Choosing an ISP

To connect to the internet, you will need to choose an ISP. As ISP acts as a ‘middle man’, providing you with the software needed for your modem to dial and connect to the Internet. There are literally thousands of ISPs out there and choosing the right one can be a nightmare. However, it is important that you think long and hard before making a decision.
An ISP has the power to boost or damage your business reputation as it is ultimately responsible for how your site is presented. Before choosing an ISP, you will need to know how reliable they are, how quick their download times are (the time it takes for the web site to appear on your customer’s browser) and how effective their email services are. If visitors to your website are frustrated with the service of your ISP, it reflects on your business.

When choosing an ISP, you need to consider the following points:

Reliability: Ask if the company has a minimum downtime for repaired and maintenance. If they don’t, be worry.

Access: you will need to make sure the ISP you use has good access via the phone network (no busy signals or slow transmission)

Help: most ISPs offer a helpline service. Make sure the person you deal with on the phone understands and is interested in your business requirements. Check the helpline by phoning up with some questions. If the line is difficult to get through to or the representative is impatient or impossible to understand, take your custom elsewhere.

ISDN: if you use an ISDN line make sure the ISP you choose offers ISDN access.

Newsgroups: it is important to make sure that the ISP you choose carries all the newsgroups in Usenet.