As new connectivity requirements for businesses are inevitable, this makes choosing the right ISP all that much more critical to daily business operations. After all, the ISP you choose is going to determine the quality of ongoing business operations in terms of speed, reliability, service, tech support, response, upgrades, and overall performance. That is a lot to bank on when choosing an Internet Service Provider. For this reason, there are many facets to choosing the right ISP for your business.
According to the Internet Service Provider’s Market Research Report published by IBIS World in March of 2014, “As more consumers are getting connected and relying on the Internet for daily productivity, the demand for new technologies is continuing to shape the industry.”
The report stated, “Merging of services will increase over the next five years, as packages with Internet services, voice, and video become more prevalent. Large companies will be taking advantage of bundled services which will place pressure on smaller organisations to choose a niche market or look for ISPs that can accommodate their needs. Cloud computing will also play an increasing role for increasing the demand for ISP services over the next five years.”
In this article, we will provide you with a solid overview of how to begin looking for the right ISP.
As you begin your research for a quality Internet Service Provider, the best place to start is by asking yourself a few important questions, which will help you to accurately determine what you will require from an ISP.
Frequency of Internet Use
Although most ISP’s claim to offer unlimited bandwidth, some Internet Service Providers will charge according the amount of data, you consume and how frequently you use the Internet. Additionally, if you use a large number of bandwidth intensive applications, this could result in additional charges as well. In this case, you should consider all of the applications you need to access to effectively run daily business operations. The applications may include VoIP, streaming video, cloud services, and other data-intensive applications. This will provide you with leverage when it comes time to negotiate with an ISP.
Bandwidth Requirements
Modern applications you use to run daily business operations are highly dependent upon bandwidth. More often than not, an Internet Service Provider will claim to offer a specific maximum amount of bandwidth. However, once you commit to the service, sometimes you will find that this is not the case and peak hours of Internet usage may buy you more headaches than piece of mind.
This is why it is important to consider every bandwidth-intensive application you use other than simply using email or browsing the web. Additionally, you should also ensure that the Internet Service Provider does not place a data cap on the broadband connection as this means your connection could slow down significantly.
Hardware Requirements
If you are a larger organisation with multiple locations and specific compliance standards that must be met in terms of security, then it is highly likely that you will require multiple Internet access points, an encrypted connection, and most probably a Virtual Private Network or site-to-site VPN tunnel.
If you have a basic understanding of these requirements, it will be easier to work with your ISP when it comes to installation fees and hardware prices. In some cases, you can get the installation fees waived in exchange for signing up for a contract.
Tech Support
Determine the level of tech support you will need and then compare prices and plans for various Internet Service Providers (see the top ten ISPs in the UK). If your business requires tech support to be available around the clock 24/7, then an ISP that offers support only during regular business hours Monday through Friday, could severely impact business operations if a problem occurs.
Additionally, some ISPs offer varied levels of customer support which allow you to choose a plan that works for your business instead of against it. Knowing exactly what you need in advance will help you to get it right the first time around.
Alternatively, sign up for a fully managed IT support contract with Our IT Department and let us manage the technical support for you! (Sorry, couldn’t resist).
Service Level Agreement
Determine what you expect from an Internet Service Provider and the level of service that you feel is acceptable and best for your business. Then find an Internet Service Provider that offers a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that backs ups their claims regarding the performance and support you will receive. An SLA also guarantees a specific percentage of uptime which typically should be no less than 99.9 percent. If there are details you would like to add to the SLA, see if you can negotiate with the ISP to have specific terms added to the agreement.
What is the Difference in Bandwidth Connections?
It is important to be aware that different types of Internet Service Providers use different types of broadband connectivity. This can be an advantage or disadvantage depending upon the type of connection and the ISP’s configuration. The common types of broadband include the following:
ADSL
ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line and is a cost effective broadband connection that is commonly used in domestic environments. ADSL uses a conventional phone line to provide Internet access by transmitting the connection over unused wires. This allows you to access the Internet and use a landline telephone simultaneously. The high-speed Internet connection is achieved by using all of the bandwidth in the unused wires in your telephone line.
With an ADSL connection, you can expect download speeds of anywhere from 2-20 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of anywhere up to 448kb.
From a business perspective, one aspect to bear in mind when you consider an ADSL connection is whether the line is shared or is a dedicated connection. This will significantly impact performance in terms of speed and the time of day. If the ADSL connection is shared with other businesses in the area, the connection will be slower during peak business hours.
In contrast, a dedicated line improves your chances of accessing a faster connection speed since you do not have a high number of external users trying to access the same connection. This type of connection is suitable for small businesses with minimal/average bandwidth requirements.
Cable
Cheaper than fibre and faster than ADSL, cable Internet is delivered in high bandwidth broadband via a cable television line. When you use a cable broadband connection, you can expect download speeds of anywhere from 50 to 152Mbps in the UK and upload speeds that range from 2 to 10Mbps, depending on service you sign up for.
Due to the nature of the technology, cable is more suitable for small businesses that have higher bandwidth requirements because the connection speeds are more consistent than ADSL.
Cable companies use typically two kinds of connections, which include coaxial and fiber optic. Coaxial cables are the older form and fiber optic is the newest form.
Fiber Optic
Fiber optic cable technology uses light pulses instead of electricity currents to transmit data. There are different types of fiber optic cable connections that are used for different methods of data transfer.
A single-mode fiber optic line is used for a longer cable connection since it only allows for a single stream of data flow. The data is transmitted through a single pulse of light which carries a generous amount of bandwidth resulting in faster transmission of data. This type of fiber optic technology is used for businesses that require long distances for data transmission.
A multi-mode fiber optic connection allows light pulses to travel across multiple paths as opposed to a single path. This type of fiber optic technology transmits data via multiple pulses of light making it possible to transmit data over a single fiber optic line. The downside is that there is less bandwidth available with multi-mode when compared to a single-mode fiber optic connection. This is why multi-mode fiber optic is used for data transmission over shorter distances such as a Local Area Network (LAN).
Fibre leased lines.
Businesses with high bandwidth requirements usually opt for a fibre internet leased line, a dedicated internet connection that does not share its bandwidth with other properties. Download and upload speeds are identical and it is possible to have an internet connection with speeds up to 1Gbit (that’s 10 x 100 meg). A fibre-leased line is expensive, but there is no better option for organisations that need a fast, consistent reliable internet connection.
What is Internet Redundancy?
A fear that many businesses face nowadays is the loss of an Internet connection. If you are wondering about Internet redundancy, it is important to consider whether or not your business can justify two separate Internet lines in the event one fails.
At this point you should first consider what is irrational fear or if you really need to mitigate business risks in this area. On the average, the chance that your Internet router will fail is about one percent over a four year period where an ISP can have up to a one hundred percent chance of 24 hour downtime over the same time period.
Additionally setting up a failover connection may mitigate the risk but it will also contribute to increased costs for running your business for an extra connection that you may never use. This means that the best place to start is by envisioning the worst that can happen if you temporarily lose an Internet connection.
The second area to consider is to make certain you are starting out with a high quality ISP that uses high quality Internet connection technology. If your ISP has a track record of providing reliable service, high performance, and support, it may not be necessary to consider Internet redundancy.
On the other hand, if you determine that your business can suffer serious consequences if the Internet goes down, even for a short period of time, then this would warrant a failover system. In this case you could choose two Internet Service Providers and then set up Border Gateway Protocol to combine them.
What about Security?
A high quality Internet Service Provider will provide stealthy protection against viruses, spyware, spam, and routine server backup. They should also deploy intrusion detection systems on their own servers and configurations to prevent any unwanted intrusions from affecting the performance of the services they deliver to their customer base.
Conclusion
Connection speed, reliability, highly available support and consistency are the most important factors to consider when choosing the right ISP for your business. Additionally, the best Internet Service Provider is the one that most accurately meets business needs and requirements. This means it is well worth your time to research the services, hardware, software, and costs available through each ISP.
Consider all of your business needs and then try to match them as closely as possible. Once you are satisfied with all these factors, it is certain you will enjoy reliable and hassle-free Internet access for the long term.
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