Make your business in Internet

Network Performance

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:20:33 +0000

Network performance is the speed at which your Internet access provider can carry the e-mail and other data you want to send. There are two aspects involved— the speed with which you can connect to the provider and the speed of the connection the provider has to the Internet. For obvious reasons, it’s important that your service provider has a very high speed connection to the Internet, lest your data sit idly on the system waiting to be dispatched to your customers or col-leagues.
The speed of a network connection is measured in bits per second (bps). Because a single character of data is composed of eight bits of information, a slow 2,400 bps connection, for example, would transmit 2,400 / 8 or 300 characters per second (in reality, it’s often less than that due to system overhead). This post is about 36,000 characters, for example, so with a 2,400 bps connection, it would take about 140 seconds, or just over two minutes, to transmit it to your machine. Contrast this with a 19,200 bps connection, which would require a transmission time of only 14 seconds. Internet service providers should have considerably faster connections to the Internet; a 56,000 bps connection between your service provider and its Internet connection is the minimum you should accept (at that speed this post could be transmitted in under 5 seconds).

Network Reliability

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:19:17 +0000

If you run a business, you know what it’s like when your computer system crashes or a lightning storm causes your power or phone line to go down: The business grinds to a halt. The same thing can happen to your Internet connection if the network that’s providing your access goes on the blink. If you rely on Internet e-mail for your communications needs, a network failure can leave you out of touch with your employees, your colleagues, and most importantly, your clients and customers.
There are a variety of reasons that portions of the Internet can break down or otherwise go off-line. In the last few years, portions of the network have failed due to power outages, downed telephone connections, and poor weather conditions.

Tip: Reliability is an important question to consider when you’re evaluating Internet access providers because different companies have different online records. Talk with the provider and several of his customers to find out how reliable the system is. Persistent problems indicate that the system is growing so fast that there aren’t enough phone lines to handle all the calls or that the system is too small.

Choosing an Internet Access Provider

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:15:36 +0000

As in buying a car or working with a real estate broker, choosing an Internet access provider requires you to consider a number of factors. The key factor, of course, is whether the provider offers the type of connection that you seek, but that’s not the only element to consider.
Before we discuss the different types of Internet access, let’s talk a little about the things that you should look for when selecting an Internet access provider.
The six key factors we recommend you consider are
■ Network reliability
■ Network performance
■ Network security
■ Network restrictions
■ Local phone access
■ User services and support
Each of these is covered in the following sections.

Chek before you start

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:14:40 +0000

Here’s a checklist to get you started in assessing your Internet connectivity requirements. Your answers to these questions will determine the type of Internet connection your company needs.
- How big is your company? How big might it become in the foreseeable
future?
- Is your business located all in one office, with your computers connected
on a single local area network, or do you have multiple sites scattered
throughout the state, country, or even the world?
- How many people at your company are going to need Internet access?
everybody? the corporate library staff? the owner?
- What Internet features are you planning to use most often? electronic
mail? discussion groups? information-gathering? marketing? remote-site
collaboration? file-transfer? real-time conferencing?
- Will your employees need to perform multiple tasks on the Internet
simultaneously? Will more than one employee need to log on at the same
time?
- How much money can you afford to spend on Internet access every
month? How much are you spending on phone, fax, overnight delivery,
and other communications tools now?
Keep in mind that whether you’re a small business operating out of the spare room of your house or a multinational corporation sprawled across the globe, you will realize some savings in your business overhead once you’re connected to the Internet.
Regardless of your business, the more you learn about the capabilities of the Internet, the more you can restructure your company’s communications system to take advantage of the international infrastructure that’s already up and running.

Analyzing Your Internet Needs

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:13:12 +0000

Sexy car advertisements aside, it’s always a good strategy to analyze your needs before you decide exactly what you need. If you’re buying a new automobile, basic questions include budget, fuel efficiency, size, utility, reliability, and so on.
For an Internet connection, the best strategy is to spend some time identifying your information needs and budget before you choose a connection.
You need to consider whether
- You want to hook up one person, a small group, or a larger department
or company
- You want your business to provide information to others on the Internet
Simple connectivity, allowing you to be a user, is acceptable
- You want to use programs like Mosaic and Gopher, with their full power
and capabilities
- E-mail and Usenet groups are sufficient