Understanding your organization’s internet needs and selecting the right service provider is a key component for success in today’s connected world.
Reliable business internet is crucial to many business functions. Establishing the needed bandwidth speed to fulfill your office’s needs as well as how many access points your office requires is key to ensuring your office runs smoothly. Your IT service provider can consult with you to determine the required Internet bandwidth based on known factors such as number of employees, square footage, teleconferencing and voice setup, and additional features of your specific location.
Determining the right Internet Service Provider (ISP) for your company is vital to ensure reliable and stable internet and voice connections. Conducting research and consulting with your IT service provider and various ISP companies can help you make the right choice. Your organization may also choose to go with two different ISP companies for Internet redundancy and high availability, ensuring that your employees always have maximum speeds and zero downtime. The primary factors to consider when asking for recommendations are reliability, stability, and cost. When assessing your needs, it is important to keep in mind both standard internet usage and voice (phone) internet usage.
Internet is essential to keep your organization connected, but hard-wired connections and Wi-Fi both come with pros and cons. Wi-Fi is often used in business due to its flexibility. Changes in the network can be managed without cords and cables and employees are able to easily connect to the network from any company device. However, Wi-Fi can open a business up to security concerns and is also slower at transmitting data which can impact performance. Although Wi-Fi will never be as reliable and secure as a wired connection, in today’s mobile environment it is still a valuable part of an organization’s network. 
A hardwired connection can require more upfront work to put into place, however it is faster and more secure than any Wi-Fi connection. For companies that transmit extremely important and confidential data hard-wiring is usually the best choice. In addition, wired internet is recommended for those using certain business applications such as QuickBooks because an unstable wireless connection can affect the performance of the software.
Although many enterprise businesses will have a hardwired connection for at least some employees, the flexibility of a wireless network makes it an important add for almost every organization. We generally suggest a mix of hard-wiring and Wi-Fi to ensure the best solution for business.
Here are several key questions you should ask to determine what will best meet your needs.
- What types of ISP connections are available?
- What speed will I need to ensure that business runs smoothly?
- Are there data caps? Will the repeal of net neutrality affect my speeds?
- What support is available to assist me in the event of downtime?
- What hardware will I need and should I rent or buy it?
- Which VoIP (Voice over IP) services should I use for my phone systems?
- Should I use wired or wireless internet, or a mix of the two?
If you’re interested in learning more about the best choices for your business infrastructure reach out to your IT partner or contact us at ImagIT.
ImagIT Solutions is a network engineering company that provides comprehensive IT services for channel partners, managed service providers and enterprise businesses with multiple locations. ImagIT was founded with the goal of providing comprehensive, IT services for multi-site organizations. Built on providing exceptional customer service with the most trusted technicians in the field, we continue to grow with our clients and expand internationally. Our team of 400 expert engineers and full PMO are ready to take on any type of networking engagement! Whether its proactive support, an emergency call, long-term projects or ongoing break-fix services, ImagIT will deliver a solution that is customized to best fit your organization.
