There were two determined entrepreneurs, Sujoy, and Chandan, who were on the verge of revolutionising their enterprises. Little idea they had that the key to their success was dependent on their choice between a leased line and a point-to-point network.
In the age of digitalisation, where every enterprise thrives on having a seamless connection, Sujoy and Chandan were faced with the dilemma of choosing a suitable network for their growing businesses. To find the best network, they browsed deep into leased line networks and point-to-point networks.
What is point to point network?
A point-to-point network is the same as a private expressway between two points. It serves as a direct link that ensures secure and swift communication. Consider it as a direct phone line between Sujoy’s factory and Chandan’s office in Bombay.
What is leased line connection?
In contrast, a leased line connection is the same as owning a private road network. It offers a dedicated line solely for Sujoy and Chandan’s data transmission requirements. It is like having a freeway that is exclusively theirs, allowing high-speed transfer of data with zero sharing hassles.
Distinctions –
Speed
Point-to-point: Suppose the expressway during peak hour – data speed serves as traffic, slowing down when many users come online.
Leased line: Their dedicated way allows a continuous flow of speed, irrespective of the digital peak hours.
Geographical coverage
Point-to-point: Suitable for short-distance connections, like a local road network.
Leased Line: Ideal for long-distance and inter-city connections, like a national highway.
Security
Point-to-point: Like a public setup, the shared infrastructure makes the data vulnerable to external interventions.
Leased line: The dedicated connection serves as a secure tunnel, which enhances data security against distinct external threats.
Future-proofing
Point-to-point: Limited future scalability, like planning for short-term growth.
Leased Line: Future-proof infrastructure for evolving technologies, like building a highway for long-term advancements.
Downtime
Point-to-point: Highly susceptible to downtime in the course of peak times, like traffic jams during rush hours.
Leased Line: Minimal downtime which ensures business continuity. So, it serves as a maintained and well-managed expressway.
Ownership
Point-to-point: Chandan and Sujoy share a digital highway with different businesses like commuters sharing the road.
Leased line: They serve as a private expressway which ensures a controlled and smoother journey.
Maintenance
Point-to-point: Responsibility for maintenance is shared, like the municipalities maintaining roads for public usage.
Leased Line: The internet service provider takes complete care of maintenance. This ensures a well-maintained private expressway.
Reliability
Point-to-point: Just like congested public roads, network congestion leads to delays as well as disruptions in data flow.
Leased Line: The dedicated lane guarantees reliable and consistent performance of data, totally free from network congestion.
Adaptability
Point-to-point: Restricted adaptability to changing requirements, like a rigid road network.
Leased Line: This network is adaptable to the changing business needs, like a versatile and flexible expressway.
Network control
Point-to-point: Limited control over the network, like following predefined road rules.
Leased Line: Full control over the dedicated line, like having autonomy over the design and rules of their private expressway.
Scalability
Point-to-point: If a single-lane road is expanded, then scalability is restricted, which may result in bottlenecks.
Leased Line: Same as including more lanes to highways, it is simply scalable to accommodate rising data traffic.
Installation time
Point-to-point: Instant setup, just like setting up temporary roads for events.
Leased Line: The installation takes longer time owing to the construction of robust and dedicated infrastructure.
Cost
Point-to-point: It is cost-effective for short distances such as local commutes.
Leased Line: Though the initial investment is more, it is cost-effective for long-haul just like cross-country journeys.
Global connectivity
Point-to-point: Limited global connectivity, suitable for local communication.
Leased Line: Suitable for international business operations, like a highway connecting different regions.
Redundancy
Point-to-point: Restricted redundancy, highly susceptible to disruptions.
Leased Line: The in-built redundancy ensures uninterrupted connectivity, just like having various routes for a swift and smooth journey experience.
Customisation
Point-to-point: Restricted customisation choices, like selecting from the predetermined road designs.
Leased Line: Customisable for particular business requirements, like preparing a road network personalised to their journey.
Latency
Point-to-point: Variable latency, akin to unpredictable travel times.
Leased Line: Low latency ensures real-time applications, like a fast and predictable expressway.
Data transfer limits
Point-to-point: Restricted by shared bandwidth, same as traffic restrictions.
Leased Line: Unrestricted data transfer, just like a speed limit-free expressway.
Data privacy
Point-to-point: Have shared privacy concerns, same as sharing privacy in a public vertical.
Leased Line: Enhanced control and data privacy, like having a secure and private tunnel.
Support
Point-to-point: Shared customer support, akin to multiple users seeking assistance on a public road.
Leased Line: Provides dedicated support ensuring uninterrupted service such as having a personal support team for private expressway.
Backup options
Point-to-point: Restricted backup choices, same as having limited detour routes.
Leased Line: Backup solutions ensure the security of data, like having alternative routes for the journey.
Regulatory compliance
Point-to-point: Highly compliant with challenges in shared infrastructure.
Leased Line: Higher adherence to regulatory needs with dedicated infrastructure.
Voice and video quality
Point-to-point: Dependent on shared bandwidth, resulting in potential quality issues.
Leased Line: High-quality voice and video transmission, like a dedicated lane for clear communication.
Weather resistance
Point-to-point: Extremely vulnerable to climatic disruptions.
Leased Line: Resilient to climatic changes, ensuring reliable network connectivity during adverse scenarios too.
Service level agreements (SLAs)
Point-to-point: Restricted SLA choices, like service agreements.
Leased Line: Comes with comprehensive SLAs for network service assurance, ensuring complete commitment to quality service on their expressway.
Conclusion
As Chandan and Sujoy weighed both choices, they understood while a point-to-point network may be best matched for budget constraints and short distances, a leased internet line offered security, scalability, and reliability for their growing businesses.
Towards the end, they selected a leased internet line as it served as a dedicated expressway allowing their data to travel smoothly and seamlessly. Their businesses flourished, all thanks to the high-speed, uninterrupted network that the leased internet line offered.
Hence, in the growing space of digitalisation, Sujoy, and Chandan’s decision to go with the leased internet line serves as an imperative choice for businesses looking out for not only good connectivity but even success.
