The ISP Market Place
There are hundreds of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the UK with a vast range of different deals and offers. The sheer size of the crowded market place and the level of competition can be very confusing.
Range of Services
The basic offering of ISPs is essentially the same and usually includes connection to the internet and the World Wide Web, e-mail services and web hosting. There are however, very important differences in quality and delivery.
It is common for a number of packages to be on offer each of which provides different level of service and resources aimed at the needs of different types of users. Business users have very different needs to home users.
The variables tend to be the amount of space available, the speed of connection, the software tools that can be used to power web sites and the nature of e-mail services on offer. Also of vital importance to business users are the reliability of service, skill of the engineers and quality of platform.
Typically ISP will also act as domain name registration agents, provide online web site design tools and increasingly business software that can be delivered online.
Many ISP offers are now provided by third parties acting as resellers for larger companies. Resellers are able to provide services but act as “virtual ISPs” and rely on the services of a company that provides them the upstream facilities.
ISPs will also commonly provide different types of broadband connection services and often web design, although many of these are template driven.
Price and quality
Research has shown that cost is the deciding factor when businesses buy ISP and web hosting services. While this is understandable, the internet is such a critical business tool it is also very important to consider quality and the ability of the service provider to meet your needs especially as your business grows and your requirements change.
Generally the cheaper the service the lower level of support and service flexibility you will get. If you think that you may need expert advice and assistance then you may need a more specialised service. Also while general
ISPs may look good value specialist business to business ISP will have services that are not cluttered by thousands of home users.
Further help and assistance
For more information about EMNET services call 0115 9568260 or e-mail sales(at)emnet.co.uk
Click here for a PDF Product Sheet on EMNET's hosting services.
