Johannesburg, 03 Feb 2015
High-speed broadband connectivity has been described as the great equaliser. With good connectivity, even the smallest business can leverage industry-leading business software and tools to compete with large global enterprises. But, with a vast range of broadband packages and solutions to choose from, how does a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) choose the right broadband to fast-track its business?
Wanda Matandela, head of the SME business unit at Vodacom Business, says broadband connectivity is a must for businesses of all sizes today: "Small and medium-sized businesses are the engine room of South Africa's economy. They are a key source of job creation and are vital to kick-starting economic growth. Given the role that these businesses play, it's vital that we develop connectivity options uniquely suited to SMEs to allow them to compete with larger companies on an equal footing.
"With proper connectivity, cloud computing, mobile office solutions, big data analytics, enterprise class video communications and more, are all within reach of SMEs. At Vodacom Business, we now have a dedicated unit to make sure that we give these businesses all the tools needed to succeed."
Matandela explains that a number of broadband solutions are available to ensure that whatever their operating model and location, SMEs can take advantage of the business benefits of high-speed broadband: "Choosing the right solution for your business depends on several factors. These include your budget, location, how many users must be connected, current and projected data consumption, your future ICT strategy, and how crucial always-on reliability is to your business."
Other key questions to consider include the physical deployment of solutions. "Customers should determine what landlords allow in terms of erection of masts and installing equipment on walls and rooftops," notes Matandela. "They also need to consider how scalable they want their solution to be. LTE and ADSL offer up to 20Mbps, whereas wireless and fibre offer up to 100Mbps throughput."
Vodacom Business has packaged its SME-focused broadband offerings under the Broadband Connect banner, which delivers the five most appropriate access mediums for SMEs.
These include:
* Broadband Connect LTE (ideal for businesses with one to four employees)
* Broadband Connect Fibre (designed for businesses with 10 to 40 employees)
* Broadband Connect DSL (ideal for businesses with between two and six employees)
* Broadband Connect Satellite (suitable for businesses employing between four and 10 employees, and particularly those businesses that have branches in outlying areas)
* Broadband Connect Wireless (suitable for businesses with four to 20 employees)
The various access technologies differ when it comes to issues such as latency and time to roll-out. The decision to pick a particular technology could also be based on factors such as coverage, available infrastructure and budget. A very remote branch, for example, may have no alternative but satellite connectivity; or a budget-constrained micro enterprise might select copper over fibre.
"Some applications are sensitive to latency, jitter and packet loss due to the technology used," says Matandela. "For example, satellite is susceptible to latency, whereas fibre is not."
Other factors to consider are cable theft and time to market. "ADSL is the only service out of the five offerings susceptible to cable theft," notes Matandela. When it comes to deployment time, lead times to deploy copper and fibre are lengthy, while wireless, LTE and satellite are not. "Satellite in particular is extremely suitable for quick deployment to remote areas such as farms," adds Matandela. BBC Fibre, wireless and satellite are fully installed by Vodacom engineers, while ADSL and LTE are suitable to self-install, which keeps costs down.
Matandela says: "Our Broadband Connect offerings are designed to cover the unique needs of any SME. Vodacom Business also offers end-to-end support and easy migration between packages, and the advantage of a single service provider to cater for all communications needs, both fixed and mobile."
For more information on coverage and broadband solutions suited to your small or medium-sized business, contact 082 1960.
For more information, go to www.vodacom.co.za
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