An enterprise can’t be quick to pull the trigger when selecting an ISP (Internet Service Provider). Enterprise internet services are the lifeblood of your organization, enabling digital operations dependent on cloud services and strong network connections. Connectivity inefficiencies, problems and limitations can impede business processes and seriously affect productivity and revenue. To get all of this right, it’s vital to thoroughly assess and vet your enterprise network needs and provider options to choose the best internet solution for your business.
What is Enterprise Internet?
Enterprise internet fulfills specific network requirements for large organizations and multisite businesses. Typically, enterprise internet solutions are high-capacity and high-performance to meet the strenuous demands of modern digital enterprise operations.
Key Features and Functions of Enterprise-level Internet
Enterprise internet distinguishes itself from typical internet solutions through critical functions and technologies that enhance performance and support robust enterprise infrastructures, including:
- reliability
- high bandwidth
- scalability
- low latency
- security
- redundancy
- centralized management and monitoring
Let’s explore these features in context:
Reliability
Enterprises rely on consistent and stable internet connectivity to minimize downtime and ensure continuity of critical operations, including sales, customer support and supply chain management. Furthermore, with increasing dependence on cloud services and Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, enterprises need reliable connectivity to maximize workplace efficiency.
High Bandwidth
Enterprises need high bandwidth to accommodate data-intensive operations, support multiple users simultaneously and ensure fast data transmission. In the modern age of digital business, it’s common for enterprises to run a massive number of concurrent cloud operations that require high-performance connections, including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, video conferencing, and interaction with SaaS applications and collaboration tools.
Scalability
As enterprises grow and their internet needs evolve, they require connections that can scale to handle expanding bandwidth requirements and fluctuating demands without significant disruption. Business enterprise-level internet solutions offer modular services that can increase bandwidth and functionality quickly and seamlessly. Additionally, managed enterprise internet supported by a managed service provider (MSP) can deliver dynamic bandwidth and pricing to rapidly scale up or down in response to changing business needs and market trends.
Low Latency
Latency refers to the time it takes for a data packet to go from one place to another. Although low-latency connectivity is often associated with high-value, high-stakes industries and scenarios in the finance and science/medical spaces, low-latency demand has spread to the enterprise world at large. With the increasing popularity of real-time communications, like video conferencing and VoIP services, low latency is essential to reduce delays and ensure smooth and responsive interactions. By extension, minimizing latency is critical to the ability of enterprises to facilitate effective and satisfactory customer and employee experiences.
Security
Enterprises require internet connections with robust cybersecurity features to protect sensitive data and guarantee uninterrupted business operations. Multilocation enterprises are particularly vulnerable since their network environments span broader geographies and have more facilities and users, opening more opportunities for cyber breaches. Encryption protocols, firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), virtual private networks (VPNs), DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection and other measures help to protect your network against cyberthreats and unauthorized access.
Redundancy
Enterprises cannot afford downtime. It obstructs business operations and costs the company money in lost productivity and lost sales, as well as damage to reputation and customer satisfaction. Enterprises can achieve business continuity through solutions that deploy multiple redundant network connections for automatic internet failover during outages or disruptions. The best solutions offer diverse connections, including wireless failover and backup, to ensure persistent business operations in case of extreme disruption or total primary service failure.
Centralized Management and Monitoring
Large enterprises usually manage multiple locations with a distributed network infrastructure. Enterprise internet solutions with centralized management and monitoring allow IT teams to ensure service quality, troubleshoot issues and optimize performance across those sites. Additionally, new configurations can be implemented across network locations quickly and consistently, eliminating the need for large-scale coordination and overly complex deployments.
What Types of Internet Connections are Best for Enterprises?
Since every enterprise’s needs differ, best-fit business internet services can vary depending on budget, location and available infrastructure. Options enterprise-level businesses should consider include:
- Fiber Optic Internet – Fiber optic connections use light signals to deliver high-speed, reliable and symmetrical upload and download speeds. Large organizations prefer fiber internet because it has low latency, scales easily and handles high-bandwidth demands from multiple users simultaneously.
- Fixed Wireless Internet – Fixed wireless internet uses radio signals to deliver high-speed connectivity without relying on physical cables. It can be a viable option for enterprises with locations where wired infrastructure is limited or too expensive to deploy. Benefits of fixed wireless include fast installation, increased reliability and simple scalability.
- Broadband Internet – Broadband internet connections are high-speed links like cable, digital subscriber lines (DSLs) and 4G/5G. Traditionally, broadband connections haven’t been the best option for enterprises because they are often shared (cable) or low bandwidth (DSL and wireless). However, Software-Defined Wide-Area Network (SD-WAN) solutions can optimize broadband networks for enterprise operations.
- Satellite Internet – Satellite internet works best for enterprise sites in remote or rural areas where physical connections are limited. Satellite provides coverage across many geographic regions but often has higher latency and lower bandwidth than other options. For these reasons, satellite is primarily used when no other viable alternatives are available.
- Hybrid Solutions – A combination of internet connections often presents the best-fit option for enterprises that need redundancy or diverse connectivity options. For example, combining fiber optic and wireless connections can offer high-speed and backup connectivity.
Important Considerations in Enterprise ISP Selection
Keep the following considerations top of mind when evaluating your ISP options:
Shared vs. Dedicated Internet
Shared internet connections allow multiple users or businesses to share bandwidth on an ISP’s network. Shared connections typically offer favorable connectivity price points but come at a hefty cost in terms of speed, latency and performance during peak hours, when bandwidth is stretched thin across all users.
Dedicated internet connections provide businesses access to an exclusive, fixed amount of bandwidth. Dedicated connections avoid the congestion that commonly plagues shared connections so consistent performance is guaranteed. Additionally, dedicated connections enhance security since traffic is isolated from other users.
Dedicated internet access (DIA) is a must for enterprises that need real-time data transmission or low latency, as well as any organization that wants to ensure fast, reliable access to cloud applications.
Fiber-based Dedicated Internet Access for Enterprises
Fiber-based dedicated Internet Access (DIA) delivers exclusive connectivity that is not shared with neighboring businesses. It offers fast, reliable and symmetrical internet access, making it well-suited for enterprise organizations that need high bandwidth, secure connectivity and low latency.
Benefits of Dedicated Internet Access for Enterprises
Outside of the enterprise-level internet capabilities mentioned earlier, Dedicated Internet Access Services offer the following benefits:
- Reliability – With DIA, enterprises receive a dedicated and exclusive connection from the service provider directly to their premises. Since the bandwidth is not shared with other businesses or users, service level agreement (SLA)-backed performance is higher and more reliable.
- Symmetrical speeds – Fiber-based DIA typically offers symmetrical upload and download speeds. Symmetrical connections are crucial for activities like video conferencing, cloud-based applications and data backups wherein significant data transfer occurs in both directions.
- Enhanced Security and Compliance – Since DIA solutions aren’t shared, enterprises can achieve airtight security across internet streams with transparent visibility into user actions and behaviors. Additionally, compliance with industry regulations is facilitated with total control and visibility into inbound and outbound network traffic.
*It is also important to note the differences between the types of circuits you can buy for connectivity. Type 1 circuits offer the highest level of performance for your network. Type 1 circuits are fiber connections where the ISP and last-mile provider are the same. In contrast, in Type II circuits, the ISP uses a different provider for the last-mile service. Using two different networks creates more latency, slower response times and several points of failure.
What’s a good internet speed for my enterprise-level business?
Enterprise-level business internet typically delivers high speeds to accommodate large data transfers, significant numbers of connected users, complex application processes and network infrastructures distributed across multiple business locations. Enterprise fiber internet, in particular, delivers best-in-class internet speed with reliable and symmetrical upload and download speeds. However, since all enterprises aren’t built the same, right-sizing services to achieve optimum price-to-performance ratios for business internet speed – sometimes on the basis of location or seasonal needs – can balance connectivity against spend.
Finding the Ideal Enterprise Internet Speed
Determining which business internet plan is right for your enterprise requires understanding how much you can do at different speeds. Generally, however, you will want to select an internet plan with speeds upwards of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) to ensure effective connectivity for all your enterprise operations. Consider the following internet bandwidth options, depending on your business size:
- 100Mbps Internet is ideal for small businesses with general email use, web browsing, light cloud application activity, VoIP services and no more than a handful of simultaneous video calls.
- 500Mbps Internet is optimal for medium-sized businesses with high volumes of emails sent with attachments, regular phone use, consistent access to cloud applications and frequent simultaneous video conferencing.
- Gigabit Internet is typically used by large organizations with more employees and bandwidth-intensive activities such as sending and receiving large files, viewing and downloading videos, maintaining high volumes of simultaneous video calls and accessing numerous cloud applications.
Redundancy and Uptime
As discussed, internet outages and network downtime levy exorbitant costs in lost productivity, revenue and reputation damage for businesses of all sizes. But the cost of downtime is particularly acute for enterprises, where the scale of stalled operations can accrue significant losses quickly. For all these reasons, ISPs with reliable redundancy and failover technologies are essential to minimizing downtime risks for enterprises.
Fixed Wireless Internet Backup
Fixed wireless internet backup for businesses delivers redundancy by providing an alternative connection without physical cables that enterprises can leverage to avoid costly downtime. Since the connection doesn’t rely on the same facilities as wired connections, this failover provides an extra layer of diversity to business continuity plans.
Reliable Customer Service
Fast and reliable customer service is essential when selecting an ISP. Review contract terms and service level agreements (SLAs) – not only to ensure guaranteed uptime but also the level of support you’ll receive if a problem does arise. Dedicated, 24/7 customer service is critical.
Multisite Requirements
Multisite enterprises have complex networking and connectivity needs. Selecting an ISP with robust technology and features to deliver enterprise business internet can increase performance and reduce headaches. Look for:
- WAN Connectivity – WAN (Wide-Area Networking), the backbone of enterprise network architectures, connects geographically dispersed business locations to data centers and cloud services. WAN is a must for multisite enterprises and can be enhanced through additional network solutions.
- SD-WAN – SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide-Area Networking) leverages software to control network connectivity, management and services across locations. SD-WAN enables businesses to deploy WAN solutions faster while lowering costs, adding failover redundancy and enhancing security. SD-WAN can integrate with or replace MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) networks to route data to the correct locations.
- Centralized Management – Multisite enterprises require an internet solution with a single, centralized platform for network monitoring and management to streamline operations and ensure end-to-end visibility across locations.
- Consolidated Billing – Look for providers that can aggregate all your locations into one invoice. This saves time and expenses by not having to audit multiple carrier bills every month.
- Remote Work Enablement – Enterprises with remote workforces should source internet services from a provider that delivers comprehensive support for fully remote and hybrid work models.
Custom Network Deployments
Enterprises with complex or robust internet requirements should work with an ISP that’s experienced in creating, deploying and managing flexible enterprise internet solutions. Custom network solutions are particularly valuable when managing bandwidth requirements, optimizing security frameworks, ensuring regulatory compliance, achieving flexible scalability and integrating with unique business applications and technologies. Moreover, enterprises that leverage custom network deployments have an edge over their competitors since their solutions are optimized for unique workflows and business characteristics.
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