Keeping your business connected has never been more important, and with increasing user loads on infrastructure on an almost daily basis, ensuring your communications keep ticking over efficiently is becoming more than just a case of crossing your fingers. Consumer telephone and data lines are effective to a point for some very small businesses, but sharing resources starts to become a real problem as your organisation scales, and any company with multiple users would be wise to investigate alternatives.

Leased lines from companies like Exponential-e are a popular option for businesses and organisations looking to take control of their communications, and to remove the variable elements of network responsiveness. By providing high-speed network connectivity through a dedicated line, leased lines can be regarded as an essential tool for some businesses in ensuring consistency, quality and reliability of communications. But before you leap straight in and set up a leased line for your business, you need to understand both the advantages and the disadvantages of choosing this route.

The Pros

– Fewer users: With a dedicated, leased line, you can be sure that only your organisation has access to the resources you lease. In other words, it’s only communications from your organisation that will use this line, so the usual issues with responsiveness, reliability and bandwidth do not factor in to the equation – perfect for organisations with critical communication needs. This is in stark contrast to regular connections, which are shared across all the users accessing the connection at any one time, resulting in a more sluggish performance all round.

– Greater privacy and security: In an era of heightened technical security, the enhanced privacy and security features of a dedicated, leased line are particularly important for those involved in sensitive industries, or in handling third party data. With your own distinct leased line, you have more peace of mind in knowing your communications are more secure.

– Enterprise grade communications: In a nutshell, the whole point of a leased line is to elevate your communications infrastructure to the enterprise grade. Don’t settle for less – your business can gain a competitive advantage through technology, and a leased line can be an effective part of a broader IT strategy for supporting your businesses and streamlining your processes.

The Cons

– Additional cost: Of course, a leased line doesn’t cost the same as a standard business Internet connection, but it is a much more significant, specialised service. Most companies view this as an investment in their communications infrastructure, and the cost is seldom a major factor for businesses in deciding whether this is the most suitable option for their needs.

– Lease arrangement: Similarly, the lease arrangement means there is an ongoing cost component. Again, this isn’t a substantial cost versus the business benefits, and while it is an ongoing expense, this is also true for any phone line or Internet package – regardless of the price.

Verdict

Communications are essential for business success, both internal and external. While a leased line comes at an increased cost versus regular data connections, this is a small price to pay for businesses who rely on strong communication infrastructure to deliver and grow. If your business has outgrown standard business data connections, a leased line could be the most effective way to get the level of communications you need to succeed long-term.