The importance of choosing the right Internet service provider
You try to retrieve your e-mail, but the line to your provider is always busy. Then when you DO get on, downloading your mail and sending out replies seems to take forever. Worse yet, when you or anyone else try to access your web site, an error message appears stating the site not available.
If your business relies, even a little, on e-mail and the Internet, you will want to take care in choosing an Internet service provider (ISP). All of the problems mentioned happen to businesses each day because of limitations experienced by ISPs.
Slow lines and connections can slow down service. At the same time, a big increase in subscribers can also clog up ISP equipment. Recently, Kevin's ISP switched to faster digital connections, but a dramatic increase in customers made the new system even slower than the old one had been. A client couldn't figure out why his autoresponder wouldn't work. It turned out that one of the ISP's customers had sent out unsolicited bulk mail, and as a result, ALL of their customers had been blocked by other ISPs trying to prevent junk mail.
In another case, a business web site disappeared. It turned out that another site on the same ISP had displayed pornographic content, causing everyone on the same ISP to be banned by many services (keep in mind that computers - not people - often make the decision as to what you see and don't see).
By following these simple guidelines, you can steer clear of all these pitfalls. ISPs are competitive, offering constantly improving prices and features. After reading these guidelines and doing a little shopping around, you may be able to get improved service for less than what you are paying now.
Questions to ask an internet Service Provider (ISP)
1. How long will it take you to respond to an e-mail from me specifying a problem I'm having? With technical support, a prompt reply is the best reply. It is recommended that e-mail be replied to within 24 hours.
2. What type of connection are you using? The fastest current connection to my knowledge is a T3 connection.
3. How long and when is your downtime? This is the time when your pages will not be accessible to anyone.
4. References: Ask people who reside on the server how happy they are with the service.
5. How much? BE AWARE OF HIDDEN COSTS. Read the terms and conditions.
Finally:
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