Being a global company is one thing, executing it well is another. The needs and strategic challenges of global enterprises are ever-changing, and to meet these needs, businesses must evolve with them.
Today, organisations are increasingly seeking to better their flexibility and scalability, both of which are markers of a modern business. Cloud and SD-WAN have also become synonymous with modernity, given that they are better aligned to deliver on digital transformation initiatives. In turn, private infrastructures (namely MPLS and private data centres) have met their sell-by date.
Global enterprises are increasingly recognising their expenses and limitations, as well as the fact it simply can’t drive digital transformation as well as cloud and SD-WAN can. Thus, businesses are moving their corporate data and applications away from private infrastructure and instead, putting it somewhere that can accommodate their goals and take full advantage of newer technologies. Public internet and cloud are growing in appeal due to their promise of lower costs and higher performance.
Not only that, they boast hyper-scalability, turning the data 'centre' on its head and allowing companies to reach more locations across the globe, and faster. Therefore, enterprise cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google have risen in prominence, as has SD-WAN, in an effort to get a network and IT environment suitable for public cloud. Simultaneously, businesses are actioning their digital transformation initiatives to become increasingly agile, flexible, and adaptable, and their business connectivity plays a large role in this too.
The challenges of taking an internet-based network global
In a global context, getting the most out of business connectivity is a trying matter. International businesses are confronted with a number of challenges when sourcing local internet, which is especially felt by companies taking a DIY approach to it. These organisations are responsible for the sourcing, procurement, invoicing, and project management of their internet endeavours.
However, these businesses will also quickly become familiar with the challenges such tasks present. For example, an immediate issue that global businesses will find is the complications surrounding in-life support and management. How do companies raise a ticket or resolve a problem in local time and language without having IT personnel in place in the corresponding regions? You’ll need a lot more than multilingual agents working round-the-clock shifts.
Learning the local ways
Navigating through the sheer volume and diversity of offerings is no easy feat. Firstly, without any prior knowledge of local internet service providers (ISPs), it's difficult to be sure which are the most reliable. What’s more, for every region a business needs local internet in, the organisation must familiarise themselves with local traits, for the sake of the business and out of respect. This includes understanding when local holidays take place, what the local currency is, and any local etiquette to follow.
Of course, the more countries a business sources in, the more there is to learn. Similarly, local regulations can be problematic. For example, the 'Great Firewall of China' has disrupted access to global internet for many international companies. As the country cracked down on VPNs, the only option businesses were left with was to use expensive VPN software observed by Beijing. Such stricter, non-negotiable regulations in other countries can be very off-putting, dampening global efforts before companies can even get started.
Exacerbating the matter further is the obvious fact that organisations may struggle to work with local ISPs that operate in their native languages. This is not only complicated in terms of initial setup. Down the road, organisations may have difficulties communicating any technical issues with an overseas ISP. The lack of detailed exchanges can negatively impact clarification, which is a source of frustration for many global businesses.
Subject to availability
Another setback is that providers may not consider businesses with no significant spend as a priority during outages. Downtime can be hugely costly for businesses in terms of money as well as reputation, making this a large negative for organisations. However, on the other hand, there's no guarantee that their internet is even available where businesses need it. Some remote locations still need an infrastructure to be built or a solution to be brought in, but in some rural and low-income areas, laying cables require very specific tasks (ie, permits, access to local governments, etc).
Going forward with Globalinternet
Despite the numerous challenges in global internet access, it doesn't need to be difficult. What businesses need is an aggregator, such as Globalinternet. This company gives global enterprises full control over their internet-based network by delivering a full lifecycle of design, deployment, and in-life management and support. Globalinternet works with an impressive 1,400 local providers in over 190 countries to make worldwide internet connectivity a reality for global businesses. The company takes a vendor-agnostic approach, handpicking the best local providers based on quality, price, and needs of customers, all of which are thoroughly assessed and certified by the organisation.
With their expertise, Globalinternet tailors service packs to meet the unique needs of each client. They begin by helping you choose the right product for your company, before getting your global sites online swiftly and painlessly. They can even offer support for internet services you have already sourced yourself – with options for monitoring, incident resolution, and billing on your current connections. Globalinternet works with its clients to deliver multiple options for connections where needed, giving companies greater resilience in the event of any service incidents. The company can tap into its portfolio of local providers to deliver network diversity, whether that’s in a rural area, urban, and so on.
Globalinternet also provides you with billing management in your currency of choice, including cost-effective solutions for overseas invoicing. As well as being highly customisable to your business requirements, Globalinternet is also a future-proof solution to help your organisation keep up with the ever-changing market and tech landscape. Through its effective lifecycle management, your business can remain competitive with ease. The company’s platform, GINius, automates and streamlines customer-facing processes. As businesses scale, they can use the platform to search for new locations and order new services. GINius also gives organisations access to all invoices, fully detailed and in the format of their choice. Notably, there is no lag on the platform: you can monitor connections and service performance in real time, enjoy near real-time auto-budgetary quoting, and take advantage of real-time information on your order statuses. Since the company has so many bases covered, it's no wonder they have such an impressive client portfolio.
To date, Globalinternet has lent its expertise to over 600 enterprises. Why not add your company to the list?
