Dedicated vs. shared internet connections

A reliable, high-performing network is the foundation of your organization’s productivity, efficiency and growth. Organizations depend on consistent internet availability to speed delivery of large files, handle multiple types of time-sensitive traffic and increase the performance of cloud-based applications. Business and IT leaders are increasingly challenged to meet today’s internet demands and plan for tomorrow’s.

The continued acceleration of digital transformation, adoption of high-bandwidth applications and hypervelocity of data growth are among the factors driving demand for more network capacity.¹ Reliable, high-performing internet connectivity is critical to keeping your applications running and your business operating at peak productivity — it’s important to determine the connectivity option that best meets your needs.

Dedicated internet service provides a connection that is devoted to one organization with guaranteed bandwidth. With dedicated internet, an organization can rely on symmetrical upload and download speeds, scalable bandwidth and predictable end-to-end performance to keep critical applications up and running.

By contrast, some businesses choose a solution where multiple organizations share a connection to the internet on their service provider’s network. Shared internet service can be a fast and low-cost choice, but it does have limitations. With a shared internet service, your employees and visitors will be competing with other organizations for bandwidth at any given time. During peak internet traffic periods, this can result in deteriorating performance that impacts your employee and customer experience.

This white paper will help you understand the differences between dedicated and shared internet connections, so you have the information you need to decide which choice is best for your organization.
 

82% of organizations see migrating workloads to the cloud as a stepping stone toward digital transformation.²
 

Find the right internet connection for your organization

Dedicated internet

• Dedicated connection that is not shared by other organizations.
• Symmetrical upload/download speeds to support optimal application performance.
• Scalable bandwidth to meet evolving needs.
• Availability backed by an end-to-end service-level agreement (SLA).

Shared internet

• Shared connection may be slower than advertised speed.
• Asymmetrical upload/download speeds may impact application performance.
• Shared connection speed may decline as more users consume limited bandwidth.
• Performance assurance or SLAs may not be available.
   

What’s the right choice for you? If your organization needs a reliable, high-speed internet connection to support business-critical operations, dedicated internet is the better option, especially when delivered over fiber.

Fiber internet can provide many advantages for organizations of all sizes, particularly organizations that utilize cloud applications, share large files and use videoconferencing to support distributed workforces. A dedicated fiber internet connection can deliver data at faster speeds with higher bandwidth availability, lower latency and less signal degradation between the switch and users. It can also be more reliable, as fiber connections are not susceptible to electrical interference and disruptions from inclement weather.
 

Dedicated internet paves the road to success for your organization

Unreliable internet connectivity can affect your ability to conduct business. IT teams must weigh the pros and cons of dedicated versus shared internet, as well as the advantages of a fiber connection, when developing their connectivity strategies.

Factors leading to success include reliability, application performance, speed and bandwidth availability. Let’s take a closer look at the effects of dedicated internet delivered over a fiber network:

Reliability: Organizations with dedicated internet experience the benefits of both high-speed connectivity and reliability that is backed by an end-to-end SLA.

Application performance: With the rapid growth of cloud applications, more businesses rely on consistent connectivity for essential business operations. Dedicated internet increases application performance with consistent uptime, symmetrical upload and download speeds and easily scalable bandwidth to meet changing requirements.

Speed: Having access to fast connectivity speeds is paramount for organizations that rely on videoconferencing, cloud computing, collaboration services and more. Dedicated internet can reach speeds of up to 100 Gbps when delivered over a fiber network, while shared internet might be capped at 1 Gbps.

Bandwidth availability: Bandwidth-intensive applications for critical business operations have become the norm for most organizations. Dedicated internet provides guaranteed bandwidth at all times.
 

Dedicated Fiber Internet from Spectrum Business®

Choosing Dedicated Fiber Internet from Spectrum Business means opting for performance and support that keeps your organization connected. Reliable Dedicated Fiber Internet connectivity keeps critical applications up and running backed by an industry-leading SLA that includes a 100% uptime guarantee.

With Dedicated Fiber Internet, you can experience the consistent, reliable bandwidth and performance you need delivered by a dedicated connection over a nationwide private fiber network. Dedicated, scalable bandwidth ensures fast, symmetrical uploads and downloads at speeds up to 100 Gbps.
 

Partner with Spectrum Business, a trusted internet service provider

If your organization is reliant on technologies in the cloud, video collaboration or a distributed workforce, the best choice is dedicated internet service delivered over a fiber network.

With Spectrum Business, you’ll gain the dedicated high-performance connection you need from a partner you can depend on. Our nationwide reach, advanced technology and deep expertise will deliver better network performance to meet your evolving business requirements. As a single provider, we bring managed services together to create an experience that’s reliable, scalable and efficient.

Visit enterprise.spectrum.com/fiber to learn how your organization can benefit from Dedicated Fiber Internet.

Sources

¹ “5 Trends Driving Demand for Fiber,” Zayo, May 27, 2022.
² Kathleen Mitford, “3 Key Cloud Adoption Trends in Migrating and Modernizing Workloads,” Microsoft Azure Blog, December 7, 2022.