Choosing ISPs for Small Businesses
Like most entrepreneurs and small business owners, you have spent tireless hours researching, testing product models, analyzing results and finally creating a product or service that will take its market by storm. You’ve worked hard and now you deserve every penny of profit your idea, product, or service will generate.
At the risk of being, well . . . forthright, it does not take a strategist, a marketing professional, a business executive, or even a rocket scientist to recognize that the doors of the modern market have been thrown wide open, or to realize that small business owners and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are a perfect match. In tandem, there is literally no ceiling on your potential for profitability.
Whether you are going it alone, or have hired a competent small business advisory service to assist in your start up. Now, thanks to the Internet, even the remotest corner of the planet is within your grasp, whatever the size of your business. Securing your corner of the market is as simple as finding the right ISP to meet your evolving business needs.
Choosing the right small business ISP can be one of the most crucial decisions you will ever make during the lifetime of your business. Defining a specific business plan (better if in writing) is recommended before you start researching ISPs.
What kind of website will my business need; where will my business be in the next 2-5 years; how many employees do I plan to hire? You should also consider the size and function of your company’s web site. These are just some general questions and suggestions to begin with.
Below are five important points to consider when choosing an ISP for your small business:
What Connections and Download Speeds do they offer? The connection speeds—dial-up, DSL, wireless, etc—will depend on your company’s size and number of employees. Also pay attention to things like upload and download speeds (measured in Megabytes per second or Mbps), which can range from 5.0 Mbps to a turbo-boosted 15.0 Mbps. Keep in mind that faster speeds usually cost more money.
What Web Hosting Features are included? This is probably the most important aspect of ISP services for small businesses. According to PC World Magazine most ISPs should offer the three essentials: multiple mailboxes, a predefined amount of server space for your website’s files [usually starting at 5.0] and a customer traffic allowance. Pay particular attention to the e-commerce features, like storefront extensions, virtual shopping cart and credit card authorization. Is the domain name registration included?
Are they Flexible and Diverse? You should consider the number of plans the ISP offers. Businesses are constantly changing; they are always expanding and contracting. So, will your ISP offer everything you need as your business changes without having to switch to an alternate service? You should inquire about the various plans.
Are they Reliable? Most importantly you should find out your potential ISP’s server uptime vs. its downtime. This is affected by their server speed, backup and security. Basically, if their servers crash, then so does your website and consequent sales. It is important, then, to find an ISP with a high percentage of uptime, some boast 99.9%.
What kind of Customer Support do they offer? The fact that this is listed last is no reflection on its relative importance. You must be able to trust your ISP to respond in a timely and efficient manner; this may determine whether you loose a customer or not.
Again, you’ve worked hard and deserve every penny of the profit your business will generate—choosing the right ISP for your small business can help you earn it.
