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Get your network ready for the FIFA 2014 World Cup

As world cup excitement reaches fever pitch, millions of footie fans will be taking to their office computer to stream football live. But while you may be ready for the fun to begin, you may find yourself screaming at your computer rather than cheering on your favourite team if your network isn’t up to the job. Your company may also be at risk of downtime and malware. Here’s how companies can win at the game of streaming – and still enjoy the match!

fifa

#1 Internet bandwidth

Let’s say you have a bandwidth limit of 5Mbps and you’re streaming at 600kbps, the speed at which ESPN streams. Just 9 people watching the games will overwhelm it. With 10 Mbps, your top limit is 17 users. Can your internet bandwidth handle the demand? If not, it’s not just the footie enthusiasts that will suffer. Internet downtime could also lead to lost business and sales.

Of course it’s not just the fans that want smooth on-demand streaming. Football news websites also need to ensure their desktop and mobile sites are performing well. Monitoring uptime and the end user experience in real-time is therefore crucial and made simple with Site24x7.

Solution:

  • Educate others on the impact streaming has on the network
  • Ask peers to limit their online activity to browsing, not streaming
  • Create a communal space for watching matches
  • Set a bandwidth threshold and monitor it

Top tip: To find out the number of simultaneous video streams needed to grind your network to a halt, take your bandwidth in Mbps, multiply that by 1024 and divide the result by 600.

#2 Risk of malware

Major tournaments are a frequent target for cyber-attacks. As things hot up on the pitch, hackers are busy taking advantage of fans who browse the web for updates and live streaming video. According to leading technology companies4 it takes an average 22 hours to exploit news events for malware distribution. Having anti-malware technology such as gateways that detect and filter out malware in real-time is therefore crucial.

Solution:

  • Promote the company internet usage policy before the event
  • Keep software updated
  • Ensure everyone applies critical security updates
  • Block certain websites
  • Install anti-malware technologies that detect and filter out malware

#3 Employee productivity

FIFA World Cup Brazil = 27 days, 66 matches and 99 hours of entertainment. Imagine if all the staff in your company watched every match! Based on an average US hourly wage of $24.31, if 20 employees watched a match it would cost your company $486.20 per hour in lost wages. Make sure your business isn’t relegated because of the FIFA 2014 Word Cup.

Solution:

  • Install software that limits bandwidth usage
  • Block streaming sites that are bandwidth hungry
  • Create a communal space for match watching
  • Show games when productivity is least impacted
  • Limit the number of games employees can watch

Get ready to watch the game

Now you’ve conquered your streaming concerns, you’re ready to watch the match. Here are some of the official broadcasters helping to unite the world through football. Enjoy!

Austria – ORF

Australia – SBS

Bulgaria – BNT

Brazil – Redo Globo, Rede Bandeirantes, SporTV, ESPN Brasil and FOX Sports

Canada - CBC, Sportsnet and TVA

Czech Republic – Ceska Televizie

Denmark – DR in association with TV2

Finland – YLE

France – TFI

Germany – ARD and ZDF

Hungary – Hungary MTV

Iceland – RUV

India – MSML

Ireland – RTE

Italy – Sky Italia and Rai

Mexico – Televisa and TV Azteca

Netherlands – NOS

Norway – NRK in association with TV2

Romania – TVR

Russia – Pervyi Kanal and VGTRK

Slovakia – RTVS

Slovenia – RTVSLO

Spain – GOL1

Sweden – SVT

Switzerland – SRG SSR

UK - BBC and ITV

US - ESPN, ABC, beIN Sports USA, Univision

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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