How to choose the right Global Internet provider for your business
When high-performing Global Internet in every location, office, and branch can be the difference between competitive advantage and being outpaced by competitors, selecting the right Global Internet provider is a critical decision for any business. By offering reliable and high-speed Internet connectivity across multiple regions, the right provider can:
- Ensure seamless operations.
- Enhance productivity.
- Enable growth.
- Remove the complexity of global network management.
- Provide confidence in regulatory compliance.
- Free up your in-house IT teams to focus on value-add activities.
But how do you choose the right provider for your company? Do you need Global Internet from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a Managed Service Provider (MSP)? Keep reading for our guide to choosing the right Internet Provider (IP) for your business. We’ll cover everything from how to ensure coverage, reliability, support services, and cost considerations.
The importance of choosing the right provider
Choosing the right IP is more than just selecting a service that offers the fastest Internet speeds. It involves a thorough evaluation of the provider’s capabilities, reputation, whether they have a digital-first mindset, their operational availability and service quality and much more. You also need to understand your needs, your resources, and how much support you need.
A reliable Global Internet provider can ensure:
- Seamless operations: Consistent and high-quality Internet connectivity across all business locations.
- Enhanced productivity: Improved communication and collaboration among employees, partners, and customers.
- Scalability: The ability to support business growth and expansion into new markets.
- Security: Robust security measures to protect sensitive data and ensure regulatory compliance.
Four factors to consider when choosing a global IP
Considering the following factors can help you identify providers that align with your enterprise’s needs as well as ensure reliable and efficient Internet connectivity.
1. Coverage
One of the most critical factors in selecting a global IP is the provider’s coverage area. Businesses with international operations need a provider that can offer consistent and high-quality connectivity across all regions where they operate.
Considerations when evaluating coverage:
- Geographic reach: Assess whether the provider has the infrastructure and partnerships to offer services in all required locations.
- Service availability: Ensure that the provider can offer the same level of service quality and performance across different regions.
- Expansion capabilities: Consider the provider’s ability to support future expansion into new markets.
- Portfolio of partners: Consider the provider’s relationship with other providers, are they able to cover all technology options at any location? To do this multiple provider relations in county are mandatory.
- Local regulatory and compliance knowledge: Evaluate the provider’s understanding of and adherence to local regulations and compliance requirements, which is critical for smooth and lawful operations in different regions.
Example: A global manufacturing company with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia should choose an Global Internet provider with access to all available connectivity options at any location to ensure consistent connectivity. It can be easier to find MSPs, like Expereo, who offer all of the above, ISPs tend to only offer in-region services.
2. Reliability
Reliability is paramount when choosing a Global Internet provider. Businesses need assurance that their Internet connection will be stable and available at all times, with minimal downtime and disruptions.
You need to know that all of your networks are being proactively managed and business continuity measures are in place to protect your business. That means as many connectivity options as possible.
Considerations when reviewing an ISP or MSP’s reliability:
- Site availability and reachability: Ensure that the global provider can design the right redundancy and failover solutions to ensure business continuity at any location based on business requirements.
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Review the provider’s SLAs to understand their commitments regarding uptime, response times, and issue resolution.
Example: A financial services firm that relies on real-time data and transactions and site uptime should choose an Global Internet provider with robust reliability measures, Event-Driven Automation (EDA) and automated issue resolution to ensure uninterrupted operations.
3. Support automation services
Effective support services are essential for addressing technical issues, managing network performance, and ensuring a seamless user experience. Businesses should evaluate the support capabilities of potential ISPs or MSPs and whether they have proactive technologies built into their processes.
Considerations when assessing an Global Internet provider’s support services:
- Technical support: Assess the availability and quality of the provider’s technical support services, including 24/7 support options and in-region, local language support.
- Proactive monitoring: Again, look for providers that offer proactive monitoring and management of network performance with EDA or AI. They will be able to identify and resolve issues before they impact operations.
- Customer service: Evaluate the provider’s customer service reputation and responsiveness to ensure timely and effective assistance.
Example: A global retail chain with numerous locations would benefit from a Global Internet provider that offers comprehensive support services, including proactive monitoring and 24/7 technical support. Proactive monitoring enabled by EDA and AI coupled with the human touch, can mean automations that enhanced the customer experience for continuous network performance and minimal downtime.
4. Cost
Cost is a crucial factor in selecting a Global Internet provider, but it should not be the sole consideration. Businesses need to balance cost with the quality of service, reliability, and support to ensure they get the best value for their investment.
Considerations when comparing Internet Provider (IP) costs:
- Pricing structure: Understand the provider’s pricing structure, including any additional fees for extra services or features.
- Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Consider the total cost of ownership, including initial setup costs, ongoing service fees, and any potential costs associated with downtime or service disruptions.
- Value for money: Evaluate the overall value offered by the provider, balancing cost with service quality, reliability, and support.
- Customer experience: Explore what solutions they have in place to ensure you have a seamless experience with them. Do they have automation built in to provide you with the right insights you need to make business decisions? Like Expereo’s digital-first Intelligent Internet platform, expereoOne.
Example: A large enterprise looking for the best quality price structure ensuring their competitiveness should choose a provider that offers a competitive pricing structure and good value for money, without compromising on essential features like reliability and automation-enabled support.
Evaluating service visibility and cloud network monitoring
In addition to the four considerations outlined above, service visibility and cloud application monitoring are critical for managing and optimizing Internet connectivity. These capabilities should be high on your list when assessing a potential IP to ensure they can effectively monitor and manage performance.
Service visibility
Service visibility refers to the ability to monitor and analyze traffic and performance in real-time. This is essential for identifying and resolving issues, optimizing traffic flow, and ensuring consistent performance.
Considerations when analyzing an IP’s monitoring and automation capabilities:
- Real-time monitoring: Look for partners with automation in place to ensure a constant high-quality service experience and automatically resolve issues when identified.
- Analytics and reporting: Ensure the provider offers robust analytics and reporting on service usage, network usage and performance trends.
- Proactive management: Evaluate the provider’s ability to proactively monitor your network with EDA and AI-enabled service orchestration.
- Performance improvement: Look for providers who offer Enhanced Internet to optimize traffic flow, prevent congestion and ensure reliability.
Example: A technology company that relies heavily on cloud-based applications should choose an IP with strong network visibility capabilities to monitor and optimize network performance in real-time.
Cloud network monitoring
Cloud network monitoring involves tracking and managing the performance of cloud-based applications and services. This is crucial for businesses that rely on cloud infrastructure to support their operations.
Considerations for IP cloud network monitoring:
- Integration with cloud services: Ensure that the provider’s monitoring tools and network tech stack can integrate with the cloud services and platforms used by the business.
- Performance metrics: Look for providers that offer comprehensive performance metrics and monitoring capabilities to track the performance of cloud-based applications, like Expereo’s Enhanced Internet solution.
- Issue resolution: Evaluate the provider’s ability to quickly identify and resolve issues affecting cloud network performance with responsive tools like EDA and AI.
Example: An e-Commerce company that uses cloud-based platforms for its website and backend operations should choose a provider with robust cloud network monitoring capabilities to ensure high performance and availability.
Provider comparison: Making an informed decision
Comparing different Global Internet providers (be they ISP or MSP) based on the factors outlined above can help businesses make an informed decision.
But evaluating each provider’s strengths and weaknesses, understanding their service offerings, and assessing their ability to meet specific business needs can be hard. Here’s a simple process to follow.
5 Steps to compare providers:
- Identify requirements: Define your business’s specific requirements and priorities for Internet connectivity, including coverage, reliability, support, and cost.
- Research providers: Gather information on potential ISPs or MPSs, including their service offerings, coverage areas, and customer reviews.
- Evaluate proposals: Request proposals from shortlisted providers and evaluate them based on your defined requirements and priorities.
- Review SLAs: Carefully review each provider’s SLAs to understand their commitments and guarantees regarding site quality and site availability.
- Make a decision: Based on the evaluation, select the provider that best meets the business’s requirements and offers the best value for money.
By following a structured approach to provider comparison, businesses can select the right ISP or MSP and achieve reliable and high-quality Internet connectivity across their global operations.
How to know if you need an MSP or an ISP
Understanding if you need a Managed Service Provider or an Internet Service Provider depends on your business needs. If you require comprehensive IT management, including network monitoring, security, and maintenance, an MSP is ideal. MSPs offer broad geographic reach, consistent service quality, and expansion support, making them suitable for businesses seeking extensive IT support. Ultimately, MSPs offer you simplicity. MSPs allow you to focus on the big picture while they take care of the day to day.
Conversely, if your primary need is reliable Internet connectivity, an ISP is sufficient. ISPs provide Internet access without additional IT services.
Is evaluating multiple IPs to find the right one for your business getting complicated? Expereo can help
In a digital business world that never sleeps, reliable Internet connectivity is not just a necessity but a strategic asset that drives growth and success. You need a partner that understands your business and supports your roadmap through innovation, automation and digitizes the service experience.
By investing in the right Global Internet provider, you can unlock new levels of efficiency, security, and performance, ensuring your enterprise stays competitive in the global market.
However, partnering with Expereo means you get a single-service experience that offers end-to-end visibility and management. Country by country, region by region, and market by market, including all of your ISP partners and network service providers, we manage it all for you so you can focus on what’s important.
Get in touch today to discuss your needs.