Plug in to peak productivity - Colliers Spark Report

Plug in to peak productivity - Colliers Spark Report

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  Why Fibre OpticShould Be a Critical Factor in Choosing Office Space Plug in to Peak Productivity Accelerating success.
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  2 Spark Report:Plug in to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada The real estate needs of businesses continue to diversify beyond cost and available space. As companies adopt new technological processes to improve their business operations, their real estate needs expand by requiring efficient technological infrastructure. When selecting an office location, companies are increasingly requesting efficient telecommunication infrastructure–specifically fibre optic internet. Internet connectivity is the foundation of numerous day-to-day applications such as video conferencing, cloud computing and big data analytics. As many firms move towards using these applications, their bandwidth requirements intensify, underscoring the importance of internet connectivity for workplace productivity. With the high cost of installing a fibre optic internet network, along with service provider fees, many office suites in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are currently not using fibre optic internet. Despite this, companies should consider real estate options that provide fibre optic internet, as increased connectivity and speed helps improve workplace productivity. Many companies sign long-term leases and therefore businesses must also take into account their future connectivity needs when looking for office space now. This Spark Report focuses on the benefits of fibre optic internet for commercial real estate occupiers. The report also discusses the City of Markham, as the municipality has continually focused on developing advanced fibre optic telecommunication infrastructure throughout its employment areas. Innovative companies find locating in Markham appealing for various reasons, but the city’s telecommunication infrastructure is one of its main competitive advantages. Companies that use cloud computing need reliable transfer of data over the internet, to store and access their information from data centres. The “cloud” is an extension of the office facility, and therefore, high- quality and redundant internet connectivity should be a paramount consideration. Geoff Kee - Manager, Real Estate at TeraGo Networks Inc. Introduction
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  3Spark Report: Plugin to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada Office workspaces are constantly transforming as companies diversify and change. As the development of human capital becomes ever more important for businesses, companies are demanding office space that has a mix of amenities that are conducive to developing a productive workforce. Internet connectivity and speed is a vital real estate amenity that directly impacts the day-to-day productivity of a company’s workforce. Colliers reviewed numerous econometric papers for this report that have found a correlation between firms increasing broadband efficiency and overall productivity growth. Companies within the technical services and media industries have led the demand for high-quality telecommunication infrastructure within their offices, as internet connectivity and speed is crucial for firms in these industries to perform daily tasks. The demand for efficient telecommunication infrastructure is increasing beyond technical service companies, as more corporations across all industries adopt internet intensive strategies such as big data analytics, cloud computing or mobile device solutions. A 2014 technology investment plan survey by Gartner, Inc. found that 73 percent of their survey respondents have invested or plan to invest in big data in the next 24 months, up from 64 percent in 20131. Also, according to the IBM Business Tech Trends Study, “big data and analytics, cloud, mobile and social are each now used by 7 in 10 enterprises”2. The increase in use of big data analytics is also being fueled by the increase in availability of useful publicly accessible data. Governments and other organizations are further expanding their publicly open data, which is helping increase the number of companies using data analytics. As more firms adopt bandwidth-intensive internet applications in their day-to-day operations, efficient telecommunication becomes essential. Internet traffic in Canada is expected to more than triple between 2014 and 20193 Fibre optic internet is the most efficient telecommunication infrastructure available today. Fibre optic internet provides faster upload and download speeds, along with superior connectivity when compared to traditional fixed-line copper broadband. Table 1 displays the difference in speed between fibre optic and traditional fixed-line copper broadband. For reference, according to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, the average download speed in the City of Toronto was 22.33 Mbps, while fibre can currently reach speeds of up to 1000 Mbps. Fibre Optic Spotlight Table 1 displays the loss in efficiency resulting from a slower internet connection. When performing numerous large-bandwidth tasks throughout the day, the opportunity costs from having a slower internet connection can add up. LENGTH AND TYPE OF MEDIA DOWNLOAD APPROXIMATE SIZE DOWNLOAD SPEED BROADBAND FIBRE OPTIC 5Mbps 10Mbps 20Mbps 100Mbps 1000Mbps (Gigabit) 4-minute song or PDF report 4 MB 5s 3s 1.5s 0.3s 0.03s 5-minute video or HD videoconferencing 30 MB 40s 26s 13s 2.5s 0.2s 9-hour audiobook 110 MB 2m 1.5m 46s 9.2s 0.9s 45-minute marketing Sales Video 200 MB 5m 3m 1.5m 16s 1.7s 45-minute HD marketing Sales Video 600 MB 15m 8.5m 4m 50s 5s 2-hour movie 1.0-1.5 GB 24m 21.5m 10.5m 1.5m 8s 2-hour HD movie 3.0-4.5 GB 72m 60m 32m 4.5m 25s Miscellaneous archive 10 GB No Too long Slow Better 1m 20s Source: Fastmetrics: https://www.fastmetrics.com/how-fast-is-fiber-optic-internet.php TABLE 1: Fibre Optic Download Speed Comparison Table
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  4 Spark Report:Plug in to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada CONFERENCING, EMAIL TELEPHONY DATA MANAGEMENT ANALYTICS INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC APPS BUSINESS APPLICATIONS: If your business depends on any of the applications listed below, your productivity will improve with fibre optic internet.
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  5Spark Report: Plugin to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada MARKETING, SALES CRM SUPPLY CHAIN LOGISTICS WORKPLACE MANAGEMENT HR The graphic above presents some of the foremost internet-based business applications that firms use in their day-to-day operations. Organizations using these types of applications should consider office space with fibre optic internet.
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  6 Spark Report:Plug in to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada While there are numerous benefits to choosing an office location that is fibre optic-ready, this is often a challenging task for companies in the GTA and North America in general. The supply of office suites that are connected with fibre is low as the GTA does not have a complete fibre optic network. This is partially because constructing an underground fibre optic network throughout a neighbourhood can be expensive and time-consuming. Even when a neighbourhood network is constructed and buildings become “fibre available”, the individual buildings need to be wired throughout each office suite–a costly proposition. Therefore, companies looking to increase their efficiency by improving their connectivity should ask certain questions when looking for office space. Colliers International has compiled a standard checklist for organizations seeking office space. Colliers International is a typical example of a company that relies on office space with efficient internet connectivity. Bede Searchfield, Infrastructure Manager at Colliers International, is responsible for IT infrastructure set-ups for Colliers’ offices across North America. Searchfield says buildings not provisioned for high-speed (fibre) internet usually do not meet the technology requirements of companies today. “With the decline in traditional, locally-hosted IT systems and the growing adoption of internet services like cloud storage and software as a service (SaaS), our business is now heavily reliant on internet bandwidth, and buildings without fibre are frankly not an option for us,” said Searchfield. “Organizations should continue to demand highly efficient internet from their office space, as it has become an essential workplace amenity.” Tenant Fibre Optic Checklist: Which buildings have fibre optic broadband in my market? Is the fibre optic plug and go-ready throughout each suite within a building? If you need an on-premise server room, is it fibre-ready? What is the downtime (breaks in service) for the location? Who are the service providers? Are there multiple service providers? (To mitigate risk and cost) Does the building allow for two memberships with different service providers in order to avoid dependency on just one? Is there a fibre connection to accommodate a wide area network that will handle business technology services such as an active directory, a VoIP system or private data services accessed by multiple offices? What are the monthly costs for different fibre speeds and usage? Are there redundant fibre lines from different access points? Are there multiple fibre pathways into the building?
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  7Spark Report: Plugin to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada
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  8 Spark Report:Plug in to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada The challenges associated with installing fibre optic internet warrant a concerted effort among the municipality, building owners and telecommunication providers. This in itself can prove to be difficult, but can be increasingly beneficial to regional economic and employment growth, which is why more regions are trying to construct fibre optic networks4. When Google announced that municipalities could bid for an opportunity to have Google install their fibre optic network, more than 1,100 cities applied5. Despite this interest, many major North American regions still do not have comprehensive fibre optic networks, or plans to upgrade any time soon. York Region is one area that is continually providing broadband connectivity at appropriate costs and speeds through its regional broadband strategy6. Within York Region, Markham provides a case study of a municipality that is continually developing advanced fibre optic infrastructure7. High-quality telecommunication infrastructure has been a competitive advantage for Markham, as it is an influential locational determinant for companies choosing an office location in that city. Companies in Markham ranked Telecommunication Infrastructure as the most important site selection factor above 19 other factors such as transportation infrastructure, skilled labour, cost of utilities, taxes and quality of real estate, according to a survey of Markham businesses8 . Companies should consider Markham as an advantageous location because of the availability of fibre optic internet. Markham has numerous fibre optic lines and is determined to constantly improve the city’s telecommunication infrastructure. Map 1 provides an outline of the current and future fibre optic network throughout Markham based on the Colliers survey initiated for this report. As displayed in Map 1, many office buildings in Markham already have access to fibre optic internet. Map 1 also outlines that every Markham employment area has an eight-year speed target of 1TBps, which is faster than current speeds offered. Spotlight on Markham, Ontario
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  9Spark Report: Plugin to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada Office buildings that currently have fibre optic available are highlighted as a blue dot. The background shade outlines the eight-year connectivity speed targets set out by York Region. 99 percent of the buildings surveyed in Markham currently have access to fibre optic internet Approximately 7.7 million square feet of office space has access to fibre optic internet Approximately 5.5 million square feet of Class A office space in Markham has access to fibre optic internet Approximately 2.3 million square feet of Class B office space in Markham has access to fibre optic internet Colliers Fibre Optic Survey Statistics MAP 1: City of Markham Fibre Optic Availability Map
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  10 Spark Report:Plug in to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada
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  11Spark Report: Plugin to Peak Productivity | Colliers International Canada The large amount of office space in Markham with fibre optic internet available helps the city attract businesses. For firms that have adopted, or are looking to adopt internet bandwidth intensive applications, locating in Markham is ideal. Data centres and information and communications technology companies are examples of businesses that demand high-quality internet and cannot afford to choose a location with inefficient internet capabilities. The City of Markham has attracted over 65% of the many data centres located in York Region, some being the centres of the most prominent tech companies in the GTA9. Telus, Alcatel Lucent, Primus Business Services and CenturyLink are a few examples of companies that have chosen to locate their data centres in Markham. As it stands, Markham is recognized as Canada’s high-tech capital with approximately 1,000 high-tech and life sciences companies and the highest concentration of ICT businesses per capita in Canada10. Some of the most innovative companies have selected Markham for their Canadian head offices, such as IBM, AMD, Huawei, Toshiba, Lenovo, TeraGo Networks and GE (more than 400 head offices in total). While companies choose to locate in Markham for many reasons, telecommunications infrastructure is an important factor. By continually focusing on developing the infrastructure that helps innovative businesses perform daily tasks more productively, Markham places itself in a favourable position to further retain and attract companies. When scouting an office location in Ontario, innovative firms should consider Markham because of the advantages created by the region’s commitment to developing innovative infrastructure. Conclusion: Internet-based workplace applications are becoming the backbone of many corporations adopting data storage, public messaging, online advertising and advanced analytics at a rapid pace. Subsequently, internet connectivity and speed have become increasingly critical to workplace productivity. Therefore, Colliers International has recognized fibre optic internet as an amenity that companies should seek out when choosing office space. While finding fibre optic-connected space can be difficult, this Spark Report has identified Markham as an advantageous location for firms, as the municipality continues to develop extensive fibre optic networks throughout its employment areas. Survey Methodology: For this Spark Report, Colliers conducted a survey asking respondents if their building currently had access to fibre optic internet. Buildings that are owned and operated by a single company, such as IBM’s buildings, were not surveyed, but it can be assumed that they have access to fibre optic internet services. Single-tenant buildings that are not available to the market were also not surveyed. In total, more than 70 buildings were surveyed or approximately 80% of all Class A and B office space in Markham. The 20% of Class A and B office space that was not surveyed belongs in the aforementioned owner-occupied or single- tenant building category not available for lease to the market. References: 1. Gartner, Inc., Survey Analysis: Big Data Investment Grows but Deployments Remain Scarce in 2014, (2014). 2. IBM, Raising the Game: The IBM Business Tech Trends Study, (2014). 3. The Globe and Mail, Internet fibre race down to the wire for telecoms as broadband demand rises, (2015). 4. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), The Impact of Broadband on the Economy, (2012). 5. TechCrunch, The Final Tally: More Than 1100 Cities Apply For Google’s Fiber Network, (2010). 6. York Region, Broadband Strategy, (2014). 7. Ibid 8. Urbanmetrics Inc, Town of Markham Business Survey and Focus Group Results, (2006). 9. York Region, York Region Employment Survey, (2015). 10. The City of Markham, Markham is Canada’s High-Tech Capital, www.markham.ca
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  Copyright © 2016Colliers International. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable. While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, we cannot guarantee it. No responsibility is assumed for any inaccuracies. Readers are encouraged to consult their professional advisors prior to acting on any of the material contained in this report. About Colliers International Colliers International is a global leader in commercial real estate services, with over 15,800 professionals operating out of more than 485 offices in 63 countries. A subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, Colliers International delivers a full range of services to real estate users, owners and investors worldwide, including global corporate solutions, brokerage, property and asset management, hotel investment sales and consulting, valuation, consulting and appraisal services, mortgage banking and insightful research. The latest annual survey by the Lipsey Company ranked Colliers International as the second-most recognized commercial real estate firm in the world. colliers.com 485 offices in 63 countries on 6 continents United States: 146 Canada: 44 Latin America: 25 Asia Pacific: 186 EMEA: 84 $2.1 billion in annual revenue 1.46 billion square feet under management 15,800 professionals and staff PRIMARY AUTHOR: Shawn Gilligan Senior Analyst | Toronto DIRECT: +1 (416) 607 4325 shawn.gilligan@colliers.com CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR: Yanis Tzatzoglou Vice President | Sales Representative DIRECT: +1 (416) 791 7208 yanis.tzatzoglou@colliers.com CONTACT US: Daniel Holmes Senior Managing Director | Broker DIRECT: +1 (416) 791 7239 daniel.holmes@colliers.com Colliers International | Toronto One Queen Street East, Suite 2200 Toronto, ON | Canada TEL +1 416 777 2200