No matter where a company or growing enterprise does business or expands around the globe, its connectivity platform must grow and expand with it — whether locations are in large metropolitan areas with multiple ISP options or in remote locations where last-mile connections are sparse but essential.
A business’ network services provider must be powered by inherent knowledge of all national, regional and local connectivity options and operations, and the result should be expert management of that complex and fragmented internet environment. Experienced network providers bring to the table pre-existing industry relationships and the technical know-how to connect a business to the ideal internet providers in each market and location.
Full ecosystem coverage enables best choices for each location
For a growing or expanding company, each location in each country will have a different menu of available internet options. Most ISPs that offer business internet services are well connected to top cloud destinations. For traffic outside the world’s largest traffic hubs, however, reaching data centers and smaller cloud players might result in inconsistent or poor performance.
Businesses that “go it alone” are often unaware that the available partners bring different levels of connectivity coverage and performance. Common categories include:
- Sparse coverage, defined as fewer than 100 partners, most of which are large telecommunications providers for regional/national coverage. Key drawback: limited choices.
- Moderate coverage, defined as more than 100 partners that offer multiple choices in some markets and limited choices in others. Key drawback: holes in coverage in smaller, out-of-regional markets
- Full ecosystem coverage, defined as thousands or more providers, defined by direct relationships with ISP providers, in-house access specialists, and ISP choices in smaller markets
That’s why large companies searching for a network services partner should focus less on big-name brands and more on an internal network that connects seamlessly to the ISP providers that make the sense for that particular business in each of its unique locations.
An experienced ISP business partner has direct relationships with more than just large telecom providers. Its teams are able to connect and manage networks at all defined sites so that connectivity is dependable, fast, and manageable, whether the network involves a handful of ISPs or hundreds of providers in disparate locations.
Full ecosystem coverage is ideal for multinational firms and growing/expanding enterprises. Country by country, region by region, and market by market, the ISP partner and the company can examine and choose best-in-class options. They can make connectivity decisions based on service type, price, availability, performance guarantees, and the mapping of these guarantees against providers’ actual track records.
Key questions for due diligence in networking procurement
As they evaluate potential ISP networking partners, growing firms and businesses should ask key questions as part of their due diligence:
- Which network services partners are best positioned to meet the company’s/corporation’s needs? What is their track record? Who are the provider’s current clients?
- Based on experience, which networking partners are most dependable or able to respond quickly to address outages?
- Based on track records, which network services providers are well positioned to bridge gaps in individual markets and make the critical last-mile connections that can define success or failure?
- Do a partner’s claims of global connectivity hold up to the reality of linking work teams in downtown Chicago with colleagues in Manila or Mexico City or Morocco, for example? Can they ensure that the underlying ISP providers work well together?
- Does your partner’s solution provide visibility and transparency so you can see and control what’s going on?
For any business or enterprise, connectivity will be defined by the range and depth of options that an ISP networking partner can bring to the table.
Connectivity success relies on critical mass
Full-coverage ISP partners can help large and growing companies examine the full ecosystem of options. These can include broadband, dedicated services, national telecom providers, wireless broadcast specialists with expertise in fiber or cable broadband, and national and local fiber providers in particular regions or markets.
An experienced global network services partner brings to the table a critical mass of ISP relationships. An industry-tested network services provider can simplify the connections to and management of a complex internet ecosystem, allowing the business to avoid surprises and focus on its own products and services.
A success-focused network services provider focuses on dependable connectivity for all business needs, wherever they exist around the globe.
With over 20 years’ experience as a technology professional, Salim is the Director of Solutions Engineering to support Expereo’s managed global network and cloud connectivity solutions. His expertise includes, but is not limited to Global Internet, SD-WAN, and Security.
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