We rely on the internet so much in today’s world we almost take it for granted. Everywhere you go, there’s “Free Wi-Fi” offered at just about every restaurant and coffee shop. Our society has become so connected that we have trouble performing our day to day routine without the internet. Think about some of the basic tasks we do differently now compared to 20 years ago. Need to check the weather before scheduling that new foundation to be laid? Are there any flight delays to Washington? Did Julie send that report to HR? All things we are able to check with a few keystrokes and the help of the internet. But what happens if that connection is severed? How do you continue to run your business? Maybe the better question is: Can your business run ‘offline’ for more than a few minutes? The answer for most is a very scary “no”. This is why you should fear being offline.
Don’t rely on just one source
The need for the internet in the business world is so high that more businesses are adopting a second link to the internet. When you rely on something this much, don’t be at the mercy of just one provider. Have a backup on hand in case your main provider goes down. Why? Because when you consider the cost of lost revenue from being offline vs. the cost of paying for backup internet, the choice becomes very clear, very quickly.
Choosing the right backup Internet Service Provider
Say you use Verizon as your main ISP (Internet Service Provider), you could use another competitor like Cox or Comcast as a backup. While this seems like a smart choice, what happens if someone takes out the telephone pole to your business that hosts both your ISP lines? This is when you should consider the other option, a 3G/4G backup service.
3G and 4G—Not just for phones
Now that 3G and 4G service areas have become more commonplace, there are more options for backup ISPs. Using a “Mobile Hotspot” that uses cell phone data plans are great when your main ISP line is downed due to hardware or building issues. The biggest flaw? Data limits. This means limiting your usage until your main connection is back up. So, lay off the “Daily Aww….” videos and get to doing only “business” related tasks. This is because your internet is a “limited” resource until the main connection is restored. This may be a good thing as it will help you stay on task without giving in to the distractions that normally popup during the day. Also, it may light a fire under you to work faster before that resource is exhausted.
If you want to get something like this, we offer backup ISP services to our Office Solutions clients. If you are interested, contact us and we can schedule an evaluation of your business. We can setup a backup ISP before you have an Internet outage.
