Isabella Bank powers network with ultra-high speed fiber backbone

“Spectrum Enterprise gives us more capacity to do things, maybe not that we couldn’t do them before, but now we can do them with less headache and downtime. More reliably, too.” 

Jordan Leasher, Network Manager, Isabella Bank

Whether instantly moving vast quantities of data or managing voice traffic at 31 locations, Isabella Bank in central Michigan enjoys the benefits of a highly adaptable fiber network. This is anchored by an ultra-high speed wavelength circuit that can transmit up to 10 Gbps (gigabits per second).

“Having the right network gives us the connectivity we need to serve the needs of our clients and our employees as well as meeting all our regulatory requirements,” says Jordan Leasher, Network Manager, Isabella Bank. “Having the support of Spectrum Enterprise checks all those boxes.”

Branch offices across the state channel data via individual circuits that together act as point-to-point private lines. Using Ethernet Services, these circuits make up a hub-and-spoke network that can be adapted to suit the bank’s changing needs. 

Access to the internet is kept entirely apart from this network and relies in large part on two Dedicated Fiber Internet (DFI) circuits installed at bank headquarters. These circuits include service-level agreements (SLAs) guaranteeing 100% uptime.

Isabella Bank needed 24/7/365 monitoring to prevent volumetric attacks designed to create wholesale service disruptions. They chose DDoS Protection, a managed service from Spectrum Enterprise which analyzes site traffic specifically to detect and mitigate DDoS attacks. 

“It’s one less thing for us to worry about,” Leasher explains. “Because Spectrum Enterprise does the heavy lifting, that means one less piece of equipment we have to monitor and maintain, but also the extra eyes of Spectrum Enterprise technicians to detect those threats.”