7 Ways to Assess and Reduce Latency

Across industries, connectivity slowdowns can be substantially costly in terms of both lost opportunities and operational efficiency. For some organizations, time really is money, with potentially billions of dollars at risk for every millisecond of delay. So, the need for effective end-to-end connectivity with optimal speed and minimal latency is mission-critical.

That’s why it’s important to assess your network connectivity to determine areas needing improvement and then choose the appropriate solutions that align with your organization’s needs to help reduce latency and increase efficiency.

A detailed analysis of your network connectivity will help identify gaps and areas for improvement. Here are some questions to help assess your speed and latency needs:

1. Are you getting enough bandwidth speed to serve all critical areas?
2. What effect does latency have on different areas in your organization?
3. Do you have too little or too much bandwidth for your needs today?
4. How easy or difficult would it be to adjust bandwidth for future needs?
5. Are there intermittent periods of time when additional bandwidth is needed?
6. Is your network properly optimized for your speed needs?
7. Is there too much contention for bandwidth resources?

The results of your assessment can help guide strategic solution decisions that align with your needs and your budget. Here are some solutions to consider for improved speed and reduced latency:

1.  

   With nearly limitless flexibility and scalability, fiber connectivity is faster, more reliable, and more secure

    

   Upgrade to all fiber connectivity. With nearly limitless flexibility and scalability, fiber connectivity is faster, more reliable, and more secure than other connectivity mediums. Fiber also reduces latency, packet loss, and jitter.

2. Connectivity Upgrades. You may need to increase bandwidth speeds or even change the type of connectivity, to meet response needs. To plan for future growth, select easily scalable solutions.

   – Internet speeds ranging from 100 Mbps up to 10 Gbps. Upgrade as needed.

    

   To plan for future growth, select easily scalable solutions

    

   – Wavelengths. Built for latency-sensitive organizations, Wavelengths offers ultrafast, ultra-transparent connections you can customize and grow with virtually unlimited bandwidth capacity.

   – Ethernet. Scalable bandwidth options ranging from 20 Mbps to 10 Gbps can evolve as your business grows. Choose from E-Line, V-Line, and E-LAN, depending on your configuration needs.

   – Private Dark Fiber. Virtually unlimited bandwidth to support massive amounts of data with the most predictable performance, maximum control, and heightened security.

3. Burstable Bandwidth. Cost-effective flexibility to meet intermittent high-traffic peaks. When needed, bandwidth can be increased to reduce latency and allow for better flow of data, meeting the needs of often unpredictable bandwidth usage demands.
4. Service Provider Network Redundancy. Select connectivity from a provider that does not have single points of failure in their network and uses multiple local peering partners for Internet and Cloud transit.
5. Optimized Routing. Select a provider with extensive network density who will work with you to customize your latency-sensitive routes. This can be especially helpful when connecting to data centers, financial centers, and Cloud providers.
6.  

   SD-WAN improves network management with agility and adaptability to optimize your network

    

   SD-WAN (LP FlexNet). SD-WAN improves network management with agility and adaptability to optimize your network and keep up with business requirements. Provides control and visibility for flexible and timely network adjustments to eliminate bottlenecks and allocate resources more efficiently. 

7. 24/7 Advanced Proactive Monitoring. Proactive alerts of slowdowns, increased latency, and connectivity issues for faster detection and resolution.

As your Strategic Network Partner, Lightpath’s expert team of network engineers, product managers, and account executives can help evaluate your existing connectivity and solutions to help you increase network speed and reliability—today and in the future. We have the experience to help you rethink existing technologies and re-imagine solutions customized to meet your organization’s exact needs. To learn more, visit lightpathfiber.com or call us at 877-544-4872.