Link4 is a SaaS solution (Software as a Service) business, designed to make the invoice process for businesses safer and more efficient. Link4 is an add-on to a client’s existing cloud accounting software to enhance its invoicing capabilities.
Based at Stone & Chalk in Lot Fourteen, Link4 supports hundreds of local businesses, and thousands globally. Businesses actively doing eInvoicing with Link4 extend across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK. They can also boast being the most used service by Federal Government Departments.
When Link4 was becoming more established in 2019, the importance of having office space in the city was recognised, however as a start-up business, cost was prohibitive. This led to exploring options and discovering the Stone & Chalk start-up hub, that had a GigCity connection. Although they initially hadn’t sought out the GigCity connection, it didn’t take long before the fast internet and reliability of connection became an integral part of their business.
“As we were getting more clients spread across Australia and then into other countries, the volume of data we were handling grew rapidly. We didn’t want our connectivity or customer experience slowing down due to a poor connection,” says Robin Sands, CEO, Link4.
“We soon noticed that GigCity supported our operations in a very positive way. Having a reliable internet connection and fast speeds gives us confidence that our service will be available whenever our customers need it. But it also means our staff are less frustrated. Our Developers and Data Analysts do not sit around waiting as much. They easily and smoothly achieve their daily tasks without the frustration of limited bandwidth.”
Link4 Management (LtoR) – Robin Sands, Andrew Bennett, Sam Hassan
The Link4 team has quickly adapted to the speed of the GigCity connection, to the point where they barely notice it now and consider it the norm. They have commented on the ‘reality check’ moment of noticing how slow other connections are in comparison. It is so fast, that despite Covid led hybrid working conditions, some team members have chosen to work in the office rather than at home, because the connection is more stable and much faster.
Now that Link4 has discovered the benefits of the GigCity connection, Robin Sands says that if they weren’t part of Stone & Chalk, but in their own office, that they “would have to justify the cost of the extra speed. For an SME that would be tough. Being a part of a hub that provides it to us is a real benefit.”
Another benefit for their team is actually Adelaide itself. The majority of their team are not born in Australia. Most chose to come to Australia due to the stronger economic environment and better lifestyle than in their home countries. The visa requirements to work in a remote location meant they started their Australian life in Adelaide, but they all fell in love with the city and none is choosing to move interstate. Their backgrounds are varied, and include Egyptian, Brazilian, Filipino and South African. Due to Adelaide’s rich multi-culturalism, they are discovering food, friends and connections from their own cultures.
The Link4 Team
Link4 has exciting plans for the future, with expansion into new countries. At the end of 2022, they will move into the USA market, along with greater activity in other regions. The expansion necessitates needing to access and process greater volumes of data. Robin says, “Traditionally this would mean a slowing down of processing and activities, but GigCity can help us continue our work without noticing the speed impediments and as adoption of eInvoicing increases it will become more important for us to have a fast and reliable connection to support our team and customers.”
GigCity is a Government of South Australia initiative delivering affordable, high-speed internet to innovation precincts across the state. Participating businesses experience gigabit speed broadband, enabling greater collaboration between colleagues and easy sharing with clients around the world.
For more information, visit the GigCity website.