Impenetrable jargon makes the task of selecting the best
broadband solution for an SME more difficult than it should be,
according to recent research from Tiscali Business Services
UK.
The survey of 250 SMEs from across the UK showed more than half
were confused by the jargon and acronyms used to describe telecoms
services and solutions. Two-thirds found it difficult to compare
broadband solutions and almost half were not confident they had
chosen the best and most cost-effective solution.
The following tips have been compiled by Tiscali to help SMEs
choose between the broadband options:
1 Before you do anything else, find out if
broadband is actually available in your area. You can't get
broadband over the phone network everywhere in the UK.
2 Don’t make the mistake of thinking a
broadband package designed for the consumer market is the most
cost-effective in the long run. Business solutions often offer
additional services such as anti-virus protection and 24-hour
technical support, which can be worth their weight in gold but are
not usually made available to personal customers or cost extra if
they are.
3 Some broadband packages charge by the amount
of time you spend connected to your broadband service, so bills can
go up and down. A regular monthly tariff makes budgeting much
easier.
4 Make sure your broadband package is "broad"
enough – don’t touch anything that offers less than 256Kbps data
delivery speeds. And check what a supplier calls the "contention
ratio". Broadband lines are shared between other customers –
anything between 20 and 100 other customers could be using the same
line as you. The more people or companies sharing your line, the
slower your service may be at peak business-usage times. A
contention ratio of 20:1 means you will have 19 other users, which
is good for most business usage. Anything higher than 50:1 (in
other words, 49 other users) and you may want to consider a better
offer.
5 Look at the size of files you have to send
and receive. If you don’t rely on large data files, such as video,
graphic or audio files, you may not need the wider, more expensive
bandwidths on offer (such as those over 512Kbps).
6 Alternatively, if you do use large data files
in your business, make sure the broadband package can send
those files quickly to customers or business partners, and not just
receive them quickly. If you do need to send large files, consider
SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line) technology, which offers
fast upload and download speeds, so your customers aren’t kept
waiting.
7 Many companies that supply broadband now
offer trial periods. If you’re not sure what is right for your
business, make the most of such offers to ensure you are getting
the right broadband package before signing a contract. Go for a
low-speed connection (for example, 256Kbps) to start with and then
upgrade if you need to.
For further information go to
www.tiscali-business.co.uk