Understanding Building Connectivity – Who Are the Carriers in Your Building and What Do They Offer?
Preparing to address your building connectivity? These infrastructure questions will help you answer the toughest questions from potential new tenants (and your brokers) about your building’s internet options.
The increasing need for high-speed internet is at the core of today’s business and tenants looking to lease new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) space are expecting suites with reliable services.
Understanding exactly what services are being provided by which Internet Service Providers (ISPs) gives you the ability to properly prepare (and sell) your office space to the most tech demanding tenants.
What service providers are actually in your building?
Tenants often have set opinions about which carriers offer the best services and having access to their preferred carrier is one of the most important aspects they look at when considering a building’s connectivity.
ISPs frequently resell their services through other providers, so there is a good chance your tenant may be receiving services from an ISP that is piggybacking off another ISP. Be sure you understand who is providing the physical fiber into your building.
Try not to provide potentially unreliable services by letting new “last Mile” carriers make false claims about servicing your building.
Establishing your infrastructure baseline and understanding what services your building offers makes it much easier to bring in new carriers and provide true redundancy.
Is there redundancy in my building connectivity – what backup options do my tenants have?
“Redundant” or backup circuits within the building ensure there are multiple pathways available for tenants to access the internet from. Without understanding the source of your services, you may have “diverse” circuits (two circuits, from one carrier, that are sold through another carrier) that can make mitigating service outages impossible.
Tenants want to know their internet connection is reliable, so prepare your building before disaster strikes. Ensuring multiple circuits are available to the tenant is one of the easiest ways to alleviate any connectivity concerns about your building.
Are service offerings in the building sufficient to meet your tenant’s needs?
New Carriers, Building WiFi, Distributed Antanea Systems (DAS), Smart Building Technology, Digital Signage – Tenant needs and wants are always changing, but generally better technology and internet access will always be required to remain competitive. Some technologies may have bandwidth limits that are insufficient to your tenants needs. For instance, if a tenant’s business requires Symmetrical ethernet it may preclude the use of Coax-based services.
It’s important to stay on top of new building connectivity trends and keep your building’s infrastructure actively maintained. Increasing your overall bandwidth, preparing for new technologies, and laying unused, ‘dark fiber’ will ensure your building’s connectivity is future-proofed.
There are new, high tech solutions available that provide rapid service delivery at competitive prices and many service providers are eager to compete for you and your tenants’ business.
Costar recently reported that rents in Manhattan office buildings increased 6.9% for each level of WiredScore certification (silver, gold and platinum.) If you are unable to navigate your building’s technology infrastructure confidently and answer questions about your building’s connectivity when you are asked by your broker or your tenants, then chances are you aren’t maximizing your building’s potential.
Working with a riser management firm ensures that your tenants are receiving the best and most reliable services your building can offer. If you’d like more information on how to easily upgrade, maintain and secure your office connectivity, please contact us today.
