How can Dark Fiber benefit my business?

Dark Fiber benefits include increased bandwidth, faster speeds, greater security, and more flexibility.

What is Dark Fiber? 

Dark Fiber describes fiber optic cables that are already in place but not in use. These cables have been installed but haven’t been “lit” by data transmission equipment. Dark Fiber is a great alternative to lit connectivity for many companies. It can be leased through a provider like DQE, giving a company control and autonomy in its bandwidth usage. Dark Fiber can transform your company’s connectivity by giving you the freedom and ability to design the exact data network your company needs. 

While Dark Fiber provides a number of benefits, it may not be right for all organizations. Traditionally, your service provider provides and sets up the in-office hardware you need for your connectivity. If you are using Dark Fiber, you lose some of those out-of-the-box benefits. Added autonomy does mean a certain amount of additional work and employing staff that can maintain it so that you can utilize all of these benefits. 

Let’s highlight some of the ways Dark Fiber benefits your company.

Benefits of Dark Fiber

Speed & Bandwidth 

While the upfront and staff costs must be considered, many organizations save money with Dark Fiber. For instance, if your company often transfers large amounts of data and your Service Provider charges by bandwidth levels, Dark Fiber can benefit your bottom line since it is a fixed cost.

Another benefit over traditional bandwidth connections, Dark Fiber gives you complete control over your company’s transmission speed. You don’t have to worry about paying more for the speeds your company needs to stay productive or paying for speeds you will never use. You set the limits and can optimize speeds to keep your business humming.

Performance & Security 

Since you are leasing the cable, it can connect end-to-end to your devices and gateways without having to bounce between different midpoints. It removes the electronic middlemen. Like hitting all of the green lights on a long stretch of road, your data can move quickly without being hindered by stops along the way. 

Having your own dedicated Dark Fiber connection doesn’t mean you also need to become a cybersecurity expert overnight. Security is inherent in the Dark Fiber connection itself. Since your data is traveling on your own private network, data is more secure. 

Flexible & Scalable

Dark Fiber allows you to create and customize a solution that will fit your needs. Rather than having to choose the best option out of a provider’s established offerings, you can build a network that only has the components you need. It also allows you to scale your network to your company’s changing needs and locations. And once you light Dark Fiber, it doesn’t have to stay lit. You can light and un-light it as many times as you may need to adjust to your business needs. 

Reliable & Responsive

Just because you have control over all aspects of your network, that doesn’t mean you’re on your own. When you lease Dark Fiber from DQE, our team continually monitors the integrity of our backbone fiber and can automatically notify your team of a potential network problem. In addition, DQE’s service restoration crews are also on call 24/7 to respond to any outages. 

Connectivity is the lifeblood of business. Understanding the potential of Dark Fiber and how it can transform your organization’s connectivity landscape is crucial for staying competitive and meeting growing data demands. 

Connect with DQE today to learn more and see if Dark Fiber is the connectivity solution for your business.