Broadband Internet is, to many, a business necessity. It's the only way of quickly shipping and receiving vast packages of data across the Internet on demand, but there are, within this general classification, many different types of "broadband" Internet service for you to choose from.

You can help yourself get oriented in the jungle of options that is broadband Internet by making a list of your business data needs. Do you need to transfer large files on a constant basis? Do you need super-fast performance? Do you need to connect many computers to the Internet at the same time? Once you've identified your needs and brushed up on the broadband Internet basics, you'll be able to:

1. Tell the difference between different types of business broadband Internet.

2. Evaluate how fast your broadband Internet service really is.

3. Choose the right high speed Internet service for your business needs.

Action Steps to Bring Broadband Internet Service to Your Business
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decipher the broadband puzzle

Trying to sort through broadband Internet options can make it seems like you're wading through alphabet soup. Just remember that DSL and cable function off a typical consumer analog phone line or cable line, respectively, while T1 and greater systems function through digital phone lines or fiber optic cables, which are most likely to be present in large offices with extensive telephone systems. Satellite broadband is available in areas where you have a clear view of the southern sky, and wireless Internet is available wherever your provider's wireless signal is broadcast.

I recommend: IncTechnology.com offers white papers detailing the difference between some of the most popular broadband Internet solutions for business. If you've mastered the difference between cable and DSL Internet access but still don't know what a T1 is, HowStuffWorks gives a brief explanation of how a T1 line works for business Internet (or telephone) access.

Gauge the speed of your broadband Internet connection

If you mail order a product, you always open the box to make sure it's there, right? It's only prudent to do the same with your broadband Internet access. If it's slower than it should be, you may have found the symptom of a problem your broadband Internet provider isn't even aware of--or a scam.

I recommend: Audit My PC offers a free online speed test to determine the actual download and upload speeds of your broadband Internet access. The Federal Communications Commission's "What is Broadband?" page gives a range of typical broadband speeds for each type of Internet access.

Pick one of many broadband Internet services

No matter how complicated the many business broadband Internet options seem, which you choose all comes down to the same considerations in the end: stability (a network that's consistently up and functioning) and consistently high data transfer speeds, even during peak usage times.

I recommend: Look for honest advertising, like Dynamic Broadband's list of service types that includes a minimum and maximum speed to account for inevitable variations in service. Services like Broadband Broker offer easy comparison of dozens of Internet service providers to help you choose the characteristics that are right for your business.

Tips & Tactics for Smart Use of Business Broadband

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask your broad band service provider about upload speeds. Most advertised broadband speeds are for downloads (transferring data from the Internet to your computer), and upload (transferring data from your computer to the Internet) speeds are typically much slower.

Chances are, when you signed up your office for high speed Internet service provider, you chose the least bandwidth you thought would deliver reasonable broadband Internet, and let it go at that.

The Web has become an indispensable tool for many office jobs (along with, admittedly, an enormous time waster), but if you thought the competitive advantage of broadband Internet stopped at e-mail and a bit of instant research, think again. High speed Internet service can be a business tool, too, with the right software and some simple training.

Covered in this guide:

1. Understanding what a high speed Internet service provider can do for you
2. Checking your current business broadband speed and choosing from broadband Internet providers
3. High speed Internet service and telecommuters
4. Hosting a Web site and Web phone calls using a broadband Internet provider
5. Collaboration over the Web using high speed Internet service

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Understanding what high speed Internet service really means

It can be a bit slippery, because what is fast for e-mail can seem Jurassic if you're trying to download images and impossible for Web telephone use or videoconferencing. And, of course, five people online use less broadband Internet capacity, or bandwidth, than 50 at a time. But, there are a couple of rules of thumb.

I recommend: Dial-up is dead and gone, from a business perspective. DSL or Cable is acceptable for most ordinary office tasks. A T1 line, at 1.544 megabits per second (Mbps) is a good standard speed for broadband Internet, capable of handling an office full of users. A T3 line (equal to 28 T1s at a time) is appropriate to intensive video and telephone traffic. See a table on the relative speeds at Hostile.org.

Check the speed of your current business broadband Internet

No matter what your service level agreement (SLA) says, your actual broadband Internet speed will vary dramatically. Take a look at the speed of your current contracted high speed Internet service from time to time and if huge discrepancies appear, call up your sales person.

I recommend: Check your broadband Internet service using the highly graphic and easy to use SpeedTest.net or the geekier but more complete CNET Bandwidth Tester.

Broadband Internet service keeps teleworkers' connections secure

So you have a grip on your actual capabilties. So what? Well, one of the advantages of business broadband is connecting to work from home or on the road. You'll need a virtual private network (VPN), a kind of secure tunnel between the external PC and the office network, and high speed Internet service to make it work best.

I recommend: Your network will need to operate at DSL speeds at a minimum to run a VPN over your broadband Internet service, and even then the speed must be consistent where you are connecting from as well. Microsoft and Cisco Systems tech support offer plenty on how VPNs work. Talk with broadband Internet providers as well about VPN or consider a VPN contractor from the Business.com directory.

Using your broadband Internet service for Web and e-commerce

Most business broadband companies will try to sell you what's called a static IP, a kind of permanent address on the Web. This allows your company to host its Web site on your own servers, taking hits from outside the company, as well as manage your own e-mail. A static IP address also allows your company to make long-distance phone calls using broadband Internet service, more cheaply.

I recommend: If you have more than 100 employees online, a busy Web site and do a lot of e-mail, consider a static IP. See more advantages of a static IP at high speed Internet service vendors including Verizon, Time Warner and Voicenet. See additional resources at the Business.com directory of broadband Internet providers.

High speed Internet service can make you your own Ma Bell

Doing your own thing with Web based phone calls, known as Voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP, can be a big savings compared to making calls through a normal phone carrier. It's more trouble, too, to administer, but if your company is already running lots of servers for other reasons, a pricier high-speed connection can actually save you money.

I recommend: Compare service plans from broadband Internet providers like Optimum, Covad, Lingo and major telecoms, including XO, AT&T and Sprint. See more choices on VoIP telephone services at Business.com

Broadband Internet providers and sharing data

The Web is moving quickly to integrate telecommuters and far-flung offices with the main office. Part of the equation is with Web conferencing software and virtual white boards, along with broadband Internet service.

I recommend: High speed Web is absolutely required for video that's not herky-jerky, and meeting software increasingly is Web based, so using it implies a reliably fast connection, too. Take a look at GoToMeeting, Webex and Microsoft Sharepoint. More options on Web conferencing can be found at Business.com

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most business broadband Internet providers give you a much faster download speed than upload, since downloading is what most Web users do. However, a faster upload speed from your high speed Internet service is worth paying for if you handle lots of images or video.
• •  To get the most out of your business, broadband speeds must be high enough to accomodate both the peak use and the number of users. Your broadband Internet service sales person will help you estimate this figure.
• •  Set policies on Internet use to keep broadband bills under control. Internet radio stations, while soothing, kill broadband connections if everyone is dialing in a station.

Broadband Internet can make your online business transactions move faster, but at what cost? The cost/benefit aspects of business Internet access should take not just dollars into account, but other business assets like mobility, speed, and network stability, as well.

The pricing and costs of broadband Internet depend, more than anything else, on what kind of Internet access you're shopping for. There are several main categories of broadband Internet access that may be useful for your business, each with their own advantages and disadvantages:

1. Satellite broadband Internet offers Internet access in areas where it otherwise might not be possible, but can be disrupted by physical obstructions or severe weather.

2. Wireless broadband Internet plans offer cable- and wire-free connectivity, but you have to purchase or lease expensive equipment for each computer to be connected.

3. Cable, DSL and T1 or greater lines offer fast, often inexpensive connections, but sacrifice mobility.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hook up with satellite broadband Internet providers

Satellite Internet is suitable in situations where you have a clear view of the southern sky (if you can't see the southern sky, the satellite probably won't be able to see you--and, thus, won't consistently send information). While it tends to cost more than other broadband Internet services, satellite makes Internet access possible in areas that aren't connected to other access methods, like cable or telephone lines.

I recommend: You'll find satellite Internet plans from providers like WildBlue and Hughes Net. Prices start at a low of $40 per month and top out at about $400; you may also be required to pay a monthly equipment lease fee, usually in the $10 to $20 range per month.

Connect to the wireless broad band

Whether you're an on-the-go business traveler or just need to move around the office without cables getting in your way, wireless broadband Internet offers a nice compromise between versatility and economy.

I recommend: Clearwire and Verizon offer the optimum in mobility: wireless broadband Internet. Just plug a PC card, Express Card or USB modem into your computer and you're automatically wired in, anywhere in your service provider's covered area. Expect to pay a minimum of $40 to $60 per month for single-user service, and to either lease the PC card (budget in the neighborhood of $10 per month) or purchase your own at a cost of $200 to $300.

Wire into a land-bound broadband Internet service

Cable, DSL, T1 and other wired Internet options are fast and well-established, stable technologies capable of serving a large office at relatively low prices. These also offer the option of being bundled with other services, such as telephone lines, to save money on services that your business needs anyway.

I recommend: Land-bound providers like Speakeasy and Internet Express offer a variety of services including cable, DSL and T1 or greater fiber lines. Expect to pay anywhere from $400 to over $1,000 per month for a dedicated T1 or greater line; cable and DSL costs tend to be comparable and start at about $40 monthly, ranging into the hundreds of dollars for faster connections.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can sometimes secure a better rate for business broadband Internet access if you are willing to sign up for a commitment/service plan that guarantees you'll be purchasing services for an extended time, usually from one to three years. The downside of this is that there may be extra fees associated with canceling or changing your service plan or provider before the contract period is up.

A broadband Internet connection is the division of a bandwidth over multiple channels or signals for a simultaneous communications network. There are several different types of broadband connections and a number of elements related to uploading and downloading information over a broadband connection. The purpose of this article is to help you better understand these elements so you can fully grasp what your Internet connection can do.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

DSL

DSL stands for digital subscriber line. It is a means of connecting to the Internet by turning a telephone line into a three-channel data delivery system. One channel is the regular phone line, and the other two channels transmit information to and from the Internet.

I recommend: Super Pages provides more information on DSL, including the different types available.

Cable modem

A cable modem uses a television cable signal to communicate with the Internet. While this broadband connection is the fastest available, the connection can slow down when all of the users in a specific area access the Internet at the same time.

I recommend: Obtain more information from Cable-Modem.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth, also known as capacity, is how much data an Internet connection can handle. The wider the bandwidth, the more information that can transfer to and from the Internet at once. High-speed Internet connections exist because they have wider bandwidths.

I recommend: Cool Nerds describes bandwidth in laymen's terms, complete with diagrams and illustrations.

FTP

FTP stands for file-transfer protocol and is a means of transferring files over the Internet or a network within your business. You and your employees can access these files through an Internet address that starts with 'ftp://' and requires a username and password for uploading and downloading files. An anonymous FTP allows access to the files without logging in.

I recommend: File Transfer Planet gives more details about file-transfer protocol.

Bitrate

Bitrate measures an Internet or modem connection speed. Measurements are in bits per second (BPS), kilobits per second (Kbps) or megabits per second (Mbps). You can measure bitrate for the receive, or download, speed (how fast information gets to your computer from the Internet) and send, or upload, speed (how quickly your computer sends information back).

I recommend: For more in-depth details about bitrate, visit AfterDawn. To calculate your Internet connection speed, use the tool provided by McAfee.

Cookie

An Internet cookie is a block of information stored on your computer from an Internet page. It allows your computer to recognize a page when you visit it again and, thus, that Web site can recognize you as a customer. One of the many functions of cookies is allowing a Web site to recall your username every time you visit the login page.

I recommend: Surf the Internet Safely provides more information on cookies, including how to view and manage them to make sure your computer is safe. For more broadband key terms, visit Real Knowledge.