Southern Bank invests in fiber network to power future growth

“When you have a reliable network, and you can drive it consistently and dependably, then you have a good, competitive advantage.”

James Williams, SVP and IT Director, Southern Bank

Established in 1901, Southern Bank services business and personal banking clients across North Carolina and Virginia, emphasizing a strong community focus.

The bank contracted Spectrum Business® to refine and expand network connectivity at more than 50 branch locations as well as two data centers and two operations facilities hundreds of miles apart.

“We wanted a dual-circuit configuration, with strong backup capabilities and a network carrier we felt more confident in,” explains James Williams, SVP and IT Director, Southern Bank. “That’s how we landed with Spectrum Business.”

Spectrum Business engineers and technicians collaborated with Williams and his team in setting up a Dedicated Fiber Internet circuit at each branch location. Larger circuits were installed at the data centers and operations facilities.

Each circuit delivers at least five times the bandwidth available in the past, with the potential to add more. To provide critical redundancy to their network, every Southern Bank location has its own Wireless Internet backup circuit.

Creating a strong, reliable network ultimately gives the Southern Bank leadership team more room to plan. Bandwidth demands are expected to increase considerably in coming years; the infrastructure in place has both the capacity and flexibility to accommodate them.

“Having a scalable network, and delivering customer service at a very high rate, has been pivotal to our entire, ongoing success," Williams says. "I think we have achieved that in our relationship with Spectrum Business.”