The Internet is a fantastic technology, and broadband (like dial-up before it) is an effective enabler. It has opened up the Internet to many people, turning a techie’s dream into reality for millions of people. It has also forever changed how businesses interact with their customers and each other.
Broadband, as a consumer technology, is ideal and for many organisations the increasing speeds and low costs are exactly what they need. Where an Internet connection is not critical to an organisation’s day-to-day operations (for their communications, sales and customer support and so on), it is a suitable choice. However, if your organisation, for whatever reason, hinges on that Internet connection, you should be looking for something more robust, such as THUS’ High Speed Internet (HSI). In this article, we give you an overview of HSI and explain how it could benefit your organisation.
Serious access requirements
High Speed Internet Access from THUS is appropriate for businesses that have outgrown, or have greater demands than can be accommodated by lower speed business services such as ADSL or 2Mbps Internet Leased Lines.
HSI can be delivered throughout Great Britain over Internet Leased Lines, Ethernet, ATM or Frame technologies. The service is aimed at organisations that are looking for a high-quality, always-on*, get-what–you–pay-for offering.
Broadband is affected by distance and contention ratios, sometimes greatly reducing the bandwidth that you actually receive. In contrast, HSI offers dedicated bandwidth which is synchronous, meaning that you can utilise the full bandwidth available 24/7*, for either upstream or downstream traffic.
Suitability
Customers who should consider using HSI are those whose Internet access forms an integral part of their business. For example, if you are hosting your company’s website you will need to be sure that your customers can access it easily, and view and buy your services. Bottlenecks, or excessive downtime will affect your revenues. Alternatively, you may be looking to benefit from reduced costs and increased integration by installing a new IP-based phone system or using generic VoIP services. In either case, to maximise the return, you will need a high-quality Internet connection; there is no benefit in investing in phones and IP PBXs to then discover that the quality, or even ability to make calls are adversely affected by an inferior connection. THUS HSI circuits are flexible enough and provide the necessary guaranteed bandwidth to run business-grade VoIP services, such as THUS IP Exchange Lines, without any line degradation.
Delivery options
HSI has multiple delivery options ranging from a bandwidth of 2Mbps upwards. For customers within 25km of one of THUS' network points of presence (POP), services can be delivered using Ethernet. HSI over Ethernet (HSIoE) is fast becoming our default delivery method as it is flexible, cost effective and can link in with an organisation’s existing networking technologies (because it is delivered with an RJ45 connection it can be connected straight into most firewalls and routers), making it an obvious choice. HSIoE can be delivered on 10Mbps and 100Mbps circuits. Services can also be provided using single or multiple 2Mbps links, or, for larger requirements, we can deliver 34, 45 and 155Mbps circuits using Frame/ATM technologies; ideal for companies with higher bandwidth requirements or for those located further from a THUS POP site.
For circuits with speeds greater than single and multiple 2Mbps options, the bandwidth can be scaled to exactly meet your requirements. This has the benefit of reducing costs, as you only pay for what you expect to utilise. If your needs change and you require more bandwidth then the service can be scaled quickly and cost effectively to meet the increased demand.
Service levels
If your organisation depends on Internet access, then you can’t afford to have interruptions to your service, so it is important that you are backed by good service levels. To ensure that we support customers’ needs, our HSI services come with 24/7 customer support, and stringent Service Level Agreements. In the unlikely event that a circuit fails, our technical teams are there to resolve the fault. We offer a five-hour targeted fix time for critical faults, and back that with a service credit regime for peace of mind.
Not just Internet access
To help you get the most out of your connection, HSI also includes a range of added-value features. These include up to three domain names and DNS and mail services. We can also provide a range of optional elements with your circuit. These include managed routers, MailDefender (THUS’ network-based antispam and antivirus service), managed firewalls and, for fast bandwidths of 8Mbps and above, BGP 4.
Broadband is suitable for many businesses, however, as needs change so do the requirements placed on an organisation’s Internet provision. HSI from THUS offers the next step up from broadband services, providing the fast, high-quality, synchronous Internet connectivity essential to many organisations’ ongoing success.
* Subject to downtime, outages and maintenance
Key Features
- Dedicated synchronous circuits that provides high-speed, always-on* uncontended Internet access, with matching download/upload speeds.
- A range of delivery options, using either Internet Leased Lines, Ethernet or ATM.
- Rate-limited options with easy upgrade paths. Customers pay for the bandwidth they need now, and within available bandwidth, increase as business needs dictate.
- A wide range of standard features including up to three domain names, and DNS and mail services.
- Optional MailDefender service; THUS’ network based anti-spam and anti-virus service.
- 24/7 technical support and access line monitoring as standard.
- Stringent Service Level Agreements supported by a full service credit regime.