Choosing an Internet service

There are a number of factors to look at when choosing an Internet service for your small business. You need to make sure you can meet the requirements for up-time, speed, bandwidth and more.

So how do you find the Internet service that’s the perfect fit for your company and can handle not only your current needs but those in the future as your business grows? Let’s take a look.

Starting Out

When searching out an Internet service provider, consider the options.

A list of options once included dial-up. While there are still some customers using dial-up to access the Internet, it’s just not practical for businesses in 2015.

Below are common Internet access services that are out there:

• Cable and DSL — Cable is one of the most common Internet options, provided, as the name implies, from your cable company. DSL typically comes through a telecommunications company and has speed limitations, although it could be cheaper than cable.
• Satellite — Although sometimes the only high-speed option in rural areas, satellite service is slow compared to cable for business.
• Fixed Wireless — Wireless Internet can be fast, but you run the risk of interference from environmental/structural factors.
• Fiber Optic — While more costly, fiber optic service has benefits for businesses. Higher bandwidth is possible, giving you considerably faster download speeds. You wouldn’t lose your signal due to weather conditions, and the service is harder to hack.

Reviewing all the options, consider the cost of monthly service factors like speed/bandwidth.

Let’s say you have four employees whose job requires pretty much constant Internet use, nearly seven or eight hours each day.

Each employee makes $40,000 a year, which comes out to $20 per hour. Now let’s assume those employees each lose four hours a month due to loss productivity. At $80 lost productivity per employee, it means a loss for the business of $320 each month.