How To Choose the Best Internet Speed for Your Business: Recommendations by Size and Industry
Keeping a business running is tough enough, but keeping a business running without high-speed Internet is next to impossible. Slow Internet could cost your business time, reputation, and revenue. In fact, the average employee loses one week a year waiting around on sluggish Internet. That’s a lot of time wasted, and all that time adds up to a lot of money.
Businesses need significant bandwidth to keep operations smooth and seamless, but choosing the right business Internet speed isn’t always as straightforward as you’d think. There are many factors you should consider when choosing high-speed broadband for your business. Here, we’ll take a look at what those factors are and then break down the best Internet plans and business service providers that are sure to meet your business needs, by size and industry.
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Factors To Consider When Choosing Internet Speed
- Scope: The number of employees and devices using the Internet at any given time will have an impact on the speed you require.
- Storage: The business’s reliance on cloud-based storage and data management affects the need for speed.
- Usage: Types of online activities necessitated by the business, such as video conferencing or large file transfers, will influence speed requirements.
- Security: Businesses of all sizes and industries should consider cybersecurity solutions tailored to their specific needs. It’s important to understand the differences between dedicated and shared internet connections, and how these impact data privacy and protection, when choosing an Internet service provider (ISP).
- Future Needs: Plans for future growth of the business may require scalability in Internet speed.
- Internet Type: Different types of Internet, such as fiber optic, cable broadband, DSL, or satellite, all have different availability and maximum speeds.
- Average Speed: Businesses must consider the ISP’s average download speeds (the time it takes to receive information from the Internet) and upload speeds (the time it takes to send information to the Internet).
Recommended Internet Speeds Based on Business Size
0 – 150 Mbps |
150 – 300 Mbps |
300 – 500 Mbps |
500 Mbps – 1G |
1G+ |
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Small Businesses (1-10 employees)
Your small business might be a home-based business, a sole proprietorship, or simply a small company with a handful of employees. For businesses of this size, you can usually get by with Internet speeds around 25-50 megabits per second (Mbps). This would be fast enough for emailing, browsing, and video calls.
However, if your business is in a growth period, you may want to look at bumping up your speed to the 50-100 Mbps range. If you need some cloud storage or use a number of online tools on a daily basis, this would be the recommendation.
Medium-Sized Businesses (10-50 employees)
Medium businesses may fall anywhere on a wide spectrum of Internet speed needs. A business with 50 employees using devices every day will require higher speeds than a business with 10 employees.
However, most often, medium-sized businesses should plan on having 100-500 Mbps of download speed for video conferencing, cloud computing, and multiple servers.
Large Businesses (50-250 employees)
Big businesses have larger bandwidth needs, so companies of this size with this many employees should look for Internet plans of 500 Mbps to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps).
This level of high-speed Internet will allow for the quick and seamless transfer of large amounts of data and near-constant usage of cloud-based applications.
Enterprise Companies (250+ employees)
Large corporations need the fastest speeds to power hundreds of connected devices. Ensure employees have constant, uninterrupted Internet access for large file sharing, constant web browsing, high-definition video conferencing, unlimited data transfer, as well as cybersecurity solutions.
To do this, you’ll want to look for plans that deliver over 1 Gbps. Most often, this will be a type of fiber Internet or broadband connection with managed services.
Industry-Specific Recommendations
Tech Startups/Software Development
Retail and Point-of-Sale Businesses
Hospitality and Food Service
Media, Videography, and Content Production
Healthcare and Telemedicine
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Choosing the Right Provider and Plan for Your Business
- Availability: You’ll need to check each provider to see if they’re available in your area. Be sure you also check to see which types of Internet are available. For instance, just because an ISP has fiber optic Internet, doesn’t mean that it’s available across their coverage area.
- Uptime vs. Downtime: You need reliability with as few outages as possible, so be sure to check any potential ISP to find out if they’re known for downtime or if they have a solid consistency rating.
- Bundling Options: Bundling is better for a lot of businesses, especially those that could use television, mobile, or business phone services. Check each Internet service provider to learn what additional services they offer.
- Customer Support: You don’t want to be stuck on hold all day, or chatting with a robot when you really need a human. Look at reviews to determine the level of customer support each potential ISP offers.
- Cybersecurity Solutions: Every business, regardless of type or size, should evaluate what cybersecurity solutions an ISP offers. Look for firewall protection to secure connections and anti-malware capabilities. These strong security services can help protect sensitive data and keep your business up and running safely.
