If you want to irritate your users, causing internet problems is a quick way to accomplish this goal. 
Of course, as an IT manager, you know this. Whenever your internet connection goes down or loads even a few seconds too slow, you hear about it.
How do you ensure your users have adequate internet bandwidth and spend less time responding to connection-related tickets?
You get your internet connection right from the start.
Whether you’re a new business looking for your first internet circuit or a small business looking to upgrade to something more robust, you can rely on The KR Group to work with you to explore all of your options and find the best deal for you.
During this process, we frequently explain the differences between business and residential internet services.
The key factors we review include:
- Type of internet connection
- Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Avoiding data caps
- Price for business internet
Depending on which ISP you ultimately partner with, you could see other differences or benefits. However, the above four apply to almost every business ISP contract.
Type of Internet Connection
Generally speaking, your business will be more reliant on the internet than a residential address, and you’ll need a considerable amount of bandwidth to support your users. 
ISPs understand how businesses consume the internet, so their business packages are designed to meet these demands.
In most metropolitan areas, including downtown Grand Rapids, you’ll find ISPs with fiber connections to provide those fast, reliable speeds. Increasingly, these metro markets are receiving wireless 5G coverage to continue to serve the population as well.
Most business plans, including DSL, offer synchronous connection speeds for business plans.
While their residential counterparts may have 100 Mbps download speed, the upload speed is usually a fraction of this. Business plans, however, offer the same rate for downloads and uploads.
Service Level Agreement (SLA) for Business Contracts
When you think of the worst traits of ISPs, customer service is likely on the top of the list. They’re notorious for long hold times and multiple hand-offs.
This is annoying for residential customers. However, as a business, the loss of internet connection means your users may not be performing their tasks, and production is at a standstill until the connection is restored.
ISPs are aware of the urgency organizations have to put systems back online, so business contracts come with a service level agreement (SLA).
The SLA prioritizes enterprise-grade problems over residential. It lays out what services you can expect and what options you have if the ISP fails to uphold its end of the agreement.
(As a side note, one way to avoid disruptions from loss of internet connectivity is to have a secondary connection. In general, you may want to consider this option when the cost of another internet contract is less than the amount of money you would lose without the ability to connect to the internet.)
Lack of Data Caps on Business Internet
As a business, your internet connection also needs to be free of any data caps.
You need stable, reliable speed throughout the entire month, regardless of how much internet use your business sees in that timeframe.
Now, if you see a sudden, unexplained spike in how much data you use, you should investigate it to determine if it is something nefarious.
In general, you’re simply expecting your internet connection to work identically on the first and the 30th of the month. The elimination of data caps is what provides this.
Price of Business Internet
All of the above features mean business internet is generally more expensive than residential internet circuits. 
However, there are also more opportunities for savings.
Working with an IT consultant grants you access to wholesale pricing or even the occasional promotion. This is in addition to the ability for them to look at all of your options and find what ISPs are most vs. least expensive.
IT consultants can look at your internet circuits as part of the big picture, too. At The KR Group, we couple the conversation about new internet circuits with hosted phones and firewalls to see if there’s a combination that could save your organization money.
Why You Need a Business Contract
Understanding what the difference is between residential and commercial internet services, your next question is likely something along the lines of, “Do I have to sign up for a business-grade contract?”
In many cases, yes. Based on your address, ISPs often register you as an organization in need of a business contract—no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
If you’re a very small business in a residential area, they may not automatically filter you into the business internet category. However, you should still consider a commercial contract for better circuits, lack of data caps, and an SLA.
While a business internet contract is typically more expensive than a residential alternative, you’re getting the most out of a contract and are less likely to experience common connection problems.
To better determine your business’s internet needs before signing a contract with an ISP, take a couple of minutes to fill out our questionnaire about analyzing your current usage.
