Why All Businesses Need a Redundant Internet ConnectionHaving a backup Internet connection can save your business when it really matters

In today’s Internet reliant world, the quickest way to bring your business to a halt is to loose Internet connectivity. Since most businesses rely on Internet services in one form or another, loosing connectivity makes it impossible to continue working until the issue is resolved by your ISP. This can take from hours to days depending on the cause of the service disruption.

Having a redundant Internet connection is an effective contingency plan which will avoid business operation interruptions, prevent loss of data, and maintain customer satisfaction. In other words, it will keep your business running uninterrupted as though nothing has happened.

Things That Can Go Wrong

There are many different problems that could potentially affect your business broadband connectivity. Usually the problem is either a technical issue at your internet service provider or an issue with their fiber/coax line going to your location . If your ISP has an issue which is causing the loss of your Internet service, all you can do is report the problem and patiently wait for them to resolve the problem.

There are multiple factors that can create an internet outage:

• Technical issues at your ISP
• Human Error
• A Cyber attack
• Accidents such as a vehicle plowing into a telephone pole
• Weather events such as a wind or ice storm
• A fallen tree
• A fire
• A flood
• An earthquake

Internet Outages Happen

Outages don’t happen often, nor do they usually last for more than several hours; but in business, the cost of being suddenly disconnected from the Internet can be high. If your business is dependent on internet access for things like telephone service, email & messaging, video conferencing, Point-of-Sale systems, credit card processing,  CRM programs, task management apps, cloud productivity platforms (Microsoft 365) or Intranet Websites, don’t leave yourself vulnerable. Even a few hours of downtime could account for thousands of dollars in losses (missed opportunities, customers, reputation, etc). You can avoid losses by ensuring that you have a backup internet connection. The price of a backup internet connection is more than justified when compared to the cost of a single outage.

The Benefits Of A Fail Over Internet Connection

Just about every business relies on having an always-on internet connection and when your internet goes down business as you know it stops.

We can’t count how many times a highly frustrated business owner has called us after their Internet connection suddenly went down, with an office full of employees with little work to do. Desperate to get back to work and reluctant to accept the reality that nothing can be done until their ISP gets back up and running.

A backup redundant internet connection could have kept their employees working and business running as though nothing has happened.

Keep Sales and Communication Up Even When Your Internet Connection Goes Down

Having a redundant internet connection will ensure that customers don’t even notice when your primary internet connection goes down. Keep the orders and data flowing and your customers happy. Your backup internet connection will give your network an instant, affordable, alternate path to the Internet so your staff can keep working if your primary ISP goes down. This allows your business to:

• Keep working
• Keep serving paying clients/customers
• Keep providing positive customer service experiences (clients don’t care why you can’t help them, they only know how they feel when you can’t help them)
• Maintain an Internet connection for data and voice networks when your primary Internet connection is not available
• Maintain reliable connections/operations for your office, warehouse, retail store, etc

Increase Your Internet Speed by Bonding

Many times you already have the highest speed connection that is available at your location. And sometimes that just isn’t enough. What if you could double that speed? With the addition of bonding hardware and a secondary connection (that has the same speed as your current connection) you are able to double the current upload and download speed of your single connection.

A Redundant Internet Connection Is An Ounce of Prevention

Internet service is less expensive than ever. A second internet connection, a router or firewall with the right capabilities and some configuration time is inexpensive insurance that protects from an event that could stop your business in it’s tracks for hours or days.

When it comes to internet service, it’s best for business customers to keep their options open by using more than one Internet Service Provider (ISP), ensuring their internet is always on.

What’s Needed For A Redundant Internet Connection?

A redundant internet connection requires two components:

• A secondary internet service provider which offers service to your building
• A router or firewall with the right capabilities and proper configuration

Once a redundant internet connection is set up and properly configured, your business will get the combined bandwidth of Provider #1 and Provider #2. In the event that one connection goes down, the second connection will continue to work in a backup mode and your company’s network will still be connected to the outside world with no interruptions.

Explore Your Options for a Faster & More Reliable Network

Managed IT Professionals can help your business set up a redundant Internet connection. We can help you optimize and deliver fast and reliable internet throughout your office, warehouse, retail store, etc. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation! Call (201) 300-3825,  contact us, or schedule a free consultation.