With a large number of internet service providers (ISPs) available today and offering an even larger number of packages to choose from, picking the best internet for your business is not always an easy task. To help you make sure that you’re making the best decision when it comes to your business connection, there are lots of things to think about. When picking the right ISP and package for your business needs, it may not only be important to think about what your company needs right now, but also what it might need in the future. Therefore, choosing an internet provider and package that has the means to grow with your business and will allow you to add on further services as and when you need them is crucial.
Keep reading to find out more about the most important things to consider when choosing the right business internet for you.
Shared vs Dedicated Network
Source: servpac.com
Before you go ahead and get business internet from internet providers Surprise Arizona, it’s important to make sure that you’re checking out plans that are specifically designed for businesses or enterprises, rather than residential internet that is designed for homes. Once you make sure that you are on the right track with this, the next step is to consider the type of network you’ll need – shared or dedicated.
Shared networks basically share the same features you would expect from residential internet; however, it is labelled as internet for businesses. Bandwidth is shared between other users of your ISP in the area. Cable, DSL, wireless, shared fiber, and satellite connections are some of the most common types.
On the other hand, a dedicated network might be a better choice for you if your business uses video conferencing, VoIP, and powerful cloud services. In this case, you should go for ‘guaranteed performance’ services as connectivity will be guaranteed to consistently meet your connection needs. These packages might be described as commercial-grate, enterprise-level, or business-grade internet. Copper, fixed wireless, and fiber-optic are the most popular connection types.
Your Internet Speed
Source: tomsguide.com
Choosing the right bandwidth for your business is not always an easy task, even if you’re clued up when it comes to IT. Most business owners and IT managers end up buying too much or not enough and will need to correct this later down the line. Internet speed can often be one of the most confusing areas to consider, as many ISPs try to ‘mainstream’ the technology behind it. While some ISPs might make claims such as offering the fastest internet speed in your area, the reality of this is that data packets will travel at the same speed. What you’re really paying for when you are buying gigabit speed, for example, is a gigabit of bandwidth. And the higher your bandwidth, the more data you’ll be able to simultaneously transmit.
There are lots of tasks that might be completed in your business on a regular basis that do not require a huge amount of bandwidth. For example, internet search and email are two examples of tasks that do not use a lot of bandwidth at all. On the other hand, some activities such as video conferences, streaming, cloud services, and large file transfers tend to be bandwidth hogs that use up a lot. The number of employees that you have working on the site at any one time can also have an impact on the bandwidth.
For companies that require business-grade or enterprise-level internet services, a 10-25 Mbps connection should be more than enough to start out with. However, if you want to do tasks such as web hosting, streaming online, or remote collaboration, this could easily begin to push the demand up further.
Availability
If you’ve ever faced the task of finding the right ISP, you will already know that not all services are going to be available to everybody. One of the main parts of this is that providers will usually incur high costs when it comes to building and maintaining their networks, particularly when those networks are wired like fiber. Although fiber networks were once considered to be the best, if not the only solution available to those who need a high-speed, high-reliability internet connection, in recent years we have seen more alternatives stepping up to meet the demand, including satellite and fixed wireless services.
Customer Support
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Another main factor to consider when choosing the right ISP and package for your business is the level of customer support that is available. It is important to choose an ISP that allows you to scale your bandwidth easily as your business and its needs grow, along with providing regular usage reports. Consider the expectations you have for support when you are choosing an ISP. For example, you might want 24/7 direct access to tech support, especially if any downtime is going to have a critical impact on your services and the running of your business.
Reputation
Source: martech.org
When deciding on something that’s as important as your business’s internet service, it’s crucial to go with an ISP that has a solid reputation. Taking the time to do some research before you sign a contract with your provider is definitely worth the peace of mind that it will provide. There are several areas to consider when researching ISP reputation including the quality of the internet service that is provided, if a back-up service is available and how the ISP deals with downtime and outages, and how easy it is for your business to scale internet services to meet changing demands and needs. Before selecting an ISP, it’s a wise idea to look out for third party reviews, case studies and customer comment that can help you get a better idea of what to expect from the provider based on the experience of similar customers to you.
These days, an internet connection has become an essential for the vast majority of businesses. Before signing up for an internet package, there are various factors that are worth looking into further to help you make the right decision.
