Choosing the Right ISP for Small Businesses

by Kristen White Blogger

Choosing the best internet service provider (ISP) is one of the many tough decisions that small businesses must make. The best ISP should provide a service that matches your business goals and offer support. Internet services must be reliable, scalable, and safe. Decision making is part and parcel of every business. Some decisions come easy while others require a certain level of expertise. Choosing the right ISP requires considering what your business needs.

Most businesses require an internet connection. From sending emails, uploading files, social media marketing, internal research, and transaction processing requires a reliable internet connection.

Choosing an internet provider

An unreliable internet connection is inconvenient and unsustainable. It can cost your business significant losses from the resulting downtime. So, how do you choose the best small business internet provider?

Whether you want broadband or fiber optics internet for business, below are the most important factors to consider that can help you cut through all the marketing noise:

1. Write down your business needs

The first step to making any business decision is to identify your needs and the kind of product or service that would best meet those needs. Making a list of your business’s current and future internet needs before making any significant business decision is the best way to ensure you find the right service for you.

The ISP you select is important as it can impact the scalability and volume of your business.

2. Is the internet fit for commercial use?

Many small business owners try to save on costs by running their business on a residential broadband connection. These types of internet connections have many limitations. First, residential connections have data caps that do not allow for scalability. These caps can result in additional charges for using higher bandwidth on a residential connection.

Second, many of these connections have slower upload and download speeds which can mean that your business and transactions could be negatively impacted. While utilizing a residential connection may be fine at the beginning stages of your business, they are not reliable enough to be sustainable in the long term.

3. Internet reliability

Reliability is at the core of every excellent internet connection. Loss of connection can lead to loss of business, poor customer service, among other operational issues.

You need to find an internet provider with a history of providing fast and dependable internet connection. Since downtimes are inevitable with any internet connection, you should also team up with a company that is ready to provide timely support in times of breakdowns to minimize losses.

4. Integrated internet security

Data security is crucial to safeguard both your data and your customers’ data. Choose a company that incorporates security and online file backup as part of its internet bundle.

5. Additional charges

Consider the additional charges that you would incur from choosing a particular internet provider. One of these charges is hardware fees. Check whether hardware provision is part of their contract or if you must purchase hardware.

You might also want to consider whether they provide free customer service or charge per technician visit.

The best ISP should help you understand your needs and how they best help you achieve your goals.