As the extremely cold weather continues to sweep its way across the United States, the internet can be prone to connectivity disruptions. For small businesses that conduct business online, the internet going down can have negative implications on business operations.
The infographic shows how 78 percent of office workers consider internet connectivity critical to day-to-day business. When the internet is slow or goes down, 60 percent of office workers report a drop in productivity.
What causes these debilitating internet outages? According to the infographic, Mother Nature plays its part in creating connectivity issues. Between 2000 and 2012, there was a significant increase in catastrophic weather and lengthy power outages.
Though extreme weather is not the only perpetrator of internet issues. In October 2016, hacked home devices shut down access nationwide to several websites including Twitter, PayPal and Netflix. Equipment failure can also cause outages, a problem that occurred in May 2016 when a power outage caused by equipment failures in downtown Seattle left hundreds unable to work.
Things to Do when the Internet Is Down
So, what can businesses do when the internet is down and there’s work to be done? According to the infographic, while an internet ‘snow day’ can be fun, making us more inclined to get outside in the fresh air or write a novel, if internet outages aren’t an option for small businesses, fiber could be the solution.
As fiber power comes from light instead of electricity, and fiber optic cables are glass or plastic instead of metal so they are more protected against the weather, damage and hackers, fiber is speedy, secure and good for business.
Given the high bandwidth availability of fiber and the fact fiber is speedier and more secure, the fiber trend is spreading across the U.S. According to the infographic, in 2016, 20.1 percent of global internet subscribers used fiber, a 16 percent increase from 2015.
Take a look at Now Sourcing’s How To Have The Best Internet Snow Day’ infographic below.