Frugal, strategic spending is a necessity in most business settings where success is determined by the bottom line. Some expenses, however, are so important that not making them can hurt profits even more. This is the case with ISP redundancy.
A Look at Redundancy
Redundancy is a concept that many businesses understand and employ in other arenas. They may, for example, have redundant electrical systems, staffing schemes, security protocols and so on to ensure smooth operations in the event of a crisis. When it comes to their Internet connections, however, many firms fall short. This can be a costly mistake. ISP redundancy is a cost effective solution that provides peace of mind that connection to mission critical apps and files will remain solid even if the main Internet provider’s service goes down.
What it Means for Operations
ISP redundancy isn’t a failsafe that has to be used often, but when it’s required, it tends to be a critical need. Even the biggest Internet service providers can face trouble on their lines. When they do, everyone connected loses performance and reliability. For business clients, the loss of connectivity can mean a hit to productivity, a loss of new business, failure to meet deadlines and much more. The long and the short of it is that Internet downtime costs businesses money.
ISP redundancy solves the issue by providing an immediate backup to the main provider. While some companies handle this type of failsafe in-house, smart firms tend to contract out for the service. Here’s why:
- The cost – A good ISP redundancy service doesn’t call for a huge capital investment. In fact, this level of extra protection can be provided for just a few dollars a day. And, if a secondary ISP contract is required, the better services will help with procurement.
- The speed – Switching to backup manually can be tedious and time consuming. Good service providers take the pain out of the process by offering simple installation and configuration protocols. They also offer speedy transfers over to the secondary line when the first goes down.
- The reliability – The best providers monitor client connections so any disruptions can be detected immediately. The end result is a more reliable experience.
ISP redundancy isn’t a frivolous expense. It can keep operations flowing when downtime just isn’t acceptable.