Finding what’s best for your business may be completely different to other firms you associate with. For many business owners, choosing the right broadband deal can easily become overwhelming. Every provider claims they have the best price or the most data, but what is really important when looking for a deal to suit your business needs?
Discover what to look for first when choosing a broadband deal and reach out to us at Blackbox UC for comprehensive broadband business bundles.
1. Is Your Provider a B2B Specialist?
A lot of broadband advertising you may see on TV or the like, are focussed on family bundles and individual consumers. This is fine for personal use but when it comes to a commercial setting, your business needs are likely going to be quite different. A business to business (B2B) broadband specialist will offer greater opportunity for technological growth, as well as their specialised expertise and knowledge in industry.
2. Flexible Broadband Packages
No business is the same and it’s important your provider understands this. Rather than cutting and pasting the same deal, it’s great to be able to mix and match services to best suit your business needs. Perhaps you have two office locations – one is up and coming with only a few employees, the other has been around for years with a quickly growing client base. Why would you apply the same broadband bundle to both?
The ability to pick and choose, essentially building your ideal service will also ensure you’re getting a great deal. Getting value for your money is key here, so you want to make sure you’re actually using all the services you are paying for. Likewise, your provider should offer flexibility to change your bundle when necessary – business growth is the goal of course so it’s important they’ll cater to this.
3. Range, Coverage and Speed
These are some of the most noticeable differences you’ll find when switching broadband providers. However, availability will depend on your location. Generally, if you live in a town or city there are plenty more options than in a rural area. If you live in the UK, these options typically involve what is called ultrafast, superfast or basic broadband. There are now even options for leased line broadband – offering your very own line of bandwidth without the interruptions and slowdowns from other users.
It’s also important to note the difference between provider offers. For example, they might offer unlimited data, which sounds great, but unlimited doesn’t always mean fast. Likewise for cheap lock-in contracts, you can often end up spending more in installation fees and other service costs in the long-run. Get in touch with a local UK provider to discuss your options.
4. Data Recovery and Security
Ideally, your provider should offer full data recovery services in the event of technical difficulties. Outsourcing these services elsewhere when something goes wrong can become a much more costly expense, which may not even guarantee recovery success. Ensure your broadband provider has safe and effective options for your data recovery before you risk losing your all-too-important business data. This way, you can rest easy knowing that your information will be securely taken care of, with the ability to restore lost data in events of the unexpected.
5. Co-location Capabilities
Co-location offers you a secure place to house your hardware and equipment as opposed to keeping it on your own premises. This is handy if you aren’t confident in your building’s ability to maintain the equipment or even if there’s not enough security assurance. In addition to storage, co-location also provides resources for the space like cooling, bandwidth, power and backup power, as well as security and back up capability for servers. This means you can safely manage your environment with close help from your provider and only give access to authorised personnel. At Blackbox UC, we’re experienced providers in co-location services – get in touch with us if to discuss this potential for your business.
6. Customer Service
Unfortunately, broadband providers can often get a bad rep in terms of customer service quality – but don’t fret, there are better options out there. If you’re sick of wait ques on hold and short business hours, it may be a sign to switch providers. Look for a provider who you can contact in more ways than one, whether it be phone, email or web enquiry (ideally all of the above). At Blackbox UC, we are locally based in London which means if you live in the UK, we’ll be up when you are and always happy to have a chat.
