The intensive networking needs that existed at the height of the pandemic have slowly lessened. However, upwards of 45% of people still work remotely part-time or full-time. Beyond that, consumer shopping habits are different than they were pre-pandemic.
All-in-all, businesses must deal with a different landscape in terms of their networking needs. Even small businesses that used to simply dismiss the Internet now maintain and often rely on their web presence as a key component of their business.
With that in mind, keep reading for three network services trends that will likely remain big or get big throughout 2022.
1. Fiber Optics
Good networking depends on a good connection and solid bandwidth. Sadly, the limitations of the old standby of coax cables are increasingly apparent. Those cables can only support so many connections and so much bandwidth.
While it’s typically still adequate for home users, those limits will become an increasing problem for businesses with intense networking needs. That’s where fiber optics come into the picture.
Fiber optics can carry far more connections and dramatically more bandwidth than coax. That functionally makes fiber networks immensely faster than comparable traditional networks.
While not available in all locations, businesses in cities where it is available can get fiber optic contractors in to set up in-house fiber optic cabling to take full advantage of that extra speed.
2. Network Security Services
All of those remote workers must access your internal network from outside. That might mean from a relatively secure home network. Of course, it may also mean they’re signing in from the public WiFi available at their favorite coffee shop or restaurant.
That means that businesses of all sizes will need network security services. That may prove tricky. While not quite as desperate as it was a few years ago, there is still a severe shortage of cybersecurity experts.
Even so, businesses need those services to help ensure that employees don’t accidentally leave internal business networks vulnerable to attack.
3. Managed Network Services
Managed network services aren’t anything new, but they will continue to play a big role. Small and medium-sized businesses will particularly need these services.
Managed network services can include a wide range of things, such as:
- Managed network security services
- Network monitoring
- Overall network management
Network Services and You
The extent to which any business needs network services depends a lot on their in-house staff and their reliance on networking. For businesses that use and plan to keep allowing remote work, network services will continue to play a huge role for you.
In cases like that, you either need a very strong in-house IT staff or you’ll need outside assistance from a managed service provider. Options like fiber optics can help you solve speed and bandwidth problems, assuming you live somewhere it’s available.
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