Service Level Agreements
Reliability is probably the most important factor in choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP). While it is impossible to maintain 100% availability, most service providers aim for the lofty standard of "four nines”—99.99% uptime over the course of a year. Service level agreements (SLAs) protect businesses by making access providers pay penalties to the customer for downtime that exceeds a specified total.
Until a few years ago, SLAs were not widely offered by Internet access providers. Now, they have become a standard for quality high-speed Internet access like T1 connections. In fact, SLAs are one of the main reasons T1 lines are the most popular choice for Internet access among businesses.
It is difficult to get an SLA on DSL access. The reason is that DSL's sensitivity to the distance between the company and ISP's central office, coupled with the often-low quality of the wiring, makes it difficult to maintain a sufficient level of guaranteed uptime. Even so, some vendors do provide SLAs for DSL, but it is uncommon.
To ensure your provider is abiding by this 99.99% performance level, request monitoring reports that track downtime. Most providers will make this information available to you upon request.
It definitely pays to read the fine print when it comes time to sign a contract for Internet access. The contract you sign should be comprehensive, with no unwanted surprises or hidden fees—detailing all costs, length of service, and the SLA.
The standard contract length for Internet access is three years. In most cases, this will include all setup fees (including the wiring for your phone connection to the phone company's central office, known as "local loop" charges), installation costs and equipment rental. Shorter-term contracts may require you to pay additional fees. Experts don’t recommend signing contracts longer than three years because prices could fall, leaving you locked into paying a higher price for the duration.
Also keep in mind that there are severe penalties for breaking a contract before it expires—it can cost your company anywhere from several hundred dollars to the entire balance of the contract left on the contract.
Find out how long an ISP has been in business before you sign any binding contract. Companies new to the business may not have the experience to deliver the quality of services you need. Also, make sure that the ISP you use is financially sound. The last thing you want is to find your Internet access—and ultimately, your business—was compromised because a provider was in fiscal trouble.
