Helping business navigate the switch to nbn

By Wholesale

The rollout of the nbn™ is forcing Australian business to rethink their network design.

From November 2018, nbn™ will commence the disconnection of Special Services – these services delivered over the copper network, once exempt from disconnection will begin expiring in stages from November 2018 until 2022. As such, businesses will need to begin transitioning these services to an alternate access.

Switching services to the nbnTM is not an automatic process and can take up to six months to complete. This means businesses – and by consequence their customers – risk service disruptions if they haven’t arranged alternate network accesses in time for disconnection.  

The scale of the project is significant, with nbn™ estimating more than 200,000 network services will need to be switched.

It is the type of disruptive event that happens to every industry once every few decades, and Brennan IT believes it is going to fundamentally change the way Australian businesses operate as they compete locally and overseas.

Enterprises will be able to more aggressively pursue their digital transformation journeys as the nbn™ offers increased bandwidth, latency and connectivity versus traditional copper services.

Brennan IT has already migrated a number of customers to the nbnTM, and recently announced it is working with Optus to help accelerate the switch ahead of the Special Services disconnections taking effect.

To help enterprises switch to nbnTM and rapidly unlock the economic potential, Brennan IT builds strategies around four pillars – which it recommends all businesses should prioritise in their migrations:

• Education – Informing local enterprises about the arrival of nbnTM to their region, and the subsequent impact it will have on affected copper services, is the critical first step in switching to the network. All communications must highlight why the changes are being made, the long-term benefits it will deliver, and the process for migrating – for example, Brennan IT talks businesses through the various stages of switching services to ensure it is as seamless an experience as possible.

• Security – Every IT network must be underpinned by security. While emerging digital technologies create unprecedented opportunities, they have created a number of access points for hackers to exploit. In switching services, providers need to deliver broad protection across the network, and spend time educating businesses about the risks currently out there and everyone’s role in keeping them at bay.

• Test and Back Up – Enterprises should not expect to have to encounter any downtime when switching networks, and nor should the way they access or interact with products be any different either. Therefore, it’s crucial providers test applications to ensure they will seamlessly work in the new environment and have in place a back-up network while undertaking the switch and for a handful of months after. Failure to prepare ahead of the Special Service disconnections can result in running out of time, and impacted customers.

• Hybrid Offerings – Modern IT networks are being built within hybrid platforms – whereby some enterprises applications are hosted on premise and others in the cloud. This approach to IT enables enterprises to function more productively and efficiently, meaning businesses should look for providers able to switch their services to nbn™ – regardless of where they are hosted.

The network is the glue that stitches IT networks together, and by working with Optus we can effectively help businesses switch to nbn™ to succeed in today’s digital marketplaces.

For more information on how Optus is enabling Brennan IT to switch services to the nbn™: 

Contributed by Dayle Wilson, Chief Operating Office, Brennan IT.