Startup businesses: What broadband solution do you need for your company?

Startup businesses:

What broadband solution do you need for your company?

When your company is on the rise, and you’re thinking of getting Internet Business DSL? Cable? T1? How does one decide? I know some of you out there haven’t gotten around to subscribing an Internet service, yet. It’s a business move, and you want to make the best choice. What you decide on you will be stuck with, and in a contract for a very long time.

The market place is as diverse as the kinds of Internet service options available. I have had previous articles to help you decide on whether or not to upgrade your T1, and how to choose the service right for you. I will briefly explain which Internet connection would be best suited for your company, big or small.

For companies, such as gas stations and service stations, that need broadband to upload processing orders and credit card purchases, SDSL or ADSL with a static IP would be sufficient. DSL is fast enough to process the information in a timely manner, but won’t break the bank for station owners, and can be deployed across hundreds of locations and use MPLS or VPN as well to communicate with headquarters. Restaurants, cafes, and bars all need to handle the same types of purchase processing would also benefit from a connection of at least cable or ADSL, but I’d recommend SDSL. So think about it, whether you own and operate a mom and pop shop or a franchise chain, if you have to handle things like credit card processing, you’d need something ranging between cable and SDSL is optimal.

Well, the debate between cable and DSL transcends the business world. Regular home users have debated the question. One instance where you’d opt for cable would be for a business that needs fast uploads to send mail with attachments. An example of a company that would need cable is a real estate company. The reason is because cable can upload faster than DSL in many cases. If you are security conscious, DSL is a better alternative if the speed is acceptable because it is a private connection to the Internet whereas Cable is on a big LAN therefore far less secure and your computer systems are more easily able to be hacked.

Now for heavy duty Internet needs, T1 will have to be considered. Stock trading firms, medical offices, banks, and other such companies that need to send large files quickly and reliably need T1 or greater as a necessity. Medical offices, for example, need T1 for sending important medical data, like MRIs and records. Bonded T1 is even better if files are huge. Media companies, like recording studios or video production companies, need a minimum of SDSL or T1, but T3 is best because they have to send terabytes worth of files. Cable and ADSL are extremely advised against as they cannot provide the considerable upload speeds needed for a professional media company. That includes Business Cable as well, which costs the same as SDSL but is far inferior.
Also keep in mind that T1 and T3 have nifty features like VoIP and multiple phone lines to support medium-sized to large-sized offices. If Metro Ethernet exists in your area or you are in a "Lit Building" (a building that already has fiber preinstalled from a ISP or phone company), you may be able to get Ethernet service from some carriers, which has speeds up to 100 megabits, and can be relatively far cheaper than a T1 and faster to install, so you should check for the availability of Metro Ethernet if you require massive bandwidth for your organization. Every product has their bells and whistles, but first think about what your basic needs are and go from there.