Is Your Broadband Up to the Challenge?

Broadband internet man frustrated behind multiple monitors

Written by Drew Stephens

November 8, 2022

A fast, reliable broadband connection with the capacity and scalability to handle your organization’s connectivity requirements is essential to keeping your business running smoothly. However, not all broadband packages are created equal. The vast majority of today’s offerings don’t have what it takes to meet the bandwidth needs of today’s rapidly growing businesses.

Introduction

This article aims to go over why getting your business connected to business broadband would be a good idea.

There are numerous benefits to broadband internet for your business. A large company can benefit from a stronger broadband connection, and broadband provides significant savings and productivity improvements for smaller enterprises. No matter what business you run, chances are you’ll need broadband service in one form or another.

What is business broadband?

Broadband business internet connects your business to the web at high speeds and has added features with dedicated customer service. This internet connection is often backed by a strong service level agreement (SLA). Most hosting services guarantee an uptime of over 99%. Broadband internet is often associated with cable internet plans, but it can also refer to fiber, dedicated internet, and enterprise-grade 5G.

Business broadband offers businesses faster internet speeds as an alternative to standard internet access. This type of broadband is designed for business, so while some may be satisfied with just download speeds, some people are also interested in upload speeds if they have a website. Quicker internet service is also necessary if you have several employees accessing it.

What are the benefits of business broadband?

The main distinction between home and business internet doesn’t necessarily speed. Still, it is typically the more robust set of features, personalized customer service, the ease of customizing the plan, and the higher price.

A business plan can prioritize traffic for different types of traffic or various applications. For example, HD video conferencing and webinars can take priority over system backups or any other application you deem less important. In addition, your provider may prioritize your business traffic over competing for residential traffic at peak times to ensure you get the bandwidth you need. The speed difference between residential and business plans may seem similar at first glance, but once you consider the features that business clients get and the throttling that residential clients experience, they can differ by a significant amount.

Additional features include a static IP address, firewall security, and cloud-based DDoS protection.

In general, business customers get much more customization options than residential customers, but the key difference is the service-level agreements and customer support. With these stringent SLAs, business clients receive priority customer service over the phone or onsite when needed. The SLAs of many service providers guarantee internet uptimes of more than 99%, with clear means of compensation if service levels aren’t met.

How to choose the right business broadband provider

The first step in selecting an internet service provider is determining what’s available where you’re located. Search online to see what options are available in your region. It’s common for service providers like Google Fiber to have an address lookup function for giving their users details about availability.

Analyze what internet speeds your business needs to thrive and choose the service provider who can provide you with those speeds. Analyze your business’s internet usage and the number of simultaneous connections to determine the bandwidth required. Do multiple people in your office work with HD video conferencing? Are you uploading larger files regularly to the cloud?

Communicate any custom requirements to your potential providers so they can ensure your pricing covers everything you need. Do you handle your security, or would you like your provider to take it for you? Consider amending your SLA to suit your business needs better if you need to prioritize traffic during business hours.

Conclusion

Getting your business right and analyzing the suitable types of traffic or different apps needed is essential. Figure out your business’ Internet usage and connections to assess the bandwidth required. Knowing your location is vital to figure out which internet type is available. Give Cloud DFW a call; our experts can help you find the right provider and the best connection type you need.

Drew Stephens

Drew Stephens is a tenured IT professional who has worked with many technologies. He holds a B.S in Computer Science and has certifications in Network Infrastructure, Administration, Voice, Cloud Stacks, and platforms, including Azure and Google Cloud. He also has fluency in Director Level Sales in FinTech, Healthcare, and Retail.

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