This was acceptable – before increased usage of cloud computing, SaaS platforms, video conferencing and multiple other bandwidth-heavy applications. Now however, in order to simply keep up, most organisations require synchronous upload and download speeds, something that only Enterprise Ethernet can give you.
The speed of uploads and downloads provided by a fibre connection allows for large amounts of data to be transferred. As more and more organisations need terabytes of data stored in the cloud to power flexible and remote collaboration, and also enable important capabilities in Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, and don’t forget hours and hours of video conferencing and audio telephony, this process is much faster and more efficient when connected via a business-grade fibre connection.
Reliability
A reliable network maximises continuity of service and availability. Nexon’s NOC (Network Operations Centre) closely monitors all client services, so that we’re ready to respond when needed.
A key factor of enterprise ethernet is the failover and redundancies that protect the network. nbn® has strict SLAs in place regarding uptime, and in cases where something takes out a critical piece of the infrastructure (for example, in the event of a flood, or a lightning strike), not only is nbn® on the ground getting things sorted, but the benefit of working with Nexon is that our NOC acts on your behalf with your network provider, ensuring that you see little to no downtime, and certainly no time spent on hold listening to elevator music just to get your connection back.
Three use cases where speed, priority, and reliability are key
Critical information
Storage of client data in the Cloud is more secure than on-premise infrastructure, especially when considering natural disasters or other events that could prevent access to those servers. With traditional internet speeds, accessing cloud infrastructure can be frustrating, and at times feel ineffective. Your network speed dictates the level of ease and efficiency of access to critical information for your organisation.
IoT Systems – Farming care and productivity
Consider many of our home systems such as thermostats and security cameras use the internet to connect to those handy apps on our phones. This is not that far different from a large Nexon client in the farming industry with bases in rural Australia. They have an extensive IoT system to regulate the temperatures and feed schedules of their chickens. For them, a slow internet connection could be disastrous, and could result in delayed or spoiled feed, and even considerable health issues for the animals, which would not only be cruel, but also affect the organisation’s productivity, and ultimately, their bottom line.
IoT Systems – Health care
The same is true for hospitals or blood banks. Many of the blood banks managed by a national Nexon client for instance, use automated temperature regulators on their blood storage refrigerators. If these “blood fridges” lose internet connectivity, the fridges might cease to keep the blood in the required temperature range, rendering it unusable. With demand for donor blood never waning, in these cases, a lost or spotty internet connection could literally lead to negative patient outcomes.
Prioritisation is just as important
With a fit-for-purpose network, organisations can assign priority to certain types of data, that is not only applied within the organisation, but also in the external infrastructure. The network constantly monitors and analyses data streams and traffic, and when there is congestion, it will prioritise the relevant data that your organisation needs to function in favour of lower priority data traffic that is for example, due to all of Australia bingeing the latest Stranger Things episodes en masse.
Data speed has always been a factor, in that there is nothing new. However, with increasing data consumption at both a residential and business level, prioritisation is just as important when considering your options.
Meets and exceeds your organisational targets or goals
An organisation that has business-grade connectivity with Enterprise Ethernet is ensuring that their organisation has the security, speed, reliability, and availability needed to meet and exceed their organisational targets. Outcomes directly driven by enterprise ethernet include improved CX and EX (customer experience and employee experience), reduction of and better mitigation of risk, and of course, modernisation and innovation with initiatives like automation, data-driven decision-making, and accelerated deployment of transformational projects.
Understanding your current and desired future state to create a flexible and agile road map allows for better planning of your infrastructure needs now, and in the future.
No set-up costs
For many Australian organisations, and even those in rural and remote areas, concerns about the cost of setting up the access to a fibre network is no longer an issue. With commitments from the nbn® in the form of The Business Fibre Initiative, we have now have the no-cost fibre build program. This not only lets you get the most out of your network, but it also allows you to save money from that expense and use it to instead transform your organisation in other ways.
The no-cost fibre build program is dependent on your address eligibility, and on your internet service provider’s offerings. As a business nbn® accredited advisor, we work with all ISPs and advise on the best options for your organisational needs, even if that includes switching providers. We help you navigate that process to get the best outcome.
Nexon takes reliability and continuity of service to another level for ALL applications
With Nexon our clients get:
- An excellent track record and years of expertise. Our in-depth understanding of networks and infrastructure allows us to simplify connectivity for organisations.
- Simplified service pricing and agreements to meet a variety of budgets and needs, allowing your organisation to scale on demand.
- A business nbn® accredited advisor providing a partnership that will accelerate your organisational capabilities to the next level.
- Accessible and reliable infrastructure foundations that are fit-for-purpose for end-to-end digital initiatives.
- Zero trust architecture solutions – to protect organisations from today’s online security threats.
You depend on your internet connection to work without having to constantly think about what is happening or how it is doing it. But you certainly notice when it’s not fitting the bill. At Nexon, we provide much more than just technology expertise, we bring understanding, flexibility, out-of-the-box solutions, experience, and communication. With us as your partner, your organisation will feel equipped and supported to drive your organisational goals forward.
If your organisation is interested in accessibility, reliability, consistency, and the ability to scale your systems on demand, learn even more business-grade fibre here.
Or reach out, and let’s talk.
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