How to choose the best broadband provider for your business

Small business digitalisation is a crucial step in remaining competitive as it opens the door for business opportunities, increased customer engagement and improved satisfaction. Digitalisation means businesses can leverage different technologies that improve processes and save costs. It’s all about running a more efficient and successful business.

The first step to digitalising your business would be to decide which broadband provider can meet all your business needs. As newer internet service providers have been cropping up in Singapore, knowing how to choose a dependable and trusted broadband provider is already half the work done. 

As a leading Internet Service Provider in Singapore, Singtel provides a full suite of internet services not just for consumers, but businesses too. With the best-in-class business broadband services, dedicated internet and innovative value-added solutions for businesses, there is a reason why Singtel solutions make sense for SMBs.

How do you determine the best broadband provider? Generally, you can look at

• the speed of the service,
• if it’s specifically built to handle business needs,
• the customer support offered,
• cybersecurity, and
• additional services that support business growth.

A reliable fibre network that functions at lightning speed can help SMBs optimise their business processes, such as making real-time updates possible. Digitalising operations also means employees are freed from a wide range of tedious manual processes, allowing them to channel their productivity into growing the company. Gone are days of looking through filing-cabinets and a long chain of approvals; get the information you need right when you need it.

Apart from fast connection speeds, having a reliable provider and infrastructure that is able to deliver high network uptime should also be an evaluating criteria. Singtel business internet services also ensures high network uptime and availability so that businesses need not worry about downtime impacting their operations. 

The internet needs of a business differ from that of personal use, which is why having a business-grade network matters. With digitalisation, data becomes easily stored and accessed, and more business operations can be conducted on the cloud.

Remote working, even across timezones, becomes a possibility as cloud services make collaboration while on the go hassle-free. Such features used to be accessible only to larger corporations, but now smaller enterprises are no longer left out of the picture.

When choosing your broadband provider, ensure they have a network dedicated to business broadband customers, one that’s separate from the internet connectivity that is shared with consumers. This reduces the possibility of network congestion that can impede your digital operations. 

Singtel's business broadband services are provided on a separate business-grade GPON network to ensure optimal internet and cloud connectivity for business customers. 

In the age of cyber crime, protecting your data and your consumer base should be a priority. SMBs are often targeted in cyberattacks, making it essential that the business broadband provider you choose has got you covered.

A business broadband with stringent protection from malware and malicious websites allows you to safely transmit sensitive business information and still ensure consumer privacy. Singtel offers an SME Security pack, designed specially to protect smaller companies who are embarking on their digitalisation journey, by offering both network security and internet connectivity in one.

Apart from providing mere internet connectivity, some broadband providers also offer innovative value-added services to support business growth. Aside from providing the fibre broadband access, solutions such as WiFi Mesh and Fibre Broadband Plus (which provides a second internet connection) may be useful for small retail businesses so customers and employees alike can stay connected throughout the premises.

Companies that rely heavily on the internet can also analyse network usages and monitor possible outages with Singtel-exclusive network monitoring services. Features like Network Functions Virtualisation and Software-defined LAN also means that managing and troubleshooting any networking issues can be done straight from an online portal.

Digitalisation is a process that does not happen overnight, but choosing the best business broadband service to fit your needs is the first step in revolutionising the way you conduct your business.