Broadband for accountants, solicitors and consultancies

What a firm needs from its connection

An accountancy practice, a law firm and a consultancy look different from the outside, but their connections do similar work:

• Cloud practice software: accounts, tax, case management, document management and time recording, often all online.
• Large documents moving both ways: bundles, scanned files, spreadsheets and backups uploaded as well as downloaded.
• Video meetings with clients, counsel and colleagues, which need steady upload as well as download.
• Remote access for staff working from home, sometimes through a VPN or a system that only accepts known IP addresses.
• Client visits, with clients expecting Wi-Fi in meeting rooms.
• Business phones, now running over the internet.

Two things stand out: upload speed, because so much work goes up to the cloud, and control over who and what reaches the network, because client confidentiality depends on it.

Upload speed for cloud files and video meetings

BT Business Broadband lines have a lower upload than download speed, and that is the side firms feel first when several people upload documents during a video call. BT's tier tables give these upload figures:

The speed you actually get depends on the line at your address. Before the service starts, BT gives a Minimum Guaranteed Access Line Speed, and BT's Minimum Speed Guarantee gives you a route to exit if the line regularly falls below it and BT cannot fix it within 30 days.

If BT Business Full Fibre is available, its higher tiers give a growing firm the most upload headroom. Our guide to what broadband speed your business needs helps you size it, and if you need the same upload as download, or dedicated bandwidth, read when to upgrade from broadband to a leased line or see BTnet leased lines on our sister site.

A static IP for remote access, VPNs and secure portals

Many firms need an internet address that does not change. A static IP lets staff reach an office VPN from home, lets your IT provider manage systems remotely, and lets you give a supplier or client portal a fixed address to allow through its firewall.

• Included or add-on. One static IP is included with Enhanced and Pro and is an add-on for Essential. BT also offers a No NAT range of five static addresses.
• IPv4 and IPv6. BT provides an IPv4 address along with an IPv6 prefix.
• No transfers in. Existing static IPs cannot be moved to BT from another provider, so plan the change of address with your IT provider and any portals that allow your current address.
• Not on Ultra. BT's Ultra plan does not offer a static IP, so firms that rely on one usually choose Pro.

See static IP addresses on BT Business Broadband for more, including when a static IP does and does not help.

Client Wi-Fi in meeting rooms

Clients expect Wi-Fi when they visit, but they should not join the network your file server, printers and practice systems sit on. BT Guest Wi-Fi is included on every plan:

• Kept apart. BT runs it as a public network, separate from your private network.
• No password at reception. Clients join in one step.
• Your work comes first. BT keeps 80% of the available speed for the business.
• Filtered. BT's content controls block inappropriate material as standard.

It allows up to 13 users at a time, which is often enough for a meeting room or two. Switch it on in My Account or the BT Business app.

Security for client data

Firms hold personal and commercially sensitive client information, so the network deserves as much thought as the software. BT Business Broadband offers a ladder of protection:

Two practical notes. First, Wi-Fi Security Controls filter websites, not apps, and need Smart Hub 3. Second, BT says Ultra is not meant for customers who keep an existing third-party firewall, want to manage security themselves or have complex or bespoke networks. If your firm already has an IT provider and a firewall, Enhanced or Pro with a static IP is the better place to start. See using your own router with BT Business Broadband before replacing BT's hub: BT says that using your own router means Hybrid Backup, Complete Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi security features are not available.

Broadband security is one part of a wider picture that includes email security, device management, backup and staff awareness. Our business broadband security guide covers the BT layers, and Forever Group can help with the rest.

Hybrid working and staying online

Most firms now split time between office and home. Two things keep that working smoothly:

• A connection that recovers. Hybrid Backup, included with Enhanced and Pro, switches the office connection to 4G automatically if the fixed line fails, and BT says the static IP and IP voice keep working. Remote staff can still reach the office while it is active, at mobile speeds.
• Fast fixes. BT's Prompt Care, included with Pro, targets a fix by the end of the next working day for faults reported before 9pm Monday to Saturday. Standard Care, on Essential and Enhanced, targets the end of the second working day.
• Home workers. Staff who work from home regularly may be better served by business broadband there too; see business broadband at home.
• Phones that follow people. BT Cloud Voice puts your business numbers on desk phones, laptops and mobiles, wherever staff work.

Which BT plan suits a firm?

A quick guide by firm type. We confirm the fit once we know your premises, systems and IT arrangements.

For a side-by-side view of the two higher plans, see BT Ultra vs Pro.

How we help professional firms

We check which line type and speeds BT can supply at your office, talk through upload needs, static IPs and security with you (and your IT provider if you have one), quote, place the order and help you through to installation day.

For phones, see BT Cloud Voice for professional services on our sister site. Pricing is confirmed at quote. Contact us and tell us how your firm works.