Leased Lines Comparison

In computer networks and telecommunications, a leased or dedicated line is a communications connection dedicated to a specific application, in contrast with a shared resource such as the telephone network or the Internet. A leased line is a service contract between a provider and a customer, whereby the provider agrees to deliver a symmetric telecommunications line connecting two or more locations in exchange for a monthly rent (hence the term lease). Typically these are delivered using Fibre technology which means you select speeds from 10Mbs  up to 10Gbps to support your business demands.

A leased line works by connecting 2 specified locations over a private circuit allowing data communication. When you order a leased line you need to provide 2 locations:

1. Where you want the data to connect to (usually your business)
2. Where you want the data to go (this can be the internet for an internet leased line or another business location when creating a point-to-point network or MPLS network)

The fibre is routed from the carrier’s network to the nearest point of presence (PoP) and then delivered via dedicated fibre to your business location, this is called the termination point.

For most businesses leased lines are secure enough because they are a specific piece of connectivity dedicated for a business. For further security you can secure your data by encrypting using a corporate VPN

Data centre tiers are an efficient way to describe the infrastructure components being utilised at a business’s data centre. Although a Tier 4 data centre is more complex than a Tier 1 data centre, this does not necessarily mean it is best-suited for a business’s needs. While investing in Tier 1 infrastructure might leave a business open to risk, Tier 4 infrastructure might be an over-investment.

Tier 1: A Tier 1 data centre has a single path for power and cooling and few, if any, redundant and backup components. It has an expected uptime of 99.671% (28.8 hours of downtime annually).

Tier 2: A Tier 2 data centre has a single path for power and cooling and some redundant and backup components. It has an expected uptime of 99.741% (22 hours of downtime annually).

Tier 3: A Tier 3 data centre has multiple paths for power and cooling and systems in place to update and maintain it without taking it offline. It has an expected uptime of 99.982% (1.6 hours of downtime annually).

Tier 4: A Tier 4 data centre is built to be completely fault tolerant and has redundancy for every component. It has an expected uptime of 99.995% (26.3 minutes of downtime annually).

By connecting privately and directly to the Public Cloud providers through Cloud Exchange, your customers can improve performance, reduce costs, and increase security. This addresses many concerns of leveraging cloud services for more business-critical applications. This integration between private or hybrid cloud services and a company’s internal applications, mean that they can treat these environments as if they are part of their local area network.

There are different types of Leased Lines, a little information about them.

Fibre Ethernet

Available across the UK, Fibre Ethernet offers a dedicated and symmetrical bandwidth service delivered on uncontended fibre access at speeds from 10Mb up to 10Gb, all backed up by our industry leading SLA’s. Ethernet bandwidth can be increased quickly and easily in line with your customer’s emerging business needs.

EFM – Ethernet in the First Mile

EFM is ideal for customers looking for an alternative solution to Fibre Ethernet or ADSL, who need an uncontended service and symmetrical bandwidth. The service is delivered at speeds of up to 30Mb.  EFM is delivered over bonded copper pairs to the customer’s premises, which makes it a highly cost- effective and resilient alternative to fibre-based Ethernet solutions, and with shorter lead time than Fibre Ethernet. EFM is ideal for customers needing a quick installation or who have problems with fibre access to their premises.

ADSL

CloudHance’s ADSL solution is business-grade, offering download speeds of up to 24Mb with quick and efficient implementation. ADSL is most commonly used as a backup service.

EoFTTC – Ethernet over Fibre to the Cabinet

EoFTTC is provided over a single copper pair from your business premises over the short distance to the green cabinets in the street. Unlike standard broadband where the copper then continues all the way to the exchange, Ethernet over Fibre to the Cabinet traffic travels across a shared fibre optic circuit to the exchange. As a result, the extra distance doesn’t lead to ongoing degradation

of performance, which allows access to an uncontended, symmetrical service of up to 20Mb with fixed service SLA’s.  Coverage can be limited, and can be more limited than Broadband FTTC as not only do the cabinets need to be enabled but the exchanges must also be an Ethernet node in the supplier’s network.

Broadband FTTC

Offering download speeds of up to 80Mb, and uploads of up to 20Mb. This is the next step

up from ADSL. By using the same underlying technology of Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) it is offered as reduced cost alternative by being a contended service, so can be impacted at peak times and by other internet users in the area. Able to support a single CloudHance service, such as Internet or SIP. For the application of multiple services, you will need an EoFTTC service or better. As with EoFTTC, coverage can be limited, although it is more widely available than EoFTTC.

50Mb

100Mb

200Mb

500Mb

1Gb

2Gb*

5Gb*

10Gb

* Bandwidth not currently available on AWS

your first line of defence against the growing threat landscape

As the Internet is central to how business is done, there is growing importance in securing and protecting our borders against the broadening threat landscape. CloudHance offers a tiered range of firewall solutions using the industry-leading hardware from Fortinet. These can be seamlessly integrated into our solutions and are specifically designed to help your customers protect their businesses effectively.

Shared Firewall

A Shared Firewall offers users a cost effective web filtering solution designed to offer businesses a basic level of protection. The firewall sits within the CloudHance’s core network and is interconnected to the customer’s network via a single connection, through which all internet traffic is passed.  Traffic is then filtered according to a set of rules defined by the customer, but CloudHance undertakes the management of the platform, freeing up

the customer to focus on other aspects of their network.

Enhanced Shared Firewall

The Enhanced Shared Firewall operates on a similar principal to the Shared Firewall, but offers options for some additional capabilities that can provide further protection for your customer. These include coverage for Remote Users accessing the customer network via a VPN – ideal for businesses with a mobile workforce – and Anti Virus capabilities for HTTP and SMTP connections which can be configured to block specific content based on category, url or keyword filtering.

Dedicated Firewall

Dedicated Firewall offers the highest levels of internet security and protection for your customer. Aimed at the large enterprise market, the product offers one or more firewall devices dedicated to the customer and managed by CloudHance. As well as all the features of the Enhanced Shared Firewall, the Dedicated Firewall can incorporate demilitarised zones (DMZ) as well as integrate functionality such as RADIUS or LDAP. The Dedicated Firewall product can be delivered either as a Central service located on the CloudHance core network or as an On-Site service with the firewall device located at the customer’s premises.