An IT firm is urging companies to upgrade their broadband or risk losing business.
Coleshill-based ACUTEC says too many companies are getting by on ‘home’ broadband technology for internet and email access and have no safety net in place when their broadband goes down.
Most internet faults are caused by problems with the line and are not down to individual internet service providers.
Chris Lowers, senior technical support at ACUTEC, said that while upgrading to have Ethernet for the first mile, two broadband lines or fibre optic would cost more it would be outweighed by the reliability of the system and were also backed up by a service level agreement.
He said: “Only recently we took a call from a client whose broadband went down and they were told by their broadband provider that it is going to be a couple of days before they can get out to even look at the problem.
“So that is what businesses can often be faced with when their broadband goes down and as their IT provider, there is very little we can do other than to help them as best we can until the problem is fixed.
“Part of the problem is that service level agreements on ADSL services are outdated and are no longer fit for purpose.
“For so many companies, access to the web and to emails is not just essential, it’s business critical. Also, with so much emphasis on cloud computing, that only heightens the reliance on broadband.
“More and more services are now being channelled via the internet and businesses have to ask themselves whether enough is enough and with such a heavy reliance on the internet, they need to have the correct connections and safeguards in place.
“There are several options for upgrading which we are able to advise on as it is vital that businesses understand their options when it comes to broadband.
“It is going to mean investment but we believe the benefit that upgrading will bring to the business will far outweigh the cost of it.”