Jun 13 | By Lauren Chapman

When deciding on services for your business, one of the most important is internet from a reliable provider. The question isn’t quite as cut-and-dried as just picking a provider and internet plan, though. Internet service packages are generally priced based on speed, and your speed is dependent on your internet usage.

So how much speed does your business actually need? Read on to find out.

Start by assessing your current speed.

The first step in figuring out how much internet speed you need is determining how much you currently have. While checking your plan will tell you the maximum speed available to you, a variety of factors can affect the actual speeds your devices have access to.

It’s also a good idea to retest regularly and calculate your average speed. Also test on different days, at different times, and under different circumstances to get a complete picture. For example, check during early morning hours and later in the afternoon, and test both on Wi-Fi and wired connections.

A wired connection is more consistent and more accurately represents the amount of bandwidth you’re getting from your provider. For that reason, even if your office typically uses a wireless connection, plug in for at least a few test runs. Getting numbers from both connection methods can also help you diagnose possible bottlenecks in your wireless network.

Consider external factors that affect your connection.

Once you’ve determined your average speed, compare those numbers to your current plan. Even though your high-speed internet package offers plenty of speed on paper, the actual day-to-day speeds you’re seeing could be less than what your business needs.

Line congestion can cause actual speeds to fall below the advertised maximum speed. That is, if a lot of users are on the network at once, it slows everyone down. Ideally, a network should be robust enough to handle that scenario (fiber networks are especially good at handling heavy traffic), but even the strongest networks can get bogged down from time to time.

The devices used could also be limiting your internet speed. For example, you could have an internet connection of 250 megabits per second (Mbps), but if your device only supports 100 Mbps, you’ll never experience the full speed available to you.

This issue can arise fairly often with older wireless equipment. Old routers and laptops may not support the newest wireless standards, and the hardware generally needs to be replaced to fix this problem. Check the manuals that came with your devices and make sure the specs match up. 802.11ac is the most common modern Wi-Fi protocol in use, with support for speeds up to 1.3 gigabits per second (Gbps), and that’s what we recommend you look for on any new router or other wireless device you purchase.

The type of internet you choose can also play a big role in the speed you experience. Cable internet can slow down when more people are online. However, fiber-optic internet provides consistently fast speeds regardless of if you’re running multiple devices. When assessing fiber optic vs cable, speed and reliability always go to fiber optic internet connections.

Other factors that can limit the speed you see include the following:

• The size and shape of your office. If you’re using Wi-Fi, walls can significantly reduce signal strength.
• Outdated software. Install any updates for operating systems, apps, and devices to reduce any lags in internet speed.
• Using a residential internet plan for your business. A business internet connection often includes additional features that can increase your speed. Businesses using residential internet rather than business-specific plans are not getting the most effective internet service for their money.

Do the math.

Now that we’ve identified current speeds and potential bottlenecks, it’s time to determine your usage and estimate what your business actually needs. While common tasks often take less internet bandwidth than you might expect, the number of users performing those tasks at the same time can quickly raise your business’s bandwidth requirements.

Use the following steps to estimate the connection speed your small business needs to function optimally:

1. List all common online activities done at your business. This includes anything that requires internet access. Consider potential future tasks as well. If there’s a reasonable chance you’ll need to upload large files on a regular basis soon, factor that in.
2. Use the reference list below to estimate how much bandwidth each activity requires. This should give you a good idea of how much speed common business tasks require.
3. Determine how many people will be performing those tasks at one time. Then add a couple to that number, to be on the safe side. While you don’t want to pay for more internet than you need, you also want to build in a small buffer—few things kill productivity as quickly as watching a spinning loading icon.
4. Multiply the number for each task in step #2 by the number you calculated in step #3. This gives you your total bandwidth for each activity.
5. Add all the totals from step #4 to get a total estimated office speed requirement. Compare this number to the current speed you got from doing your speed tests. Does it seem accurate? If your internet connection feels too slow, your estimated requirement is likely higher than what you’re currently getting. If it’s not, this is a good indication you may have other issues with your network, such as outdated equipment or too small a Wi-Fi range.

Here are bandwidth estimates for common business activities:

• Basic email, 1 Mbps
• Cloud backup, 2 Mbps
• Cloud-based services, 5 Mbps
• Cloud computing, 2 Mbps
• Data transfer, 2 Mbps
• Email with attachments, 15 Mbps
• File sharing, 5 Mbps/500 Kbps
• General web browsing, 0.33 Mbps/333 Kbps
• General Wi-Fi use, 1 Mbps
• High-definition video (HD video), 4 Mbps
• Instant messaging, 5 Mbps/500 Kbps
• Online banking and bookkeeping, 2 Mbps
• Online research, 33 Mbps/333 Kbps
• Social media scheduling, 2 Mbps/200 Kbps
• Streaming a webinar, 5 Mbps (high definition video may require more)
• Streaming online training courses, 5 Mbps (high definition video may require more)
• Uploading photos, 5 Mbps
• Uploading large files, 2 Mbps
• Video conferencing, 4 Mbps
• VoIP calls, 1 Mbps/100 Kbps
• VoIP video calls, 28 Mbps

Keep in mind these are only estimates. Multiply each of these activities by the number of people in your organization who might be performing them to determine the total amount of bandwidth usage your business requires at any one time.

A good rule of thumb to allow yourself some headroom is to calculate demand with the above steps and then double it. This ensures your business is ready for busy times and that your infrastructure won’t fall apart when it’s needed most.

Learn more about business internet speeds:

• 5 Mbps
• 7 Mbps
• 10 Mbps
• 75 Mbps
• 150 Mbps
• 300 Mbps
• 500 Mbps
• 1 Gbps

Get the blazing speed and rock-solid reliability that only a 100% fiber connection can provide.

If you need an internet service provider that has your back 24/7, Verizon has you covered. Verizon Fios business internet is built to handle the network bandwidth of busy businesses. With service-level agreements (SLA) in place to ensure minimum downtime, Verizon is always on when you are.

Only fiber-optic internet provides upload speeds equal to download speeds so you can share more content faster.

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*Griffith, Eric. “The Fastest ISPs of 2017,” PCMag, June 2, 1027. https://www.pcmag.com/article/353936/the-fastest-isps-of-2017

Jun 13 | By Lauren Chapman

Run it up the flagpole! All hands on deck! Quick win!

Corporate jargon is a thing—and everyone seems to use it regardless if they’re fans of it or not. But what does each phrase really mean? Why say “bandwidth” when you can say time? Why say “take it offline” when you could phrase it “let’s discuss this elsewhere”?

We surveyed 1,000 adults on their use of office idioms. Some jargon, like “big picture,” are used by just about everyone. Others, like “boil an ocean” and “I’ll ping you” get under peoples’ skin. Read on to see which office jargon rolls off the tongue the most, and which sayings people think should stop being a thing altogether.

Interesting Findings

• The term “analysis paralysis” is the most unloved office term on our list. The idiom refers to overthinking so much you become debilitated and cannot move forward. “Analysis paralysis” can happen to anyone, but luckily there are ways to mitigate it.
• “I’ll ping you” almost perfectly epitomizes annoying office jargon, so it’s no surprise that 24% of women aren’t a fan of the word. In fact, women favor every other phrase over that one.
• 40% of people really get the “big picture.” Not far behind that, 37.5% of workers have a thing for saying “all hands on deck.” The latter refers to a call for more crew members to come to the deck of a ship during a time when they needed—literally—more hands.
• 40% of both men and women have never heard of the phrase “stack hands.” The term was coined after sport teams who would huddle in a circle, chant, and throw their hands up in the air. The phrase is meant to unify people and remind them that they’re on the same team.
• Another lesser-known term? “KPIs,” which stands for key performance indicators. At its core, it’s a way to measure success—but it’s not just for the office. Supposedly, the earliest record of KPI use is in China. 3rd century emperors began rating how well the royal family was performing their duties.
• “Boil an ocean” doesn’t get a lot of love. 73.27% of women and 70.67% of men refrain from using the term. The saying refers to the impossibility of trying to boil the amount of water that makes up an ocean.

Conclusion

• Men and women share the same top 5 most loved jargon, as well as 4 out of 5 of the least loved jargon. Overall, men have more passionate opinions toward jargon than women. On average, 15.13% of men dog on office jargon, compared to only 11.21% of women.
• Just because Americans dislike a phrase doesn’t mean they don’t use it. 25.7% of respondents reported that they weren’t head over heels for “analysis paralysis,” yet of those 25.7%, 10.53% still use it often and 17.41% use it sometimes. In other words, around 25% of the people who claimed they weren’t a fan of it still use it.

Methodology

We surveyed 1,000 men and women aged 18+ via Pollfish on their opinions and usage of common office jargon. From there, we broke down the findings by gender and age, as well as usage and preference.

Corporate jargon defined 

30,000 foot view	To look at the overall goals and objectives rather than small details.
Action-item	A take-away task that needs to be completed in the near future.
All hands on deck	All employees are needed to complete a project.
Analysis paralysis	Overthinking a situation to the point that nothing actually gets accomplished.
Back-end	Essential work that goes into the creation of a product that a customer doesn’t see.
Bandwidth	Referring to the amount of time someone has available to spend.
Behind the 8 ball	Referring to being in a difficult situation.
Big Picture	The ultimate goal or main idea.
Boil an ocean	To take on an impossible project or task.
Bring to the table	Referring to the skills or value that someone can bring to your company.
Buy-in	Accepting or committing to an idea or course of action.
Change agent	A person who is the catalyst for business improvements or innovation.
Circle back	The notion to revisit a topic at a later time.
Deck	Shorthand for a set of PowerPoint presentation slides.
Deep dive	To look at the details of a project closely.
Disconnect (as a noun)	A situation where expectations differ from reality.
Disruptive	Referring to the process of changing existing technology with something new.
Dot your i’s and cross your t’s	To be detail oriented and thorough in your tasks.
Drill down	To look further into the matter or get more details.
Go all in	To put all of your energy or resources into something.
Heavy lifting	Bearing the burden of the most difficult and time-consuming work on a project.
High level	To explain a concept without getting into the small, technical details.
Holistic overview	To take into account other external factors that can affect an outcome.
I’ll ping you	Send someone a message using an online messaging system.
I’ll run that up the flagpole	Moving the project on to the next appropriate person for approval.
Ideate	To think of and came up with new ideas.
In the weeds	When a task is too hard to accomplish because there are too many problems involved.
KPIs	Key Performance Indicators; points used to evaluate the performance of something or someone.
Learning (as a noun)	Knowledge gained from a conversation or past project.
Leverage	Manipulating a situation so someone can control it in their favor.
Low-Hanging fruit	Tasks that are easy to accomplish or problems that can be easily solved that provide clear benefits.
Onboarding	Assimilating a new employee into an organization; introducing service to new customers.
Out-of-the-box	An idea that is unusual or new.
Put a pin in it	To delay discussion, engagement, or work on a project to another time.
Quick win	Something that can be done quickly that will provide a beneficial outcome.
Reinvent the wheel	To redo an existing process, idea, or way of thinking.
ROI	“Return on Investment” i.e. whether something is worth it.
Stack hands	To imply that every team member is in it together.
Sync up	To meet with someone and touch base on an idea or topic.
Take it offline	To discuss something with someone in a separate time and place.
Touch base	To meet or talk with something about a specific issue.
Value-add	Benefits of a feature that provides value to customers.
Where/when the rubber meets the road	The time or place at which something matters the most.
Wordsmithing	To change, edit, or make a play on words.

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