Manhattan Business Internet 101

RULE 1: KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

Many Manhattan buildings are "lit" by one ISP, meaning that ISP has already dropped off lines to the basement of the building. This can make it easier for that ISP to run a connection to your office. Your building manager may encourage you to use this provider, or maybe even tell you that this is your only option. Not true. If your building is already lit by a quality ISP, that’s great, but the real question is how that ISP stacks up to the competition. Building Managers sometimes get kickbacks from ISPs, so don’t assume the best just because the rest of the tenants use the same provider.

RULE 2: KNOW YOUR TIMELINE

Many people are surprised to hear that the standard lead time on a connection is 6 to 8 weeks. What shouldn’t surprise anybody is how inflexible major ISPs can be when it comes to delivery dates. Not just inflexible, but uncommunicative. If a reliable install date is important to you, you’ll probably want to consider a smaller reputable provider that can work with you to be ready by that oh-so-important move or expansion date. Never go with an ISP that can’t give you references, or don’t be surprised when "March 1st" turns into "Somewhere between March 15th and May 31st".

RULE 3: CREATE TECHNOLOGY HARMONY

In an ideal world, the company that manages your internet would be the same company that manages all of the equipment that connects to it. When your internet is acting up and your provider says their lines are fine, who do you go to? The people that ran your cabling, or the manufacturer of the box thingy in the closet, or your in-house IT person? What if that person is on vacation? You get the point. Technology is a beautiful thing when it works together, but is a massive headache when it doesn’t. Some ISPs offer more than the promise of bandwidth. Some can manage all of your office technology, with one number to call when issues come up (us, for example). Here’s a no-brainer to ask an ISP: Can they manage your phone system as well? Go with an ISP that can carry your voice as well. If you use a Voice over IP (VOIP) phone system, your voice and data can share the same bandwidth. Some providers can even work with you to set bandwidth rules and parameters, making your office voice-priority or data-priority.

RULE 4: KNOW WHAT HAPPENS DURING AN OUTAGE

This is New York City. Outages happen. Did you know that Verizon owns all of the underground internet connections in Manhattan? They do, but they have to lease a portion of them out to CLECs (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers), so as not to become a greedy monopoly. So some carriers own the equipment (the routes, the switches, etc.), but not the actual pipes that connect your building to the rest of the internet. An unfortunate side effect of this complicated relationship is the blame game that frequently happens during outages. Make sure you ask any ISP you’re considering: "How do you handle outages." If internet access is like air to your company, you should be investing in a backup line that automatically switches on when your main line drops. (Not to get pitchy, but our Everspeed service has this. We also monitor connections so we know you’re down before you do. And if the outage is not our fault, we will expedite with Verizon on your behalf.) Bottom line, make sure your ISP is accountable.

Jordan Wills is the Director of Marketing for Everglades Technologies. https://www.etny.net/everspeed

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