3 Business Practices You Should Avoid on a Public Internet Connection

The New Office Frontier? Not Really

Trying to get internet access in a hotel lobby or local coffee shop… we’ve all been there. Sometimes it can be tougher than finding parking during peak business hours downtown. Whether you’re just checking emails or reviewing urgently needed presentation notes, the stress-level can be the same with a slow or spotty internet connection.

While a coffee shop seems like a great place to duck-in with your computer or smartphone to take care of business on-the-go, between trying to find a solid connection and waiting on slow connections, it may be more of a headache than a help.

Now, you can’t blame the coffee shops for all this. Free free internet connection is a complimentary service; meant more for leisure than to meet actual business needs. The general wireless internet provided by most cafes and coffee shops is meant for minimal use for limited time. However, the often convenient location of places like Starbucks along with the cozy atmosphere often ends up becoming an impromptu work station. This has lead to some major liberties being taken by businesses and professionals to conduct.

Connection Error

Here is a list of common professional practices that we have seen attempted in coffee shops and why they shouldn’t be:

• Conference Calls

A private meeting space away from noise and distractions seems like a no-brainer for a conference call. However, we have seen otherwise. Poor internet connections aside, noise levels and the bustling nature of coffee shops is not conducive to conference needs. Don’t be the person in with your finger in one ear, shouting into the phone or cursing at a buffering video.

• Sending/Receiving Secure Emails

Waiting on a coffee shop’s slow internet connection can be annoying when you are trying to send or receive emails. It can also pose a risk. Public internet connections are usually non-secure or very minimally secured. This leads to increased risk of phishing or hacking of sensitive data.

• Downloading Files

Spotty or slow internet is not good for downloading files. Especially for large file sizes, poor internet connection can result in a lot of headache when you need to review documents.

An Alternative to Public Internet Connection

All over major cities and dense business sectors, shared work spaces and coworking venues are popping up. Typically, these spaces feature accessible, functioning offices and work stations with reliable access to secure internet connections. Temporary work spaces and allow professionals to utilize office and conference space on-demand; when they need it. Often these are affordable alternatives that allow for greater flexibility and availability of resources.

For professionals in Tampa’s downtown core, there is a solution. Find out about Suites@Madison’s hourly, daily and monthly office space and conference room rentals with access to secure, high-speed internet connection here… and don’t forget the coffee!