As we’re engulfed in the information age, more and more businesses must use technology in their daily operations. Whether they use mobile devices, access internet-based services in the cloud or hold live video conversations, technology is becoming more widely used every day. New technologies are helping businesses move faster, provide better customer service, attract employees and control costs. These innovations help businesses to be more productive and expand, and this growth has a significant positive impact on local economies. Therefore, it is important to look at a key piece of the infrastructure that makes new technology run – high-performance networks – and how they can help company and economic growth.
Companies benefit from high-performance networks because most technology tools and applications that they use travel over the internet or some type of wide area network. The more tech applications that they use, the more internet (i.e. network) capacity they need to support those tools. The capacity is measured in a term called bandwidth, and mobile devices, cloud access, videoconferencing and audio calls all require a lot of bandwidth. As more devices and apps are used, overall bandwidth needs can go up significantly, if not exponentially. And if there is not enough bandwidth to go around, the technology will not function properly, or at all.
High-performance ethernet and broadband networks can deliver gigabit levels of performance (and higher) to provide enough capacity to use today’s technology tools and apps and prepare for future requirements. At Comcast Business, we provide 10-gigabit and even 100-gigabit levels to some of our customers, giving them the ability to handle bandwidth needs today and well into the future.
Employees, especially new graduates who are entering the workforce, have grown up using technology and expect to use it in their careers. This young workforce is technology-savvy and has a low tolerance for slow internet or Wi-Fi speeds at home, internet or Wi-Fi speeds at home, and they take those same expectations with them to work. Giving professionals the opportunity to work with the latest technology can be a great way to attract new employees and retain current ones, and can help you stand out from other companies when trying to recruit new talent.
A high-performance network that enables so many technology applications and devices allows employees to work faster and with less frustration, which translates into happier employees who are more productive and provide better customer service Retaining those employees has an added benefit, as lower employee turnover reduces costs and improves productivity. You spend less time recruiting and training new employees, which allows you to focus more on your customers and your core business.
Finally, customers benefit from having a high-capacity network connected to a business. Depending on then organization, this could have different benefits. For example, a company that offers Wi-Fi to its guests can attract customers and keep them at the location longer and potentially buying more. Providing strong Wi-Fi service at a business requires the right amount of network bandwidth behind it to support all the people using the Wi-Fi, especially during peak times of the day. Customers can also benefit from faster and better service from a company that uses network-based technology. Businesses that use cloud-based systems can access customer data quickly and at any time, allowing them to deliver superior service and support, and to better capture important data.
In all, a high-capacity network can be the “engine” that drives the technology-based applications, tools and devices in a company. With the right amount of performance, these innovations can work at their best levels to have a positive impact on companies, their employees and their customers – which can help grow businesses and the local economy.
Shawn Adamson is the vice president of Comcast Business for the Mountain West region
This article was originally published in the Chamber’s magazine, Business Altitude. To view the original publication, click here.