Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 26, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 11 FOCUS companies that find their network gets congested during a particularly high-volume time of year. Fortunately, the cost to have two separate internet connections is usually no where near double the cost of the primary connection a company already has. Wireless car- riers want to encourage use of their service in this way, so they offer lower rates for backup service that increases to a full rate only when the service is used. Different kinds of clouds Do the words "nimbus" or "cumu- lus" ring a bell? Just like the different types of clouds in the sky that we all had to memorize in school, virtual clouds have different capabilities. Cloud backup services have become incredibly affordable, but if you're looking to avoid downtime, there are some key features that are worth budgeting a little extra. The most affordable cloud solu- tions may upload quickly, but when it comes time to download the backup, it can be maddeningly slow. If your company is hit with a ran- somware cyber attack, for instance, restoring from the cloud is often the best remedy. This can take days or minutes depending on what service you use. The term for this delay is called "egress" and with low-budget, pay-as-you-go providers, it can be megabits per second (Mbps), a gigabit connection can be at least 10 times as fast (a gigabit equals 1,000 megabits). Not only does it allow for lightning- quick downloads (about 40 seconds for an HD movie or three seconds for 100 songs), it lets users easily stream on multiple devices while also surfing the web and running smart applianc- es, internet providers say. Cox says its gig connection allows a household to stream more than 25 ultra-high- definition videos at once. Businesses, meanwhile, are increas- ingly moving to cloud-based opera- tions that demand high-capacity and high-performance internet connectiv- ity, internet providers say, and com- panies say the faster speeds can help them commu- nicate and stay competitive with global firms. Higher costs The higher speeds do come at a premium, and afford- ability has been a concern for consumer advo- cates. Comcast charges $104.95 a month without a contract for its residential gigabit service, but offers new internet customers an $89.99-a- month promotional rate for the first year. Cox charges $119.99 a month, or $99.99 when bundled with another ser- vice. GoNetspeed's gig service is $90 a month and comes with a lifetime price guarantee. Costs for businesses vary based on the company's size and needs. Right now, cable execs say the gig speeds appeal mostly to the heaviest internet users and early adopters of next-generation technology. The bulk of Comcast's residential customers are still opting for the company's flag- ship 100 Mbps internet, which costs around $40 a month, Ferney said. But with the explosion of the so- called internet of things bringing more everyday objects online, telecom companies expect demand for gigabit internet to grow exponentially in the coming years. Industry executives predict the average household will own 50 connected devices by 2020. Cox's Reed said numbers like that aren't as far-fetched as they may seem: He recently made changes to his home network and counted 41 devices hooked up to his Wi-Fi. "Granted, that may be a little atypi- cal, but that's the kind of growth we're going to see," he said. For businesses, demand for faster internet is being driven not only by companies in the research and tech- nology sectors, but also by industries like retail, health care, manufacturing, hospitality and education, experts say. Besides responding to changing demands, the latest cable-company investments answer a call from mu- nicipal leaders and the state's Office of Consumer Counsel, who say better access to gig internet is needed to at- tract a high-tech workforce and drive the economy. Joe Rosenthal, principal attorney with the OCC, said the recent expan- sions are welcomed but don't go far enough. Some urban pockets and rural areas, including the northwest corner of the state, continue to lack gig access and "there's still an afford- ability issue," he said. While some cities and towns have pushed to build their own municipal broadband networks, regulatory hurdles have slowed those plans. "It's all great progress," Rosenthal said of the latest telecom invest- ments. "But we still have to make sure that we have equitable opportunities ... and that we don't have pockets of the state that are left behind." Brian Ferney, Regional Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Comcast, Western New England Continued on next page >> REGISTER TODAY! LAST CHANCE, PRESENTING SPONSOR: EVENT SPONSOR: To register for the event please contact Shannon Vincelette at 860-236-9998 x122 or email svincelette@hartfordbusiness.com. JOIN US CONTENT November 27, 2018 5:30PM-7:30PM ConnectiCare 1487 Pleasant Valley Road, Manchester Healthiest Employers of Connecticut recognizes organizations that are dedicated to employee health and safety along with their commitment to creating a healthy workplace through implementing work-site Health & Wellness programs.

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