Network Reliability
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.