Servpac Blog

Searching for the right internet service can be a long and daunting journey for businesses that requires tackling multiple obstacles including reviewing long contracts, sifting through multiple plans, and comparing prices with all the add-ons included. One of the most common challenges businesses experience in their search is choosing shared or dedicated internet service. Businesses need to know the differences and how they offer completely different experiences.

Shared Connection

Shared internet is when your connection is sent through a splitter and dispersed between neighboring users. It’s probably what you’re using right now at your home or business. For businesses, this connection is shared in a building or complex with other tenants. 

While it seems like the cheaper option, shared connections are less reliable for businesses. When there are more users on one connection, this dramatically decreases download speeds and possibly your business operations. Remember the last time you watched Neflix at dinner and it suddenly slowed down? Now imagine that happening during an important conference call or big project at your business, leading to a major halt in operations. That’s why dedicated internet could be better option that’s tailored towards your business

Dedicated Connection

Unlike shared internet, dedicated internet access means there’s only one connection to your business. Businesses with dedicated fiber connection "own" their bandwidth and never share with anyone else. That guarantees 99.99% uptime and symmetrical download and upload speeds regardless of it's used for. In addition, dedicated connection comes with SLAs (service level agreement) that provide high priority to fixing the network if issues occur. This type of internet connection is a much better option for businesses that need the following:

• Faster speeds for uploading, downloading or transferring large files and data.
• High demand for streaming media such as video
• Having lots of employees using the same connection
• Secure and direction connection to Cloud servers and applications
• Demand for 24/7 data access and uptime
• Reliable and remote secure access to video surveillance

Once you compare these options, consider the following factors to make the best decision.

Factors for Choosing Internet Access

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the maximum data transfer rate of a network at a given time over a certain connection. If you require more data for downloads or uploading files, a higher and symmetrical bandwidth is needed for guaranteed uptime.

Amount of Users

Whether your business is small or large, your internet connection is dependent on the amount of users. If you have a larger company with lots of employees streaming and downloading, this can greatly affect your internet’s performance if there’s a shared connection.

Purpose of Use 

The speed and connection you choose is highly dependent on what you use it for. If you’re a small business that uses internet for general web browsing and answering e-mails, then both shared or dedicated internet connections can work for your business. Large downloads and file uploads is when a larger and more dedicated connection might be needed.

Conclusion

Choosing between shared and dedicated internet can be challenging choice for businesses, and requires assessing all your internet needs. If you want to find out what’s right for your business, call us at 808-237-5000 or request a FREE consultation below. Our local experts can work with you 1-on-1 to develop the best solution for your needs.

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Servpac is a Hawaii-based telecommunications company providing innovative and integrated telephone, internet, and cloud, IT, and data center solutions for Hawaii businesses since 2004. The company is the largest locally based CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) in the state and provides 24/7 local support for island businesses to help them compete in the global marketplace. Call 808-237-5000 to discuss your telecom needs and learn more about all of our services.