The nature of work is changing.

From how, where and why employees work, to the tools and data they use, right through to the rise of the innovation economy, the pace and scale of this change has, arguably, never been matched.

And while change and business objectives can take on many forms, one thing remains common: the need for an underlying network infrastructure that can support the unique needs of businesses.

A new report from Ovum

Enabling new ways of working

The report also shows that Australian businesses are embracing the new ways of working that digital technologies can afford.

Ranked fourth out of 13 countries examined in the Deloitte Access Economics-Australian Computer Society Digital Pulse 2018 for most-connected business-base with broadband, we’re also the fifth most-enthusiastic adopters of cloud services out of the 12 countries examined, and seventh (out of 14 countries) for “the development and potential of our businesses in the e-commerce market”.

All of these trends are transformative for businesses of any size, but they need more than just vision.

Changing the ways people work also requires an underlying communications infrastructure capable of supporting that shift – and it needs to be available where they want to use it.

Yet access is only part of the equation.

Network features, such as prioritised data* and committed information rates*, as well as the service level agreements in place between providers and their customers, all influence the way a business can use its technology.

Each of these capabilities is typically relevant for businesses pursuing transformation agendas and, in complex or far-flung operational environments, they may help make the difference between collaboration services working smoothly or being a source of frustration for employees and customers.

Understanding your options

Businesses in Australia are competing in an ever more globalised world. They face new cross-border challenges, many of which are out of their control.

From market disruptors who upend entire industries to the changing nature of the customer – and with new demands and challenges of their own – organisations are changing not only how they work, but what they do.

To truly maximise the impact of these benefits and opportunities, the network behind these capabilities must be business-focused.

The nbn™ broadband access network for business – a foundation of digital transformation identifies that, while access to wholesale services over the nbn™ access network used by residential end users may suit many smaller business operators, including sole traders, as organisations get larger and business needs become more complex, the report points to the need for additional network features.

Business grade solutions

That’s why NBN Co has created ‘business nbn™ solutions’, business grade wholesale solutions that providers can customise for businesses, big or small.

Wholesale business nbn™ solutions are designed to provide the reliability, flexibility and choice Australian organisations need to meet increasing demands on their communications technology.

By 2022, as predicted in the Cisco Visual Networking Index Forecast, average broadband speed in the Asia-Pacific region will be 99Mbps – up from 46Mbps in 2017. And, reflecting the continuing change in methods of communication and collaboration, 82 per cent of all internet traffic will be video – up from 68 per cent in 2017.

These figures are lead indicators of the extent to which digital transformation is changing the way we work, communicate and collaborate.

^ Disconnection dates vary and not all Special Services will be disconnected – whether a service will be disconnected, and the timing of disconnection will depend on factors including the type of Special Service, when the nbn™ broadband access network is available, which nbn™ access technology is available and whether Telstra has issued a BAU product exit in respect of a Special Service. To find out if your services will be affected, and applicable disconnection dates, contact your customer’s phone or internet service provider.

* An end user’s experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ broadband access network, depends on the nbn™ access network technology and configuration over which services are delivered to their premises, whether they are using the internet during the busy period, and some factors outside of nbn’s control (like their equipment quality, software, chosen broadband plan, signal reception, or how their provider designs its network). Speeds may also be impacted by the number of concurrent users on the nbn™ Fixed Wireless network, including during busy periods. Sky Muster™ satellite end users may also experience latency.