What is the best internet connection for a small business?

Your internet connection can make or break your business in today’s digital-first world.

And the grace period of digital adoption is coming to an end. Soon, customers and clients will no longer accept laggy video conferences or a slow wait at your e-commerce checkout.

That’s why choosing the best internet connection for your small business is so important.

But what exactly is the best internet connection type for a small business?

What is the best internet connection type for a small business?

Every business is different. So the best internet connection for your business will depend on how many people are on the internet and how your business uses the internet.

How many people need to be using the internet at the same time? 

When more people need to use the internet simultaneously, your connection’s bandwidth goes down. So if a certain internet speed suffices when one person’s on the internet, you’ll need to double it to get the same performance levels with two users – and so on. So consider how many people in your business will use the internet and the performance levels you’ll need to do the tasks essential to your business.

How does your business use the internet? 

Bandwidth-intensive internet applications have become a normal part of business. From videoconferencing and making phone calls via VoIP to online databases, you must ensure your internet connection can do what you need. Consider what applications you’re using in your business and what that requirement may be in the future as technology continues its onward march.

And in addition to meeting your business’s current needs, your connection should be easily scalable. Aussie Broadband’s MyAussie® app lets you scale your speeds instantly to match your growth. So whether you’re hiring new team members or upgrading your software, you can keep your performance at the same level. 

Trying to cut your internet costs by choosing a slower internet connection will cost you much more than you’ll save. Sub-par internet could see your business come across as unprofessional or incompetent in the present and leave you ill-prepared for the future.

But what is the best internet connection for your business? Here’s a rundown of what connections suit small businesses’ typical (or ideal) usage across various industries.

What is the best internet connection for construction businesses?

Construction businesses require an internet connection they can deploy around sites to take advantage of the latest technologies.

As a construction business, you work in multiple places. So should your internet.

That’s why construction businesses benefit from mobile broadband plans. Such plans enable them to deploy an internet connection across different sites.

Robust, reliable mobile broadband connectivity will allow construction businesses to use emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technology and future-proof their business.

IoT technology is helping construction companies improve productivity, reduce costs and make job sites safer. Some examples of IoT devices currently available include drones used for ariel surveying, smart machinery, GPS trackers, and wearable devices such as smart glasses and hard hats.

With IoT devices raising the productivity standard, you can expect their use to become standard in the construction industry. So if your business can’t deploy these devices and use them efficiently, you’ll be at a disadvantage.

A robust, reliable mobile broadband connection will ensure your business can utilise new construction technology and keep up with the latest productivity standards. 

What is the best internet connection for retail businesses?

Retail stores rely on the internet to connect everything from operations to sales. That’s why they need a connection with reliable backup, so their business doesn’t go down with their internet.

 A digital-first business environment has transformed retail. Web hosting is cheaper and more accessible than ever. With e-commerce platforms like Shopify and the rise of dropshipping, you can set up a retail business online in minutes.

 But there is still a place for physical retail stores, now and in the future. But they’re going to look a bit different. Generation Z, the first generation to grow up with online shopping, has recently shown a preference for in-store shopping. While older generations see online shopping as a modern convenience, gen Z sees it as standard. Thus, younger consumers place a higher value on the in-store experience offered in physical stores.

To cater to the demand for a hybrid retail experience, we’ve seen online retail outlets open physical pop-up stores. Retail businesses are also leveraging digital technology to enhance the in-store experience. Innovative ideas from big brands, such as the in-store customisation stations at Nike’s Houses of Innovation and the interactive exhibitions at Samsung’s Galaxy Harajuku store, have become tourist destinations. Experiences like those are the way of the future for physical retail.

To meet customer expectations, retail stores must turn to the internet. Even essential tasks like processing transactions, managing inventory, and providing in-store Wi-Fi require a robust internet connection to run efficiently.

And the consequences of poor internet can be far-reaching. Retail stores rely on foot traffic, and internet issues will lead to a worsened in-store experience that will stop potential customers in their tracks.

 Crucially, if your retail store makes transactions through a point-of-sale (POS) system, you depend on the internet to make sales. If it’s down, your business may have no choice but to forfeit sales until it’s up and running again. You can’t give stock away for free because you’ve made it impossible for customers to pay for it! 

An internet connection with 4G failover will give your business-essential platforms a reliable backup. That means you can still trade using your 4G backup connection even if your main internet goes down.

Also crucial in retail stores are phones. Prospective customers often call ahead to check opening hours or whether a particular item is in stock. A clear phone line into your business will ensure a valuable, reliable connection to customers. 

Voice over IP (VoIP) is now the gold standard in telephone communications. So a retail business’s Internet connection must provide enough bandwidth to ensure flawless phone calls.

Like many retail businesses, Foodworks rely on the Internet to power business-critical devices such as EFTPOS machines and stock inventory systems. They are so dependent on connectivity that every second their internet was down, they lost money. They needed a secure, reliable internet connection to keep their business running smoothly. Here’s how we built a network designed to meet their needs.  

What is the best internet connection for professional services businesses?

As the sector moves online, professional services businesses need an internet connection that enables fast, uninterrupted communication with clients and employees.

From engineering and finance to marketing and media production, there’s never been a better time to be in the professional services industry.

Thanks to the internet, you no longer need a fancy CBD office space to attract the best clients. But you do need a fast, reliable internet connection.

Businesses in the professional services sector were early adopters of internet technology such as videoconferencing, cloud computing and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

In recent years, the pandemic forced firms that still needed to catch up to step online. Otherwise, they’d risk becoming a casualty of a rapidly changing business environment. Eventually, customers adapted to the new way of work. 

So while going online opened myriad opportunities for professional services firms, those opportunities came with a catch. As online offerings become standard, the novelty of convenience is wearing off. If your firm’s internet speed isn’t up to par, your clients will jump ship to a firm that does it better. 

 Your internet connection should enable your business to:

• Hold high-quality videoconferences,

• produce content from bandwidth-intensive apps,

• upload and download large files,

• use business-critical online applications; and, 

• take phone calls simultaneously without a drop in call quality.

In today’s digital-first professional services industry, clients will not accept slow service – no matter your offline reputation. You need an internet connection that doesn’t restrict your business to delayed file transfers, low-quality video calls, and slow systems.

Based in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Cumulus Visual Effects have built a stellar reputation in the film and television industry. They’ve worked alongside the likes of Netflix and Sony, who trust them to provide premium visual effects for big-budget films. 

With ambitions to leverage their expertise and expand globally, their slow internet connection was holding them back. To account for the time it took them to transfer files, they had to offer clients slower production timelines. That meant a reduced capacity to take on jobs and clients overlooking them for a company that could do it faster. Here’s how we helped them build a network that gave them the ability – and confidence – to take on big jobs.

What is the best internet connection for a healthcare organisation?

Healthcare organisations require a strong connection that is always on and minimises downtime and disruptions.

An internet connection is vital in critical services organisations such as those in the healthcare sector.

Because when you are dealing with people’s health and lives, you can’t afford any connection issues.

Patient imaging, radiology, monitoring equipment, and nurses’ stations are some of the critical connectivity points in healthcare. And as an organisation, you have a responsibility to ensure they’re always on.

An internet connection with committed bandwidth is indispensable to the healthcare sector. It ensures your critical connection points aren’t competing with each other for bandwidth, so they stay reliable. 

There are also some valuable add-ons that increase the reliability of your internet connection. An Enhanced Service Level Agreement (eSLA) is a service offered by the nbn® on their business-grade services. eSLAs offer businesses a higher level of support by rectifying faults within a specified timeframe.

Aussie Broadband provides three levels of eSLAs: 12 hours, 8 hours and 4 hours. All of these come with the certainty of 24/7 support – because critical connectivity can’t wait until morning.

We understand though that any downtime is not an option for a critical services business. A redundancy service, such as 4G failover, will ensure you can continue operating even if your primary internet goes down. 

Latrobe Regional Hospital (LRH) was using outdated Wi-Fi that struggled when patients and visitors tried to connect with their personal devices. To prepare for their upcoming expansion, LRH needed a fast, reliable public Wi-Fi solution to meet modern tech demands without interfering with the hospital’s critical systems. Find out how our Aussie Fibre solution delivered on those demands.

What is the best internet connection for an education organisation?

Educational institutions need a strong connection built to withstand the requirements of current and future education technology.

Today, learning and the internet go hand-in-hand. A high-speed connection that can support many users accessing high-bandwidth applications should be standard for educational institutions.

Even before the pandemic, remote learning was a fixture of universities. And after adopting it en masse out of necessity as the pandemic halted in-person education, schools quickly adapted to new online learning methods.

As the world went back to normal, education didn’t. Schools took their learnings from pandemic-era remote learning and continued to offer online learning to make classes more flexible and education more accessible. And as students returned to campus, they suddenly had to access zoom lectures on a connection designed for research and web browsing.

Fast, reliable internet is an essential part of education for students and staff alike. So if its internet connection isn’t up to standard, your educational institution risks reputational damage.  

And the future of education isn’t just a matter of taking existing ways of learning online. Artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and gamification will revolutionise how we learn. As schools implement these new technologies, they need an appropriate internet connection to offer the best possible learning experience. 

Based in Queensland with campuses across the state, James Cook University is one of Australia’s premier tertiary institutions. Knowing the importance of the internet in delivering a high standard of education, James Cook University needed to upgrade its network to keep up with modern online learning technology. Aussie Broadband built a network that allowed them to continue delivering a world-class standard of education. Find out how we did it here.

What is the best internet connection for a finance business?

With the finance industry moving business from desktop storage to the cloud, speed and security are of utmost importance.

In finance, like the rest of the professional services industry, file transfers and sharing now happen over the internet. So, a high-speed connection is essential. A higher speed plan will ensure your business can handle fast file transfers from, to and between your staff. If you’ve got multiple offices, a quick, reliable connection makes sharing important documents between them a breeze.

Given the sensitive information transferred daily, the finance industry has unique requirements for their internet.

At the forefront of this is data security. All finance businesses collect and transfer highly personal data from small brokerages to big banks. And should a cyber-attack compromise your connection, you must answer to both your customers and regulatory bodies. Finance businesses must implement stringent security measures to ensure it never gets to that.

At Aussie Broadband, we’re big on small business. We believe small businesses should have the same access to security as their larger counterparts. We’re proud to offer security solutions built with small businesses’ needs and budgets in mind. 

We’ve partnered with Fortinet to deliver high-level security hardware. With Fortinet’s range of hardware, small businesses can access industry-leading firewall technology, providing a strong defence against cyber threats. Visit our Fortinet page to find how our hardware can secure your business. 

The finance world is changing. And to keep up, your business needs to be fully digital-enabled. A fast, reliable internet connection will keep your business focused on what won’t change: Providing exceptional service and customer experience. 

Great Southern Credit Management is the result of a merger between three credit management businesses based in western Victoria and South Australia. They needed a connection that allowed a secure, reliable connection between their three sites. See how we helped them build the perfect network here.   

Get your business up to speed with the perfect internet connection

Are you looking to upgrade to high-performance nbn® with business-dedicated service? Check out our range of business nbn® plans here. All our plans come with a free static IP address to keep your business secure and business-dedicated customer support. 

Discovering the considerations you’ll need to make when choosing an internet connection is one piece of the puzzle. The other is building a connection that meets your business’s unique requirements.

That’s where we can help. Our experienced consultants live and breathe small business and are passionate about finding the perfect telco solution for Australia’s small businesses.

So if you’re looking for the best internet connection for your small business, give our 100% Australian-based team a call. They’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of your business: What you do, how you do it, and your goals for the future. Then we’ll recommend an internet connection tailored to your business and built to help you reach your goals.

Contact our team on 1300 480 905 and start building a better, future-proof business today.