Dynamic Business

Check the fine print
An ISP’s Service Level Agreements (SLAs) outline the services provided and define the ISP’s commitments to its customers as well as financial remedy for customers if these commitments are breached.
SLAs based on the ISP’s network performance generally fall into three categories:

• Network uptime: Availability of the network, taking into consideration planned service outages etc. Find out how they let customers know about planned outages.
• Packet loss: The amount of information lost during transmission, usually provided as a percentage. You don’t lose the information; it has to be resent. The higher the packet loss percentage, the slower the connection because more bits of information need to be resent in order to successfully reach their destinations.
• Latency: The amount of time needed for data to travel from source to destination.

ISPs may also offer SLAs around the consistency and stability of their networks. Make sure you ask if the ISP has its own data centre, therefore providing a higher level of stability of services, so you can factor that into your decision-making.

What comes with the account?
Here are some questions to ask that will help you compare and contrast services, speed (bandwidth), space (data usage), restrictions (data cap) and technology offerings (e.g. web hosting, VoIP) associated with the plans:

• How many email accounts are offered with this business plan? You want a plan that offers as few or as many as make sense for your business.
• Does this plan come with web hosting? What about online file sharing (FTP) for large files?
• What are the details of the data plan/cap? What counts towards data usage? Some ISPs allow uploading for free, which is useful for companies with an active web presence.
• How is bandwidth or speed affected by data usage?

1.    If the ISP offers a flat rate ask if your connection speed will be slowed down to dial-up if you exceed your usage limits (or data cap). This is called throttling. Can your business run efficiently on a slow connection?
2.    If the ISP offers an open plan, be aware that if you exceed your usage you will be charged a fee for every megabyte downloaded. It is better to purchase a higher quota than experience excess usage.
3.    If you want to try out one plan then change if you need more (or less) data, ask in advance if you can change within your initial contract period and if you will incur a charge for the change.

• Look for hidden costs. What is the installation fee? What does the modem cost? Once you use up your data cap, how expensive is the per/mb fee? It will quickly add up.

Look for value-add services that seem right for your business. A usage meter allows you to monitor your data usage online. Some are better than others. Some ISPs have data plans that designate peak and off-peak times, which allows you to save by scheduling uploads or downloads to happen during off peak times. Web mail and virtual private networks offered by ISPs allow you and your employees to access files and email via the internet in a secure web environment.

Some ISPs offer phone lines and mobile phones in addition to internet services, and they should be investigated for bundling and cost saving opportunities.

How secure is secure?
When we talk security provided by an ISP, we mean physical security as it relates to sensitive network equipment and data storage devices.  ISPs either maintain their own data centres to store sensitive client information and key core network devices or they rent space in a third party centre where potentially many people can access.  Either way the facility should be off-site from the ISPs business address, it should be manned 24/7 and access should be tightly controlled.

Not all contracts are created equal
There are quite a few variables when it comes to ISP contracts. You should find useful points of comparison under this category. How long do they want you to sign up for? Can you terminate the service without penalty if you are not satisfied? Make sure you find out if you will be able to easily upgrade (or downgrade) if you need to, and ask if there are associated costs. Finally, even if you are not considering relocating your business at the moment, it is good practice to ask at the outset whether or not the service can be relocated without additional costs and inconvenience.

VoIP systems usually work across traditional phone systems to make the process transparent worldwide. The service is widely employed by carriers, especially for international telephone calls. SMEs switching to a VoIP service benefit from cheaper calls to landlines and mobiles as well as free computer to computer calls. This is an appealing way of cutting costs for SMEs, who should be aware that VoIP solutions designed for business can also improve security.

-Sandra Crestani is General Sales Manager for Netspace Online Systems (www.netspace.net.au), and has 15 years’ experience in the online media and internet space.

VoIP and the SME
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the umbrella term to describe the array of transmission technologies for the delivery of voice communications over the internet; essentially, phonecalls over the internet. VoIP can also be referred to as:

• IP/internet telephony
• Voice over broadband
• Broadband telephony
• Broadband phone

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