Small and medium-sized businesses in today’s market operate in a highly competitive world. To ensure they delight their customers and offer a superior experience over their competitors, efficiency is key.
While the internet opens up a huge range of opportunities for improving efficiencies, our reliance on it also brings challenges.
Businesses use the internet to communicate with clients, host video conferences, advertise their product or services, do research, and even run their internal systems if they are using cloud-based software - but what happens when a company’s WiFi speed is frustratingly slow, making efficiency and productivity a problem?
Unfortunately, it’s not good. Figures from market research firm IDC suggest that companies lose 20 to 30 percent in revenue every year due to Internet inefficiencies.
While you can probably cope with an unreliable internet connection at home, this simply isn’t possible in the office. Slow WiFi in the workplace leads to loss of revenue, decreased productivity and a downturn in employee morale.
So, if the internet connection in your office is slow, unreliable and frustrating, what can your business do to ensure you don’t suffer from inefficiencies and productivity loss? OT Group has listed five tips here that will speed up your WiFi connection.
1. Delete applications that hog bandwidth
The term bandwidth refers to the maximum amount of data that can be transferred over a computer network or internet connection in a given amount of time. Unfortunately, your internet’s bandwidth is limited.
Using too much bandwidth will result in significantly slower internet speeds. To solve this issue, your organization should delete and restrict any applications that consume a large amount of bandwidth. Streaming videos (such as Netflix) and torrenting are huge bandwidth hoggers at work, so make sure that your company's employees are either regulated or at least aware of how much personal use of the internet can slow its speed down.
2. Place your router properly for better WiFi Signal strength
Most companies have a tendency to store their router away so that it’s tidy. This is not a great idea. Cabinet walls and cupboard doors can block the signal, preventing it from reaching all of the computers in your office. If other wireless devices are stored in the same cabinet, or nearby, this can interfere with the signal even further.
To get the best out of your WiFi router, place it somewhere in the office where it will send a clear, unobstructed signal to the highest number of users. The higher up you place your router, the fewer obstacles the WiFi connection will have to get through to reach your devices.
3. Regularly check your systems for viruses
We covered the damaging impact of cybercrime in our recent blog, titled ‘It’s Essential to Backup Your Company’s Data to Minimize the Impact of Ransomware’. Did you know, however, that viruses can seriously affect your internet speeds?
Viruses such as spyware will operate on your device in the background, using up large portions of your internet connection. While Internet speed isn’t your biggest concern when it comes to cybercrime, undertaking regular virus checks will definitely help to keep your internet speed running smoothly.
4. Reach out to your internet service provider
If none of your changes address your Internet speed issues, it’s probably time to reach out to your internet service provider (ISP). Your company’s internet provider should be able to give you a better insight into why your internet is slow.
It could simply be that you need an upgraded router to improve your internet connection, or possibly you aren’t paying for internet speeds that are fast enough to deal with your company’s demands. Your internet service provider should be able to analyze your internet performance and see where the issue lies.
5. Consider monitoring your Internet speed with a speed test tool
To run the test, you'll be connected to an online Internet Speed Test - there are many out there and we can recommend a safe and secure one for you to use. Your IP address will be shared with them and processed by them in accordance with their privacy policy. The web application you’re connected to conducts the test online through your web browser, and many of these tests will publicly publish all test results to promote Internet research. Published information includes your IP address and test results, but doesn’t include any other information about you as an Internet user.
You will see from the reports that uptime and downtime rates can vary substantially based upon time of day, and volume of traffic going through the Internet at your location and often what your immediate neighbours are doing on the internet at the same time.
6. Keep office hardware up-to-date
If your company isn’t keeping its current hardware up-to-date then you simply aren’t going to be maximizing your internet connection. Slow computers and routers will take longer to connect to the internet, making every task a significantly slower process.
By taking a proactive approach that prioritizes the regular update of both hardware and software, your organization will ensure it is optimizing its processes. Through improved efficiencies, your company will deliver better customer experiences and drive profit growth.
Are you looking for more information on how your business can speed up its WiFi, or simply want to make any further changes to your IT infrastructure? Contact OT Group’s team of technology experts today.
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