Can your company afford to spend hours waiting for your connection to be restored?
60 percent of businesses lose access to their data at least once per year. 40% of outages or 4 hours or more. Can your company afford to spend hours waiting for your connection to be restored? Today’s companies rely more and more on their internet connection to access critical applications for their business. As more and more business needs move to the cloud the internet connection becomes even more crucial.
Business Internet is a technological cornerstone of modern business. Data connectivity powers your communications, collaboration, data, profitability, and reputation. Read on to discover how to navigate the types of business Internet service and providers available to your organization, transitioning your communications to the cloud, and how to unlock the most value possible as you shop for connectivity solutions.
Can you imagine a day at the office without data connectivity? There would be no video conferences, file downloads, or remote employee training. If your organization is using cloud communication tools, such as Internet phone service, your ability to help your customers would have to move to off-site locations that have internet access which can greatly hamper your business.
Whether you're an entrepreneur who works alone or a large global enterprise with offices in many different countries, there's no room for unreliable or slow Internet connectivity. Business Internet service you can't trust translates to lost profits and profitability.
It's incredibly easy to sign up for the first business Internet offer you come across. There's no shortage of choice with tens of thousands of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the U.S. However, smart business owners and technologists understand that not all ISPs offer the same service, and getting the right deal for your organization requires a few key considerations.
How to Optimize Your Business Internet Service:
1. Make sure you have enough bandwidth for your specific needs
2. Select wisely between fiber, cable, wireless, and copper connectivity
3. Sign with a secure ISP to mitigate cyber risks
4. Avoid downtime, sometimes a back up provider or even two separate providers make sense.
5. Compare costs against functionality
There are four types of business internet connections
Ethernet over Copper
This type of service is also known as DSL (digital subscriber line), PRI, or T-1. This is the oldest among Internet technologies. It's the most affordable, but it carries the downside of being the least reliable. Ethernet/DSL uses local telephone lines for data transmission and is noticeably slower when users are further from the telephone line.
Cable
While fiber is growing quickly in adoption, cable is among the most popular choices for high-speed business Internet. Run on standard coax cable lines designed for television service, cable offers better reliability and speed than Ethernet/DSL. However, users may find Internet speed slows during hours of peak demand since cable bandwidth is shared among local users.
Fiber
Fiber-optic Internet connectivity offers equal upload and download bandwidth and superior scalability, allowing organizations to multiply their speed instantaneously on a day-to-day basis. It also offers the best reliability and speed options for business Internet.
Wireless
We are finding that wireless connectivity is getting more and more reliable. Wireless means that the internet service to your business comes into your company via wireless, the same technology you see on your mobile phone. Wireless today is used for two main applications:
1. Providing service where it is not feasible to get wired service either because of proximity or timeframe.
2. As a low cost back up to the primary service for a business.
Which Type of Business Internet is Best for My Company?
While fiber-optic Internet is growing quickly, not all businesses have access to fiber Internet. When you're evaluating your options, a key consideration should be your building's proximity to a fiber ring which can impact the cost of installation. While fiber offers benefits for most businesses, no two organizations are the same. If you are evaluating fiber vs. copper vs. wireless vs. DSL, consider the following factors in addition to fiber availability:
1. Speed and bandwidth requirements
2. Reliability and uptime needs
3. Technological compatibility: Proximity, wiring, hardware, and equipment
4. Cost and budget
5. Business purpose
There's a lot of hype surrounding fiber-optic Internet connectivity. Separating hype from reality is always wise when it comes to investing in emerging technologies for your business. Is fiber-optic Internet for business worth the investment? More importantly, is the cost difference between fiber business Internet vs. alternatives really worth it?
Let us help you with a study of your specific bandwidth requirements, and we can research who can provide the best service based on your business address(es). We will do a survey of your business to determine how much bandwidth is required. Every company is different, and there are several factors. How many people will be accessing the internet, and what applications will be running? Will you also support wireless access for visitors? How about video surveillance cameras? What bandwidth is needed for digital transformation requirements? We also need to factor in how many conferences (audio and video) will be occurring.
At Simplify My Communications we have the expertise to properly configure your primary and secondary internet access needs, as well as shop for the best ISPs. We do all this at no charge to you. Reach out to us so we can help you with the challenging task of picking the right internet provider(s).
Request a quote or give us call at 713.910.1401 to speak with a Technology Advisor to explore the possibilities of leveraging the right Internet connection today!