Decoding the 21st century Rosetta Stone: is your business speaking the language of modern connectivity?

This article is part of our Opinions section.

The Rosetta Stone is world-famous for providing the key to our modern understanding of ancient Egyptian literature and civilisation. In the same vein, businesses today stand to enjoy huge benefits if they can decode customer needs and technical specifications to implement the right connectivity infrastructure.

It’s no longer up for debate that you can engage with organisations almost anywhere in the world. But the real question is: is everyone speaking the same language when it comes to connectivity? Simply having connectivity isn’t enough. Firms need to adhere to common principles and priorities to capitalise on the potential of the many sophisticated tools at their disposal – after all, a rising tide lifts all boats.

Whether your business uses connectivity to reach its customers, generate sales, for JIT production or distribution, every modern business is dependent and often that dependency only becomes apparent when the wrong connectivity lets you down. Getting it right in the first place means speaking the language of modern communications so that your communication with customers, suppliers and partners is coherent.

I will outline five key steps leaders should follow to ensure they can cooperate and collaborate effectively with their peers and customers, remain protected, and make the most of the crucial infrastructure.

Put the customer first

The customer should always be a driving focus for any business’ network decision-making. Whether it’s to support finding new ways to improve the customer experience, striving to exceed their expectations, or increasing return on investment, listening to their needs and responding appropriately is crucial.

However, no two customers are the same and leaders must appreciate the different priorities that exist, particularly across verticals. While low latency will understandably be a key factor for a customer in the gaming or financial services sectors, a multinational shipping firm may place greater emphasis on global availability and reliable connectivity. This makes working with providers who understand these priorities and have experience in delivering outcomes against them paramount.

Appreciate nuance in global connectivity

Staying on the theme of varying needs, leaders and decision-makers must educate themselves and their teams about the significant geographical differences and local issues in the internet and connectivity space in order to ensure they’re using a resilient network ecosystem that connects everyone.

Internet connectivity is not made equal across the world. That means customers or employees may not receive consistent experience if networks don’t provide robust, low-latency connectivity to all regions. As such, businesses must partner with network infrastructure providers that connect to numerous Points of Presence (PoPs) globally, with networks protected by redundant routes and other outage-mitigating initiatives to keep data flowing.

Invest in modern infrastructure and support up-to-date protocols

With that said, unless you’re working from solid foundations, all of the understanding and experience in the world won’t get you very far. So, investing in modern infrastructure should be a core component of every business’ strategy.

It’s easy to forget that, under the streamlined, lightning-fast surface of the internet and its billions of connected devices, the infrastructure that supports its use is much more complex. It comprises an intricate web of disparate networks that rely on complex protocols to run smoothly and communicate with one another.

Unfortunately, many organisations continue to lag in this arena. For example, the antiquated IPv4 protocol, which was created at a time when the sheer scale of the internet couldn’t have been foreseen, reached full IP address capacity in 2011.

Adoption of its successor, IPv6, is just above 46% globally despite the huge range of benefits it provides, such as more efficient routing, a longer life for network equipment and lower latency. Simply put, organisations need to work with those who understand that a new era of internet connectivity is well and truly upon us and adapt accordingly.

Prioritise protection

It goes without saying that if businesses aren’t properly equipped to deal with increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity attacks, they stand little to no chance of providing the reliable, resilient and efficient connectivity required of today’s digital landscape.

According to a 2023 report by NetScout, the second half of that year saw over 7 million DDoS attacks in 214 countries and territories, with 456 industry verticals in threat actors’ crosshairs. What’s more,  there has been a 67% rise in the number of ransom-distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks since last year.

Therefore, the importance of implementing robust protections against rising cyber threats such as DDoS attacks, for which effective and scalable mitigation strategies are crucial, cannot be overstated. Business leaders need to take steps to prioritise understanding the tactics and risks posed by all kinds of attacks, as well as implement flexible and tailored protection strategies.

Always think at the ‘network-level’

Last but by no means least, organisations must view their network as a cohesive entity when assessing vulnerabilities and shoring up their defences to safeguard both their infrastructure and reputation.

What’s more, since every business undergoes a natural evolution, flexibility and scalability across the network are also paramount considerations. This is because flexibility allows for the seamless integration of modern technologies, and scalability ensures networks can expand alongside the organisation’s growth.

By partnering with network providers who take a holistic approach to connectivity, business leaders can future-proof their offering and put themselves in pole position against the competition.

Today’s Rosetta Stone

Getting connectivity right for customers involves speaking the language of modern communications. And just like the Rosetta Stone’s value ultimately came from the vast translation potential it provided the ancient Greeks, businesses can work with multi-continent connectivity network providers that help them translate modern requirements into actual capabilities.

For example, network providers that hold Verified Gold Peering Partner status handle the complexities of dealing with Google and the many specifications it requires for peering arrangements, allowing businesses to focus on delivering for customers knowing that they have seamless access to the full range of Google services.

Additionally, network providers should comply with the highest security and performance standards and offer around-the-clock customer support through a 24/7 Network Operations Centre (NOC) to guarantee smooth operations and peace of mind.

Without the Rosetta Stone, it’s difficult to say how the Greeks’ understanding of their Egyptian ancestors would have developed, but the rest was history. Similarly, as transformational as the internet has been to our modern world, it’s critical that we don’t rest on our laurels and isolate ourselves, but innovate and improve by all speaking the same language.