Ask a Tech: FAQs on Bandwidth

The word “bandwidth” is thrown around a lot in business technology, but what does it really mean? Today, we wanted to cover some of the frequently asked questions business owners have about network bandwidth and what it specifically means for business technology infrastructures and data management as a whole.

What is Bandwidth?

Bandwidth is the maximum data transfer rate of your network or Internet connection. Essentially, it is the amount of data that can be transferred on the network at any given moment. You’ll notice that we mentioned both your network and your Internet connection in this definition, and that’s because there can be some comparisons made between the two, although they are very different things at the end of the day.

How is Bandwidth Measured?

Bandwidth is measured in bits per second, or bps, with other units being kilobits per second (Kbps), megabits per second (Mbps), and gigabits per second (Gbps). 

How Much Bandwidth Does My Network Need?

This is a question that does not necessarily have a standard answer. No two businesses will have the exact same bandwidth needs due to the way that their infrastructures are set up. Businesses with different levels of staffing, different types of devices, different services, different Internet needs, and so on, will all require different amounts of bandwidth.

So, we are going to cop out of this answer by saying that your business needs enough bandwidth to perform all of your daily duties with maximum efficiency and minimal downtime. If you want help determining this, you can always give us a call for a network audit.

How Can You Increase Bandwidth?

There are two ways of increasing bandwidth. The first is to purchase more powerful hardware that allows for greater amounts of data transfer. You can look at purchasing different types of cables for transferring data, or you can change up the type of connection (from wireless to wired, for example). The second way to increase bandwidth on your network is to eliminate congestion and bottlenecks, which are inefficiencies with data transfer that can hamper your network’s performance.

In the case of your Internet connection, you’ll have to contact your Internet service provider for information on getting a faster connection, but again, there are other options available to you, like looking into different routers, upgrading your network switches, and so on. We are always happy to help you make the right call with your technology choices.

k_Street Consulting, LLC understands that making investments in technology and technology-related decisions can be difficult, especially if you aren’t as informed as you would like to be on the solutions in question. That’s why we offer managed services: to help businesses like yours make the best, most educated and informed technology-related decisions possible. To learn more about what we can do for your business, call us today at (202) 640-2737.