As you’re starting a business, one of the key decisions you’ll need to make is your internet service. Which business internet provider and plan is the best fit for your business needs?

 

You don’t want to skimp. Consider that most business owners today spend the bulk of their time online—whether that’s on video or internet-hosted phone calls or using cloud-based applications that are “always on” and running in the background. 

 

You need to find a business-grade internet plan that will support all of your usage and not slow you down or interrupt your operations and customer interactions. 

 

So, what considerations should you make when choosing the best internet plan for your new business? Here are three important questions to ask:

 

  1. What will your internet usage look like?

 

Every business has different bandwidth needs when it comes to its internet usage. But basically, the amount of bandwidth you’ll need—and the corresponding speed, usually reflected in megabits or gigabits per second—will depend on two key factors: how many devices and applications will be connected to the internet simultaneously, and how much bandwidth will each of those devices and applications consume. 

 

Keep in mind that it’s easy to underestimate. Many cloud-based applications today—whether messaging tools, writing- and grammar- -assistance tools, or document-sharing platforms—are always running in the background on your devices, sapping bandwidth. Moreover, you might occasionally want to stream music or have the ability to quickly start a video call whenever you need to, without worrying about having to close other applications.

 

Given the flexibility today’s businesses need in terms of their internet usage, it’s generally a good idea to choose a plan with more bandwidth than you think you’ll need, to avoid costly or aggravating interruptions. And keep in mind that a very high-speed internet plan like gig-speed can pay for itself in the productivity gains it can provide.

 

  1. Will you run your business from home or a separate location?

 

Many businesses today are started from home—and many solo entrepreneurs remain home-based business owners for years. Even if you’re running a business from your home instead of a separate location doesn’t mean you should stick with residential internet. 

 

There are many advantages to upgrading to a business-grade internet plan when you run a home-based business.

 

For one, a business-grade plan often comes with extra features and options designed for running a business. Spectrum Business Internet, for example, offers a free business domain name, email addresses and a business-grade cybersecurity solution with up to 25 free licenses. Moreover, you can add Advanced Business WiFi and Wireless Internet Backup—both of which can help protect and strengthen your operations.

 

You can bundle Spectrum Business Internet with a Spectrum Business Voice plan—which offers a free business phone number plus more than 35 advanced business calling features, including call hold, business caller ID, an auto attendant, and voicemail-to-email. You can also pair your business internet plan with Spectrum Business Connect—an all-in-one app that makes it easy to manage more of your business communications from all your devices.

 

  1. How do you see your business evolving over time?

 

If you hope your business will expand in the future, it’s smart to choose an internet provider who can support your business as its connectivity needs grow or evolve.

 

Choosing a provider that offers multiple speed and plan options and a robust suite of business-related services and add-ons means you can easily scale your internet and other communication needs along with your business over time.

 

Want to learn more about getting Spectrum Business Internet for your new business? Contact us at 855-299-9353.

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