Slow internet can be a big problem for cannabis businesses, especially because their operations are dependent on it. Cannabis dispensaries need the internet to manage inventory, do transactions and promote their brand and products, as well. Not only can it get frustrating when things don’t happen swiftly, but it also lowers employee productivity.
Your internet service providers must have conducted research before estimating the amount of bandwidth you’d need to keep things running properly. To establish the correct amount of bandwidth for your operations, they most likely evaluated the number of regular users, the number of devices that will be connecting, the kind of applications your cannabis business utilizes, and a variety of other factors. So, why does it still run so slow?
Many business owners leap to the conclusion that they need to buy more internet bandwidth or that they aren’t getting what they are paying for.
There can be several reasons for a slow internet connection. Here is what cannabis companies can do if their internet is slow:
Determine Current Bandwidth Use
If you haven’t done it yet, the first step to improving business internet speed is to determine if your company has the right amount of bandwidth necessary. It will help you ensure each of your network’s users can continue their Internet-based activities without delays or interruptions.
Each action of your network will use a different portion of your business’s total bandwidth. For instance, in a dispensary, most actions require internet like inventory management, sales, signages, video surveillance, and so on.
Consider surveying your employees to determine how many hours per day they spend performing network-intensive tasks while keeping track of peak bottleneck times to determine total network bandwidth usage. In fact, an MSP can get this information about your network-based activities to estimate your bandwidth use. You will be able to look at your company’s long-term growth plans after you know how much bandwidth your company requires. It will assist you in determining whether your network needs to be expanded or upgraded in order to accommodate new employees or changing work conditions.
Hardware Issues
Not every poor connection is related to your internet service provider or plan. Some of these could be due to hardware issues as well. As a result, it’s crucial to double-check that your modem and/or router are both working properly. Switching them off and then restarting after a few minutes is the easiest approach to determine this. If the connection improves, your issue will be resolved. If your internet speed continues to be slow, you might want to try troubleshooting the rest of your hardware, including your computer.
Consider A Second Line
To ensure that your cannabis business never halts, you may consider getting a line from a secondary provider if you can afford it. You can ask your MSP to help you set up your internet to ensure that if one is slow, it can automatically switch to the other one. this way you will be able to leverage the bandwidth of both the internet connections.
Use Antivirus Software
Malware and viruses can cause high bandwidth usage, resulting in slower internet speeds. Antivirus software can prevent hackers from breaking into your network, stealing your files, or downloading hazardous malware onto your computer, all of which will slow down your internet.
Partner With An MSP
If these options appear to be too time-consuming and difficult to implement, the best option is to hire a reputable managed IT services provider (MSP) to monitor, maintain, and optimize your network. Because they can notice problems fast and respond promptly, they can help your company prevent downtime. Cure8 provides cutting-edge IT solutions and services to keep your internet running smoothly at all times.
How Cure8 Can Help
Every cannabis business wants to spend time and energy on its core business instead of worrying about network infrastructure. Therefore, when you partner with Cure8, we can take away all your network infrastructure woes. We could help you find newer ISP options in your region and overlook the setup for you as well.
Cure8 can help you plan, manage, and monitor your primary and secondary networks with quick outage responses. We ensure your network is up 24/7. We understand that network issues can arise unexpectedly, thus we are always ready to ensure that such issues stay away from your business always.
