Before we begin delving into the future of a leased line in the world of business, let’s first establish exactly what a leased line is. A leased line works as a connection between a business and a provider whereby the provider will agree to deliver a symmetric telecommunications line connecting two locations (if for example the company has a sales office in central London and an IT office in East London).
Leased lines are known for their suitability for businesses that are largely e-commerce due to their need for a fast internet speed with reliable access and minimum downtime. Businesses tend to opt for a leased line as it means that several offices can each connect to the host server at one time. With the increased number of us using and relying upon the internet – as you can see here – it’s important for businesses to have the right network connections set up.
The advantages of a leased line
Businesses lean towards the installation of a leased line predominantly because they have the ability to allot permanent IP addresses through a variety of services, including: mail, FTP, WWW and DNS.
Perhaps the most well-sought-after advantage of investing in a leased line is the security. As a dedicated line connecting the two locations exclusively without the use of the Internet, data transfer are virtually hacker-safe.
Leased lines also allow for any kind of hosting service to be implemented as the platform of choice. Whilst leased lines are known to be expensive, they are recommended due to their fast internet and connection capabilities.
Faster more reliable internet connections are exactly what all businesses; large and small rely upon in order to meet business goals and SLA’s – with more of us relying on them than ever before. In order to be a success businesses must ensure they have the right broadband connection.
However, despite the higher cost of leased lines, UK businesses aren’t deterred due to the Voice over IP (VOIP) they are guaranteed to receive – along with shared data and a range of additional services within their own servers at no additional cost.
How the future looks
Whilst there has been very little increase in the number of companies opting for this method of connection in recent years – the number of businesses employing leased lines has remained relatively stable.
However, due to the increase in the reliance British businesses place on network connection, the future of leased lines is looking assured and pretty positive. Not only in typical IT-intensive business, leased line is now considered as a competitive advantage by other industries, as well.
The recent news on London-based Kensington Close Hotel’s decision to use a leased line in order to provide a reliable WiFi service for guests is yet another proof that leased line is one of the keys in pursuing customer service excellence.
It is predicted by experts that with faster speeds currently being developed – leased lines will continue to find themselves playing a huge role in the business world. Indeed, these services are here to stay.