Each hour without an internet connection, a small or medium-sized business could lose between $8,580 to $74,000.
For most businesses, losing internet connection is like losing electricity. With cloud computing, online applications, and a little thing called email, most employees need access to the internet to do their job. When the internet goes out, work comes to a standstill.
If your internet service goes out, there’s little you can do until the internet service provider identifies and fixes the issue. Not only is this frustrating, but it’s costing your business money in lost productivity.
From small businesses to large businesses, it’s important to have a plan to minimize or prevent internet downtime. One solution to this is internet redundancy.
What is Internet Redundancy?
Businesses get internet redundancy by installing a secondary connection that runs on a different backbone than their primary connection. If there’s an internet outage on the primary connection, the secondary one will kick in to keep your business humming along.
This can happen automatically with a process known as auto-failover – the automatic transfer of the network so no work is lost and no disruptions are made to your business. It can also happen manually with just the switching of a cable.
Having redundant internet is like having a generator for backup electricity. When the electricity goes out, the generator kicks on to keep the lights on and the computers running. With a second internet provider, you and your team can keep sending emails, making phone calls, and working on the cloud.
What You Need for a Redundant Network
The first thing you need is, of course, a secondary internet service provider. It’s important that this provider is not the same as your primary provider. This improves the chances that an outage on your primary network won’t affect your backup connection.
You’ll also need the proper physical hardware. Check with your IT staff or a third-party internet provider that your router has the right capabilities to automatically switch from one provider to another.
One option for redundant networks is fixed wireless internet providers. Fixed wireless internet transmits a broadband internet connection from a point of presence via radiowaves a few miles to a local receiver at your business. Because it doesn’t run on the same wires as cable internet, it’s unlikely that outages on your primary cable internet service would impact a fixed wireless connection.
One option for redundant networks is fixed wireless internet providers. Fixed wireless internet transmits a broadband internet connection from a point of presence via radiowaves a few miles to a local receiver at your business. Because it doesn’t run on the same wires as cable internet, it’s unlikely that outages on your primary cable internet service would impact a fixed wireless connection.
Unlike satellite internet, fixed wireless isn’t subject to weather disruptions, and unlike cable internet, fixed wireless isn’t subject to cut cords, making it a dependable option for primary internet or secondary internet.
How Much Does Internet Downtime Cost?
How much money your business stands to lose during an internet outage depends on what you do and how you do it.
If you’re an online retailer, your business may come to a complete halt while the internet is down. If you’re a doctor’s office, you may lose the ability to check patients in and out, make and manage appointments, and update records. The ways different businesses in different industries depend on the internet for their operations are endless. However, the more dependent on the internet your employees are, the more you’ll lose.
Is Internet Redundancy Worth the Extra Cost?
If your employees depend on the internet to get work done, a redundant internet connection could very easily pay for itself after a lengthy outage. Whether caused by technical issues, a natural disaster, construction, or damage, no internet connection is fully immune to outages. While service providers focus on getting the connection fixed and back up and running as quickly as possible, this can sometimes take hours or even days.
Introducing diversity in internet providers is like insuring your company’s online productivity. Internet redundancy and failover can save your business from lost work and the lost revenue that comes with that.
