
1. “Up to” or “average”? What’s the actual download speed?
Currently when ISPs advertise broadband speed, they often talk about it being “up to” 20Mpbs. This headline speed shows the highest speed of data transfer possible through that connection – it’s not necessarily the speed you will see on a day-to-day basis. To get a more realistic view of the kind of speed you can anticipate, you need to find out from your ISP the average speed in their area. Actual speed depends on a wide range of issues such as distance from the local exchange, through to the number of people using a network. Ofcom recently made moves to clarify the advertisement of broadband speeds through the 2010 voluntary code of practice – and involved ISPs are listed on Ofcom’s website. As more ISPs volunteer to take on this practice, it will mean greater clarity for businesses looking to buy broadband. However, Ofcom is only encouraging, it’s not enforcing ISPs who have not yet signed the code to do so or to adopt the same or similar measures. Some ISPs offer an assured throughput, making sure that your average data speed will meet or exceed a certain level. These services are only offered on fibre connections rather than ADSL, due to the available technology. Agreements of this sort mean you can challenge your ISP to take action to improve connections if it fails to attain a minimum service.2. Is unlimited really unlimited?
3. Prioritise and control: What controls are exerted on traffic?
Internet use can be managed, prioritised and controlled to reduce “congestion”.4. How quickly can you respond to network issues?
Ask your ISP what’s in place to identify and solve network issues. Key elements to look out for are monitoring tools (to identify connection issues) and service level agreements (to ensure response time). If things go wrong, you need to know that you’ll be back online as soon as possible and that the fault won’t reoccur within a matter of moments. Ask about first time fault resolution rates and monitoring to make sure problems are not only tracked but rapidly resolved.5. How can you support my business as it grows?
Many ISPs offer business services beyond internet connection to help you bridge any gaps in in-house expertise. As your business grows, your requirements will change and you’ll need more processing, memory and storage. This might mean you need a new server system, for example. Build a partnership with your ISP so you can tap into their technical expertise. You need to be able to change your requirements without costly overheads or lengthy implementations. Newer updates within the UK including Google Fibre can offer vastly increased broadband speeds in comparison. Clodagh Murphy is director of Eclipse InternetShare this story