Many businesses nowadays have shifted to digital. That means that they are now heavily relying on reliable internet connection for their day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, we know how easy it is to experience network downtime occasionally – leaving us with the question, what if their internet connection suddenly fails? What will happen to their business? Downtimes are different for businesses because there’s a lot at stake, which is why failover internet or backup internet has never been more important.
You have to understand, though, that this type of internet connection is not always necessary. If you’re a business owner wondering if failover internet is necessary for your business, we’re here to help you find the answer.
1. How much do you depend on the internet?
The first factor you need to assess is your business’s dependency on the internet. Do you rely heavily on the internet for core business functions like online sales, payment processing, customer service communication, using cloud-based software, or real-time data access. If an internet outage would significantly disrupt your daily operations and lead to revenue loss, having a failover internet is the best decision.
However, if your business operation is just slightly dependent on the internet, investing in a backup internet isn’t really necessary. But it’s best to have a strong main connection like fiber internet to minimize the interruptions and downtimes.
2. How important is continuous uptime?
Some businesses can tolerate brief interruptions without major consequences. This might include restaurants taking online orders, where phone or in-person orders can still be taken during downtime. However, there are some businesses who need to be online real-time 24/7 – these are the types of businesses that demand failover internet. Otherwise, internet downtimes can result in damages or big financial losses.
3. Does your business handle sensitive information?
Businesses that handle sensitive information, like customer financial data or confidential business plans, require strong security measures. Even short internet disruptions can leave businesses vulnerable to cyberattacks or data breaches which can result in painful damages.
Having a failover internet from a trusted internet provider like Dish Internet provides a reliable secondary connection to maintain data security and prevent costly data loss incidents during sudden network outages.
4. How many people are relying on the internet connection for their work?
If you’re running a small business with only a few team members, the impact of a short outage might be manageable. However, as your business grows and your team expands, the number of people relying on the internet for their work significantly increases. Each team member offline due to internet downtime will result to lost productivity, delayed projects, potential customer dissatisfaction, and other negative effects that can lead your business to fail.
5. Do the benefits you’ll get outweigh the costs you’ll need to spend?
There’s no doubt that if you have the budget and you think your business will benefit from failover internet, it’s always better to go for it. After all, it’s better to have a backup internet connection even though you don’t need it yet, rather than needing it in the future and not having it.
However, you must check if the benefits of having this secondary connection will justify the costs you’ll need to pay. You’re running a business, and business is business, so you need to make a decision based on practicality and cost-effectiveness.
The Bottom Line
Considering a failover internet for your business is already a great step towards business continuity and risk mitigation. However, it’s not required for all businesses. That’s why it’s really important for you to assess these factors before getting one. You don’t want to drain your business resources for something that isn’t needed yet because business is still all about profitability and return on investment. Good luck!
