Choosing the best internet provider montreal is crucial to make your small business’ operations smooth and trouble-free. Thus, it’s important to ask the following questions before choosing your ISP.
What types of Internet services are available?
There are three main types of internet service: DSL, Cable, and Fibre.
- DSL or Digital Subscriber Line
DSL connects to the internet using telephone lines. Computers are then linked to the phone line using a DSL modem. If you want to go for the DSL option, look at the download and upload speeds. The thing about DSL is that when your phone line goes down, e.g. due to a storm, your internet service will also be down. DSL is pretty fast, but if your area is far from the cabinet, your connectivity might be slower than those in a closer spot.
- Cable
With cable, your service is sent via coaxial cables to your modem. The cable speeds are shared by multiple users, and the system distributes access evenly among users. Cable is a bit faster than DSL, but if there are too many users sharing the system, your service might be hampered.
- Fibre
Fibre service taps the internet using fibre optic cables. This service is blazing fast as it delivers speeds of up to 1 Gbps (if the weather is stable). You can also go for higher bandwidth with fibre connection, which allows you to have faster download speeds. This way, your staff’s productivity won’t be affected by an unstable connection. However, not all locations may have available fibre service. You have to check with your prospect ISP if this is an option.
What Internet speed does my business need?
Before choosing the type of internet service to employ, you need to first know the exact internet speed your business needs. If your business heavily relies on the internet, don’t go too frugal with your internet service choice. If your business just does basic internet activities, you can choose download speeds of up to 20 Mbps and upload speeds of roughly 2 Mbps. If you need more bandwidth, make it 50 Mbps download speed and 5 Mbps upload speed.
If you are not sure about how much data you need, consider the number of employees you have and the kinds of activities they do online. For instance, a media company would really require a faster internet speed than a convenience store.
What support does the ISP offer?
Check the SLA or Service Level Agreement of your target ISP to know the guidelines for the uptime and security of your internet connection. Ask if they have 24/7 support lines for business clients. Should internet connectivity issues arise, you need a reliable customer support team to address the problem right away. In business, time is money, so you should pay attention to the level of support they could offer.
Should I sign up for monthly plans or a contract?
There are advantages to both monthly plans and long-term contracts. If you go for a contract (years), it could mean great savings. If you go for monthly plans, you can enjoy flexibility in switching plans or providers. However, you also can’t afford switching providers each time as it could take time to wait for the next installation to be complete. And if you don’t want to commit to a contract, try asking if they offer a trial plan, so you can gauge their overall quality before you seal the deal. But you should still consider that their initially good service may deteriorate along the way. So, weigh your options well and identify what matters most to you.
When it comes to your business, make the right decisions to prevent unwanted interruptions. Consider the tips above, and you’ll be good to go.
