Category Report - ISPs

Category Report
02 December, 2007 16:28

Business ISPs: making the right choice

by Alison Bowie

Choosing the right internet service provider for a growing business calls for a balance between service availability and customer support. The arrival of broadband in the UK marked the dawn of a new era in electronic communication. Arriving in a blaze of glory, it dramatically transformed the professional and personal lives of millions of us - whether we were running a multibillion pound corporation, a family business or indeed, just wanting fast, easy access to the internet.

Fast forward to 2007 and the UK's current broadband network still dominates headlines, but this time it comes with a warning. Only this September national papers were full of comments from regulator Ofcom suggesting that the country's current broadband network will struggle to cope with increased demands from new services like internet television.

Reports suggest that more than half of UK households now have a broadband connection, with the average speed of these connections rising dramatically - in some cases 4.6 megabits per second, or more than 80 times the speed of the old dial-up connections. And it is this very need for speed that will ultimately push the current network to breaking point, calling for the arrival of next generation access networks, believes Ofcom.

People are prepared to buy a better connection with higher speeds which does not limit their download capability

But just what does this consumer trend have to do with the business community, you may well ask? Just imagine the nightmare of an internet connection slowing to a halt or even going down just as you are on deadline with a major project, losing you valuable data? The cost to your company, in time and money, could be disastrous.

Tailored packages

Today's marketplace is full of internet service providers (ISPs), with a growing number focusing on tailored packages for smaller businesses.

One ISP that has carved out a niche in the sector is Datanet. Managing director Conleth McCallan believes the massive consumer take-up in broadband is pushing the service to its limits, making life harder for businesses.

"What we are seeing from our customers, and in the wider industry, is that broadband is reaching the limits of its capacity in its current state," he said. "Broadband has been a huge success and become so vital to business and home users alike that our expectations of it have increased beyond its ability. Businesses want to do more over their internet connections and many companies are finding that the broadband technology they are so dependent on comes up short when faced with these increased demands."

ISP providers: what's on offer

BT Business Broadband
Option 1
Price: From £19.79pcm
Users: light
• 10GB monthly usage
• Wireless hub £59 or router £49
Option 2
Price: From £26.99pcm
Users: mobile workers or small offices
• Unlimited usage
• Up to 8Mbps download speed
• Wireless hub
• 250 minutes BT Openzone hotspot access per month
Option 3
Price: From £40.50pcm
Users: For offices requiring additional security and support
• All the benefits of Option 2
• Enhanced security worth £299/year
• Enhanced support worth £120/year
• IT Support Manager
• 250 wireless minutes pcm
• VoIP line (Business Broadband Voice)
• Internet Security Pack for five users
• 24/7 business helpdesk support via email or phone
• Web hosting
• 10 email addresses
www.btbroadbandoffice.com

Datanet
Working from home
Price: From £28pcm
• Three month min contract
• 50:1 contention ratio
• Free fixed IP address and mailbox
• From 2 to 8Mbps
Small Office Connections
Price: from £30pcm
Users: 1 to 15
• 3 month minimum contract
• 20:1 contention ratio
• 1 fixed IP address
•  Free mailbox
• 0.5/1/2/8Mbps options
Large Office
• Connections  on ADSL
Price: from £60pcm
• 3 month minimum contract
• 20:1 contention ratio
• Free 1 fixed IP address
• Free mailbox
• Up to 8Mbps download speed 
www.datanet.co.uk

Pipex
Enterprise Hosting Gold
Single server platform package includes:
• 100% SLA (Service Level Agreement)
• Cisco firewall included
• 10Mbps of internet bandwidth with every platform with no monthly transfer limits
• Optional Intel Dual or Quad Core processors, SAS or SATA disks, Dell Remote Access Card (DRAC) for server administration
www.pipex.co.uk/business/

THUS
Demon HomeOffice 8000
Price: £20.65
Business 2000
Price: £34
• Business grade broadband
• Download 2Mbps, upload 832kbps
• Allows several users to connect at same time with prioritised traffic during busy periods
• Domain name for email and web
• Unlimited email addresses
• 24/7 telephone support
Business 8000
Price: From £40-£59
• Fast 8Mbps service ideal for a networked office
• Features as Business 2000 with optional SpeedTouch 546 ADSL router with built-in 4 port Ethernet hub or SpeedTouch 585 Wireless ADSL router
• Supplied pre-configured, supported by helpdesk 
www.demon.net

UK Online
Price: £19.99 to £29.99pcm
£25 connection fee
• Up to 8Mbps download, 768k upload
• BT line required
• 24/7 UK-based freephone technical support
• McAfee Internet Security suite free for 12 months
• 100MB of webspace
• Up to 20 email addresses with .co.uk or .org.uk domain name
Webmail and spam filter
www.ukonline.net

Bandwidth

To counteract the pressure on bandwidth, more companies are opting for dedicated private lines and bandwidth.

"No longer is this technology the exclusive right of the large corporation," explained McCallan. "Lowering costs and increased availability have created a significant change in demand for private circuits from SMBs and this trend looks set to continue."

This is a view backed by ISP, UK Online, part of the BSkyB network. UK Online managing director Chris Stening said: "There has been a huge change in the consumer market with connection speeds going up and prices down. We recognise that if you are running a business you want a reliable service and that your needs will be different from those required by a consumer. We have tailored our services accordingly."

Telecoms company Thus provides communications solutions to businesses under the THUS and Demon brands. The company has also noticed changes in the approach of the SMB community with a move away from traditional broadband to independent servers. Thus head of product portfolio Matt Cantwell said: "People now want a reliable internet connection and are prepared to buy a better connection with higher speeds which does not, for instance, limit their download capability. Users very often want a dedicated service which they can use for customer orders and to sell online. Some might use applications located remotely such as accounting packages. If the internet has become critical to the way a company runs its business, then a dedicated connection could be the right way forward."

To capitalise on this trend, Thus launched Demon Virtual Server in September, offering a range of features "at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated server", according to the ISP. Designed for companies that have outgrown their shared web hosting solution, but are not quite ready for a dedicated server, it enables SMBs to install the software, configure and reboot their own system, and host multiple domains. Demon Virtual Server also offers data transfer, e-commerce and internet access services, as well as security and server extras. With five service levels, the server starts from £300 per year, offering smaller businesses everything from daily and weekly system back-up options to domain registration, digital certification, firewall security and unique name servers.

Data security

Security, accessibility of information, data back-up and technical support are all key issues that continue to shape the marketplace and ones that SMBs should seriously consider when choosing an ISP.

McCallan said: "With several recent events such as Buncefield and the summer 2007 flooding, businesses are increasingly aware of the need to make sure they have some facility for business continuity in the event that they are unable to access their office.On a related level, the requirement to be fully mobile and able to access email, phone and all communications wherever you are located, is becoming increasingly attractive."

Stening urges businesses to do their homework before taking the plunge with an ISP, paying particular attention to email. "Pick someone who has been around for a long time and go on recommendations," he said. "Make sure the ISP can offer you good technical support and service accessibility.

"You also need to think about how you deal with email back-up which can often be overlooked. Do research. Talk to people you know. Ultimately, find a service that is right for you. The ISP package should be the right fit for your business, not necessarily the cheapest."

Pipex Business offers Enter-prise Hosting Gold, a managed hosting solution targeted at SMBs that want to guarantee 100 per cent round the clock availability of their web services. The solution includes a dedicated security operations centre for firewall management and super quick internet connectivity to enhance business performance and security. 

Pipex Business director products and marketing Andy Slater said: "With so many companies now using a business hosting provider, it is vital that organisations choose a reputable provider for handling business critical and important information."

Security is vital when choosing an ISP as mistakes can be costly. "Security is a big issue for SMBs. Email viruses can cripple a company. Firewalls, anti-spam and anti-phishing devices are fast growing areas. In today's environment where people are working remotely, VPNs (virtual private networks) that encrypt data between a laptop and a server allow safer access of data."

Convergence

So what of the future for ISPs? What are the emerging trends destined to shape the face of the market in the year ahead? Cantwell has one word: convergence. "The 21st century network where the network does everything and becomes one single network is already starting to happen with the growing trend of using the internet for telephony," he said. "The boundaries between voice, internet and data are really starting to blur so that in the next 18 months we will see SMBs having one single connection."

He also believes more people will access software programs ‘live' over the internet, rather than buying a software package in the traditional way. "Google are really taking on Microsoft with this through Google Applications," said Cantwell. "It means that rather than buying software you can get the goods per person over the internet. Rather than buying accounting software, a business could use it on the internet when needed.

"Remote applications have not really happened yet, but it is only a matter of time. Because people are more comfortable online now, with connections getting faster and more reliable, we will see more and more services running this way in future."