When running a business—no matter where you’re running it from—you’ll want to get a business internet plan. Reason being, internet plans designed for business generally offer more robust technical support and business-specific features than what you’d get with a residential plan.

 

“Business owners get access to a broader set of features and additional services that can help them run their business,” says Scott Ingram, senior product manager at Charter Communications.

 

That said, business internet providers can vary greatly in their customer support and offerings, so it’s critical to find one that meets the needs of your business, and in a cost-effective way. 

 

Here are three things to consider when choosing the best business internet provider:

 

  1. Download speeds

Businesses rely on their download speed—how many megabits per second (Mpbs) it takes the server to download data—than upload speed. So it’s critical to find an internet provider that offers the best download speeds that can facilitate the many different needs you may have for it, including working with cloud-based apps and services, managing large files, and hosting their own website. 

 

In fact, Charter’s customers use three to four times as much downstream bandwidth (downloading) than they do upstream (uploading).

 

That said, it’s important to find the right download speed for your business needs. Spectrum Business Internet, for example, offers plans starting at 200 Mbps—much higher than many provider’s plans—and up through gig speed (1 Gigabit per second, or 1,000 Mbps). The beauty of that is your internet speed and bandwidth can be scaled up as your business grows, Ingram says. “We offer tiers so that our business customers have options and flexibility to meet their different needs,” he adds.

 

  1. Ability to bundle services

You can reduce the hassle and stress of managing multiple service providers and potentially save a good chunk of money by finding a provider that can bundle your services into one monthly bill. 

 

For example, your business internet provider may be able to offer you business phone and voice services, business-grade WiFi, business mobile and even a TV subscription, if your business wants it. Buying those things a la carte is likely to be more expensive and can require paying multiple monthly bills and dealing with multiple providers.

 

“As you bundle more things with your internet plan with us, you absolutely get more value than if you bought them separately,” Ingram says.

 

  1. Reliability

It’s imperative to find a business internet provider that offers network uptime reliability—as downtime is incredibly costly. 

 

Spectrum Business, for example, provides 99.9% network reliability. Customers can also sign up for wireless internet backup to protect them in the event of a power outage. It automatically activates in the event of an outage to help the business maintain use of essential devices, such as point-of-sale systems.

Want to learn more about Spectrum Business Internet and how it could help your business? Contact us at 855-299-9353.

Print this article