How to Choose an Internet Service Provider for Your Small Business

Creating an online presence for your small-sized business requires the integration of some elements, including getting a well-optimized website, posting highly unique content regularly on the page, choosing a reliable internet service provider (ISP), and developing a sound social media marketing campaign. When it comes to selecting a nifty ISP for your business, you need to consider some factors. You need to pay attention to the speed, availability, and bundles of the provider. You should also be familiar with the different types of internet connection so you can select the most appropriate one that suits the needs and vision of your business.

Types of Internet Connection

You’ve probably come across marketing terms such as broadband and high-speed while shopping for Internet access. Broadband and high-speed refer to any kind of Internet connection which offers bandwidth speed that is greater than traditional dial-up access. Virtually every connection that is available on the market today is faster than dial-up. Wideband is a relatively new term that is used for describing those types of Internet connections whose speed lies within the neighborhood of or exceed 50 Mbps.

Other than these, when shopping for an ISP, you will likely come across 3 types of Internet connections — DSL, cable, and fiber. The cheapest among them is DSL, while the costliest is fiber. Of course, the higher the speed of each type, the more its price.

Static and Dynamic IP Addresses

Internet access for businesses is usually offered via static or dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. While some service providers give you the former type by default when you subscribe to their higher-service plans, the majority of them offer the latter by default on all their plans. Usually, static IP addresses are offered as an add-on, with an extra cost of about $10 or $15 monthly.

Internet service providers find it more convenient to assign dynamic IP addresses instead of the other type so they wouldn’t have to manage and configure specific addresses to select customers. Dynamic addresses are better for businesses as they do not need IP configuration on the router, and such IPs make it a bit more laborious for hackers to find as well as track the IP address of a particular business. A dynamic address should be well-suited for your business unless you intend to run servers or remote connections online. On the other hand, static IPs facilitate hosting of servers for website, email, and VPN online services. It could also prove useful for providing remote internet connections to users through programs like VNC Remote Desktop, Microsoft RDP, or Chrome Desktop.

Major Factors to Review When Selecting an ISP

When shopping for an internet service provider, there are some factors you need to take into consideration.

1. Connection Speed

No business owner wants a connection that users (either customers or employees) find frustratingly slow, even in the face of high online traffic. In this modern time, customers won’t compromise on speed. Any website that does not load quickly, any transaction that is taking too much time to complete, will be discarded in a jiffy. To determine the ideal speed for your business, you need to think of all the activities you plan to use the internet connection for.

2. Bundles

Most service providers offer internet service along with package deals including voice over IP or Television service — all at an overall lesser cost. Notwithstanding that you might be using a phone service already, a bundle will help you save hundreds in dollars per annum. If the kind of business service you provide is patronized by on-site customers, like a restaurant, office containing a reception room, bar, and so on, you may acquire a Television deal.

3. Service Availability

Also, you can consider how fast the internet connection is made available to you by the internet service provider. Some internet connections may require a longer time to install, particularly in newly built areas where lines of service have not been established yet. In this kind of scenario, you might have to select a temporary connection and subscribe to another service later.

In choosing an ISP, you should pay attention to cost efficiency and redundancy. Armed with this information, you will be able to select an internet service that will meet your business needs, without many complaints.

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