There are several options available to your business when you need to update your Internet connection. Broadband is the only viable option but selecting the right service depends on how you are going to use it.

The Way I Choose

When I say “Business Internet” I really mean business grade service, a connection that you can trust for your critical business communications. This is less about the speed of the connection but the other intangibles that will separate one service provider or service type from another. Some of the things that I look for when recommend service to a client:

Is this service direct with the provider or am I going to an agent? Brokers are great for a small savings, but when the line goes down who should you call and will they know you by name or by the reseller?

Does the company have a posted local or toll free phone number? When your Internet is down how do they expect you to EMAIL them?

What are the technical support hours? I used to be really passionate about 24/7 but I am now comfortable with direct customer service hours during peak business hours 7am-7pm with some sort of after hours escalation if necessary.

What is the Service Level Agreement (SLA)? How long do I need to be down or what types of issues will get me connected to priority support?

Last but not least, how reliable is the service. Yes, speed counts! But if the service does not have 99.9% reliability, it’s just not Business Grade. If you phones did not work for 2 days per year how would that impact your business, you need to demand excellence from your Internet connection.

SDSL- Just the Basics

The minimum expectation that I have for any business class service is DSL. I don’t mean the $14.95 type of service offered as a residential product I am talking about a service that is 1Mbps or faster. Make sure that you are getting SDSL it is not the cheapest but it will help to ensure that your experience is smooth and predictable.

Expect to spend anywhere from $45 to $150 for a high quality business connection from a reputable carrier. If you do not qualify for SDSL and depending on the nature of your business you should investigate the other options.

Cable Guy – The Fastest Kid on the Block

The fastest hardwire connection is by using your cable supplier, here in San Diego Cox and Time Warner Cable provide excellent services. They offer speeds far in excess of those available from DSL or T1 providers, the speeds are not synchronous and the speeds tend to vary during the day. Cable modems are really a residential service but if you happen to be within the service area, it is my choice over DSL. Experience teaches me that the cable company tends to dispatch and solve problems faster than the phone company.

Pricing ranges from $50 to $199 depending on speed and other service factors. The con is that it is usually not in business areas, and if they say it will be there in “3 months”, forget it…it will never be installed.

Broadband Wireless – An Amazing Value

The new kid on the block for Internet access is Broadband Wireless. It is symmetrical like a T1 connection but can scale much more efficiently and in most areas can exceed even the fastest SDSL connections. The service is professionally installed, typically within 48 hours and offers an amazing value for the money. Typically the speeds range from 1Mbps to more than 3Mbps with the ability to scale to a full 45Mbps. It is by far the most flexible connectivity option and a greater than 99.99% uptime.

I really can’t say enough about Broadband Wireless, it really has earned its place in the Enterprise.

Pricing can range from $199 to over $499 depending on the type of service you choose. Think of it as T1 performance for about half the price.

T1 – Old Faithful

Depending on your budget a T1 Internet connection from premium provider is one of the best options. If you are not paying between $450-$800 including router for your T1 you are probably getting it from a Tier 2 or Tier 3 provider and you may be missing out on the benefits of a premium T1 service. If your T1 is costing you more than this, and you are in a major metropolitan city, you are paying too much. It’s time to renegotiate. Call me at 858.812.9317 and I will let you know what the market prices are for T1’s in your area.

Hard wire T1 is one of my favorite connection types! It balancers speed with performance and at the right price it is the premium connection for business. The real issue with the T1 service is that it is limited to 1.5Mbps, that is 1/3 the speed of DSL, 1/2 the speed of Broadband Wireless and 1/5 speed of cable. If you need more bandwidth you provider will typically bond two or more T1’s to get you to 3Mbps. This is twice the cost and only marginally more speed.

The Pro’s of a T1 are the near 100% uptime, the con is cost and the inability to seamlessly scale bandwidth and the average time to repair or dispatch when it does go down.

Follow Your Needs

There is not enough space in this article to go into all the pros and cons of the different Internet connections that are available. Your geographical location will to a large extent dictate what is available.

If my business was growing and I needed the speed I would be using a bonded T1 or Broadband Wireless connection without question.