| Having a small remote or home office can be a great | | | | won't have a problem finding local dial-up numbers for |
| productivity enhancer. That being said, it can quickly | | | | an ISP. However, if you travel or if your remote office |
| become an island without establishing a connection to | | | | is located in a rural location, you may face |
| your company's main network. Although choosing an | | | | long-distance charges. |
| Internet Service Provider (ISP) might sound easy, there | | | | 7. Viability: When selecting your ISP, do some checking |
| are many important yet often overlooked topics to | | | | to see how long the company has been around, their |
| consider in order for you to find your ideal ISP match. | | | | track record, and whether or not they received any |
| Determine your needs | | | | awards. You might find a good ISP now, only to have |
| With the abundance of ISPs today, it may be tempting | | | | it go out of business, forcing you to not only restart |
| to just go with the quickest or cheapest option. While | | | | your search but modify configurations and transfer |
| that could save you money in the short term, doing so | | | | your Website and/or domain name. |
| could wind up causing you a lot more headaches-and | | | | 8. PC and MAC compatibility: It goes without saying |
| lost productivity-over the long term. These are the 10 | | | | that everything is PC compatible, but not all services |
| main points to consider when choosing your ISP: | | | | are compatible with the Mac OS. If you know how to |
| 1. Price: Price is important, however, it should not be the | | | | configure your remote access (dialer), you can make |
| single determining factor. | | | | any of these services work, but few offer the |
| 2. Connection options: A dial-up connection is no longer | | | | accelerated service for Macs. If you are a Mac user, |
| your only option. There are many different speeds to | | | | look for a service that gives good instructions on how |
| choose from to meet your connection requirements, | | | | to set-up your Mac for using their service. |
| such as ISDN, cable, DSL and satellite. | | | | 9. Email or Web Browser Advertising: Does the |
| 3. Features: Just like other vendors, ISPs vary in the | | | | service include advertising at the bottom of your |
| options their packages include. For example, some | | | | e-mails? Does the ISP insert any advertising or |
| ISPs offer static IP addresses, while others use only | | | | solicitation material on your web browser? Services |
| DHCP-assigned ones. | | | | that require you to download their software (other |
| 4. Customer/technical support: Even the best | | | | than a dialer configuration) will often alter your browser |
| connections experience problems, and chances are | | | | to be able to serve ads to you as you surf. |
| you will have a question or problem you need to | | | | 10. Cancellation Policy: We seldom think of how to |
| address, which is why it is vital to have a professionally | | | | cancel when signing up for a new service, but it is |
| trained and dedicated staff capable of solving any | | | | something you should consider. Do they tell you on |
| problem at any time. Broadband is a good place to go | | | | their web site how to cancel? Is there a penalty for |
| to find out about an ISP's reputation for support, as | | | | early cancellation? Do they offer a 30 day money |
| well as performance. | | | | back guarantee? Some services are set as 12 month |
| 5. Performance: Whether you're paying for a | | | | contracts and there is an early cancellation penalty. |
| high-speed connection or just using dial-up, you should | | | | Make sure you know the policy and also the |
| check the ISP's track record for such things as uptime | | | | procedure to cancel before you sign up. |
| and overall throughput. For example, even when using | | | | Make a list of all of your requirements and prioritize |
| 56-Kbps dial-up modems, you can often only connect | | | | them. Then, compare those requirements with several |
| at 28.8 Kbps or 33.3 Kbps because of the modems | | | | ISPs that can meet those needs. Keep the list |
| used at the ISP. Likewise, one ISP may provide three | | | | simple-don't overwhelm yourself with too many |
| e-mail addresses for a single account, while another | | | | choices and you'll be sure to find the ISP that meets all |
| may offer five. | | | | of your unique requirements. |
| 6. Local access numbers: In most major cities, you | | | | |