5 min
Choppy video conferencing calls. Cloud-based applications that freeze right when you need them. Slow-loading webpages. Connections that drop out intermittently. Is there anything that frustrates you more than a bad Internet connection?
These issues are total productivity killers. They’re also a strong indicator that your network has low bandwidth.
This article will take a look at what network bandwidth is and why it’s so essential for your business. Then, we’ll show you some handy tips that you can use to boost the data transfer capacity of your network so that you can level up customer and employee satisfaction.
Let’s go!
What is Network Bandwidth?
Network bandwidth is the maximum data transfer capacity of a network connection within a specific timeframe. In other words, it’s a measurement of the maximum speed that data can transmit over either a wired or wireless connection.
In general, network bandwidth is displayed as:
- bps = bits per second.
- Mbps = millions of bits per second
- Gbps = gigabytes per second
Though the concepts are closely related, bandwidth does not measure network speed. Instead, it tracks the data transfer rate within a network.
How Does Bandwidth Work?
Perhaps the easiest way to describe bandwidth is through the use of an analogy.
Think of your Internet connection as a highway. Network bandwidth is the number of lanes. The more lanes open, the more cars can travel side-by-side during specific intervals to reach their destination quickly.
In the same way, a high network bandwidth allows more data packets to move through your Internet connection simultaneously, resulting in higher speeds.
Why is Bandwidth Important?
High network bandwidth is essential in the modern age. Here are some reasons why your business needs to maximize the capacity of your network connection.
More productivity
The higher your bandwidth, the faster your data transfer speeds. As such, increased bandwidth means:
- Fast-loading webpages.
- Quicker large file uploads and downloads.
- Better cloud-based software performance.
- Smooth video conferencing.
In short, if your bandwidth is high, your business can become more productive.
Better communication
The rise of digital communication tools has ushered in a new era of collaboration. Higher bandwidths help these platforms deliver on their transformative promises.
Here’s how.
- Clear and reliable Voice over IP services
- There is no lag or buffering over conferencing calls on Teams, Zoom, Meet, etc.
- Real-time document collaboration is easy.
- File-sharing among colleagues is fast.
Communication and collaboration tools help workers connect across vast distances. However, the quality of digital communication tools and the collaboration they produce require a quick and dependable internet.
Less downtime
Downtime is a productivity killer. Network congestion, errors, and crashes are reduced by high bandwidth, meaning businesses can unlock benefits like:
- Critical business operations stay functional.
- A more consistent online presence.
- Customers don’t experience frustrating downtime.
- Data backups and transfers are quicker, meaning your security is better.
Learn about how to prevent network downtime.
Scalability
In the best scenarios, businesses scale and grow. What’s more, technology advances rapidly. For example, technologies like 4K and 8K video, VR and AR, cloud gaming, and the reliance on Big Data analytics have all pushed the capacity of modern Internet networks.
Futureproofing your organization with a high bandwidth network means you’re well-placed to take advantage of the next generation of advances. Some of the benefits for growing or scaling businesses include:
- Helping your business get a competitive edge.
- Easily accommodating a growth in data use.
- Supporting more users and devices is essential during hiring rounds.
Cloud-based apps
Cloud-based applications are the norm in many industries. While on-prem servers still have a place in highly regulated sectors like the military and government, the business world is highly reliant on apps that run over the cloud. To put it another way, business continuity is intrinsically tied to the speed and reliability that high bandwidth accommodates.
If your business uses cloud-based software, here are some of the benefits you can unlock with good bandwidth infrastructure.
- Faster application times.
- Support for data-intensive applications.
- Better experiences that can boost employee satisfaction.
Five Tips on How Can Domotz Help You Optimize and Monitor Bandwidth Use
If you want to maximize bandwidth and unlock the many benefits that we’ve listed above, you need two core pieces of information:
- What activities are using your bandwidth?
- At what points in your Internet network is your bandwidth lagging?
When you have the answers to these questions, you’ll be able to find the solutions you need. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, you’ll need to monitor your broadband, and for that, you’ll need network performance monitoring tools.
Here are seven tips to help you optimize your bandwidth use:
#1 Understand Performance Requirements
Before we start, it’s important to say that you should define objectives and select relevant metrics.
Firstly, you need to estimate the number of users and devices that will connect to the network. To clarify, each device consumes bandwidth, so you need to have a full inventory of devices such as laptops, smartphones, switches, routers, etc.
Secondly, you should identify how users will use the network. You could categorize them into three categories: low, medium, and high bandwidth.
Furthermore, analyze which applications or services are mission-critical to ensure they work as expected.
Finally, consider peak usage and congestion. Networks experience heavy usage at certain times of the day. Plan bandwidth to handle these peak periods without slowing down performance.
Consider burst traffic and plan for network flexibility to handle it.
#2 Enable SNMP on Network Devices
If you want to find out what’s hogging your bandwidth, you can use a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) on the devices that connect to your network.
So, enable SNMP on your:
- Routers
- Switches
- Firewalls
- and any devices that access your network
With Domotz, you can monitor any SNMP OID values and configure thresholds to alert those sensors. What’s more, Domotz provides ready-to-use monitoring templates that let you automatically extract crucial information via SNMP.
Read more about SNMP monitoring and monitoring templates.
#3 Adopt Best Practices of Network Performance Monitoring With Domotz
- Implement real-time monitoring with Domotz: Get full visibility on everything you manage.
- Get Access to Network Inventory: Use the Domotz to access your inventory in minutes. See all the features of the infrastructure inventory.
- Set Proactive Alerts: Configure Domotz to send proactive alerts. When performance metrics exceed predefined thresholds, an alert will be sent, allowing early detection and mitigation of potential problems.
- Establish a Performance Baseline: Ensure smooth network operation and performance, which will help identify anomalies and deviations that may signal potential issues.
#4 Get Your Reports and Prepare Analysis
SNMP monitoring tools like Domotz give you access to reports and visualizations that show how your bandwidth is being consumed. You can see real-time consumption reports on the dashboard and also access historical data and trends if you want a broader picture.
Read more on network performance monitoring and reporting.
Once you have the data, you’ll know which devices or IP addresses are taking up most of your bandwidth capacity. From here, you can find any issues or implement actions that will optimize network usage and improve your network capacity planning.
#5 Further Tips For Optimizing Bandwidth
We’re not finished yet. Here are a few actionable tips to help you squeeze a little more from your bandwidth:
- If you have business-critical applications, prioritize them with Quality of Service (QoS) settings.
- Similarly, traffic shaping can ensure the fair distribution of network resources.
- If your bandwidth is regularly congested, consider VLANs to divide the network into subnetworks so traffic is separated.
- Look at how caching can reduce the data that frequently accessed files use.
- Reduce the data sent over your network by compressing files before transfer.
- Implement bandwidth management policies and train your team on best practices.
Further reading: