There are many different ways of connecting the 4.66 billion internet users across the planet. While the method of connection may not always make a big difference for an individual, taking advantage of certain options can make a monumental difference for a business.

The Differences Between Internet Connections

All internet connections accomplish at least one central goal—they enable computers to get an electronic signal that interfaces them with other computers, servers, and devices around the world. The way this is done and the options you get with your service vary drastically from one service to another. Here are some of the most popular.

• Broadband: This is a high-speed connection that happens either through a cable, telephone, or fiber-optic connection.
• DSL: Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) makes use of your two-wire copper telephone line that’s already connected to your home or place of business. You can still make phone calls while connected to the internet with DSL, however.
• Cable: A cable internet connection provides connectivity through cable TV lines.

The three connection types above, broadband, DSL, and cable, all offer faster business internet than the two outlined below, dial-up and satellite.

• Dial-up: With a dial-up service, you connect to the internet similar to how you would with DSL, but you can’t make phone calls simultaneously. It’s also a relatively slow connection.
• Satellite: This is where your business internet connection arrives at your personal dish after being bounced off a satellite orbiting the earth. These are connections typically slower than others.

The Advantage of Fiber

With a fiber-optic connection, you get fast broadband with high speeds for both downloading and uploading. Your upload speeds are often much slower than your download speeds with cable-provided broadband.

Why Adding SD-WAN May Work for Your Business

With SD-WAN, how different users, systems, and applications access the internet is optimized by software. This gives you significantly more flexibility because you can customize how employees use the internet. For example, you can custom-design how much bandwidth different applications get, ensuring each gets what it needs without negatively impacting the rest of your network.

With more businesses opting for a hybrid work environment with their workforce, SD-WAN can help optimize internet even more with work from home private segmentation. Work from home users are able to take advantage of segmentation to separate work-related network traffic from any home internet activity.

The Benefits of Managed IT for Internet Access

When you connect straight to a business internet service provider, in some ways, you have to simply hope that everything goes smoothly. If something goes wrong, you may have to wait hours on the phone for help, if phone support is even an option. You also don’t know if the person on the other end has the expertise to address your issue.

With an internet connection through managed IT services, you get seasoned professionals who understand the bandwidth needs of your business and its applications. They can help you get the most out of your network and address issues quickly and with expertise.

In addition, a managed IT services provider can help strengthen your cybersecurity and protect your connections, devices, systems, and applications from hackers and malware.

To learn more about how managed IT can provide a more effective business internet solution for you, connect with TPx.