What are the benefits of business broadband?
Business broadband differs from home broadband in a number of fundamental ways, each of which reflects the critical nature of broadband on the success or failure of a modern business. These differences include:
1. Support
As a business broadband customer you’ll receive a higher level of customer service and technical support than home broadband customers. Most ISPs offer prioritised 24/7 support for business broadband customers from UK-based call centres – so there’s no chance of the language barrier standing in the way of you getting the help and support you need.
2. Reliability
Most business broadband ISPs will give you a guaranteed minimum connection speed that you can rely on, even at peak times. If you experience problems with your connection or equipment, you’ll be backed up by a Service Level Agreement (SLA), which means you should be back up and running within hours, rather than days or weeks. You may also be assigned an account manager who can remotely log into your router to fix any problems.
3. Security
Online security is crucial to business broadband customers and most ISPs provide business clients with improved anti-virus and firewall software. They can also provide access to a digital vault where critical files can be backed up securely to enable a smooth recovery from any hardware or network problems.
4. Speed
Business broadband packages usually have a lower contention ratio than home broadband packages so as a business customer you won’t have to share your connection with as many users. Your provider will usually prioritise business traffic and provider a higher upload speed to make the transfer of data to your customers much quicker.
5. Static IP business broadband
Any good business broadband provider should be able to provide you with a static or fixed IP address. A static IP will make it possible for you and your employees to securely access your network and data from anywhere over a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
6. Business broadband routers
As a business broadband customer you’ll get a more advanced and robust wireless router. Business broadband routers have enhanced security and features and are designed to cope with the demands of multiple users.
7. Business broadband extras
Business broadband customers should benefit from a number of services that aren’t made available to home broadband users. These can include:
- A higher monthly download allowance
- Webspace to host your company site
- Multiple email addresses with your own domain extension e.g. info@cable.co.uk
- FTP access
- Inclusive VoIP minutes
- Unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot usage
- Free or reduced domain registration
Compare business broadband
By taking the time to work out what you need from a business broadband package you’ll be in a much better position to find the right deal when you’re ready to compare offers.
The right type of business broadband package for you will depend on the size and nature of your business.
1. If several users will be sharing the broadband connection then a package with a high download speed and unlimited monthly download allowance is essential.
2. If your work involves uploading large files such as videos then you’ll require a higher upload speed.
3. Static IP business broadband is a must if you or your employees require access your network remotely.
4. If you make a lot of phone calls then an inclusive VoIP allowance will take really the strain off your landline and save you money on calls.
5. If you’re not technically minded, paying a little extra every month for a dedicated technical assistant or account manager might be worth investing in.
Case study 1
Home worker’s connection problems
Peter runs a small website design company from a home office, and assumed he’d be fine with home broadband instead of a business broadband package. The majority of his business involved working locally on his.
After being in business for a few months he lost his Internet connection. After repeated calls over several days, Peter was still offline. The customer service had been outsourced to an overseas call centre and communication was strained at best.
Consumer broadband carried no guarantees should a problem arise and providers are within their rights (as set out in your contract with them) to fix any problems within an acceptable time period. This could be anything from a day to several weeks.
How business broadband would have helped:
Peter’s broadband connection was finally repaired after 14 days. If Peter had taken a business broadband package for a few pound more each month, he could’ve saved time and money, which is essential and to any small business.
The majority of all business broadband providers operate UK call centres, which could’ve helped Peter communicate his problem easier and more efficiently.
Case study 2
Slow uploads leads to lost client
Sarah works as part of a B2B team designing brochures for a range of small to medium sized furniture companies. Her largest client required approval at every requiring Sarah to upload large files to them on a daily basis.
Because Sarah was using a home broadband package her upload speed was around 300Kbps and at critical points of the project, her connection slowed down making it difficult to provide a reliable service to her client.
How business broadband would have helped:
Using a business broadband package with a higher upload speed and prioritised traffic, Sarah would’ve been able to upload her files in time and avoid client frustration costing time, money and potentially client business.