Designing a network is like building a house, and business internet cost is a major consideration. When thinking about your network costs, it may feel tempting to seek the least expensive solution for your network and business Wi-Fi needs, but you could end up paying more in the long run if you skimp on vital aspects of your infrastructure.
Before you make any decisions, you should take a step back and consider the bigger picture when looking at network costs. How can you build a foundation today that will deliver the network performance and support you need for tomorrow—and beyond?
If you try to cut corners on network and business Wi-Fi costs, it may yield a satisfying drop in your short-term budget, but the hidden business internet cost won’t be apparent until long after you’ve signed your contract and muscled your way through integration.
With that in mind, here are some things you should consider before making any moves related to your network and business internet cost.
1. The least expensive solution may not be good enough to meet your needs
Network performance is everything, and when it comes to business internet cost, a bare-bones network may not deliver the performance you need. Your network provider may promise or advertise a certain speed for a low price point, but in practice, you may see a much lower level of performance due to unforeseen circumstances. For example, you may underestimate the number of devices your network needs to support at peak hours. As a result, your users may experience tedious lag and bandwidth bottlenecks.
When thinking about business internet cost—and that includes business Wi-Fi cost—you should always err on the side of too much bandwidth rather than not enough. Otherwise, lag times and bandwidth inconsistencies could impact your business’s productivity. Consider what happens when customers wait too long for content to load—they may abandon the page and move on to the competition.
2. You may not save as much as you thought
When it comes to the overall business internet cost, you get what you pay for. For example, you might discover that having your network services provided by multiple vendors is less expensive than going with a single vendor. However, this strategy can add layers of costly complexity to your operation, increase trouble-ticket resolution times, bloat the full-time equivalent assigned to your IT budget and drastically throttle productivity.
When you try to save on network costs and business Wi-Fi costs and opt for a modular approach, you lose the obvious benefits of streamlining by consolidation, and what you gain from taking a multi-vendor approach, you could see drained from other areas of your budget. In the end, your supposed “savings” on network costs may flip on its head, resulting in wasted time and money. Worse yet, you may not even experience a boost to network performance.
3. A bare-bones network may increase cyber security risk
When thinking about business internet cost, saving on network security is the one thing you want to avoid most. While you may view security as a barrier to your digital transformation journey, it’s something you need to deal with. Networks are becoming increasingly complex, with more devices and threat vectors to manage and mitigate than ever.
A bare-bones network may equate to a weaker network, because you’re sacrificing security protections and proactive monitoring tools. The weaker your network, the more vulnerable it will be to cyber attacks, and all it takes to bring your whole network crashing to the ground is one attack that slips through.
There’s nothing worse for performance than downtime, and you may spend months repairing the damages. This is something businesses across the world are grappling with, and it’s one area you shouldn’t neglect when designing your network.
4. You won’t be able to deliver a refined customer experience
When it comes to your network, the most important impact is generally seen at the edge of your business, where your customers are. By the time you recognize the downstream impact your bare-bones network is having on your customer experience, you may have your hands too full troubleshooting network issues to do anything about it. As a result, by skimping on business internet cost, you may see customers leaving your business for competitors who can offer better digital experiences.
5. Scaling with growth will be harder than ever
To keep network costs down, a cost-saving network solution often comes with no frills—it’s one with little flexibility or expandability, which means you can’t easily scale your network as your business grows. An agile network enables you to respond to customer demand and ramp up new locations, products and services when and where you need them.
A comprehensive network solution should come with some level of managed network services. While it may cost more upfront, it can pay for itself down the line. Managed network services can help you tackle the day-to-day tasks of network management so you can focus resources on more strategic goals. This way, when you identify opportunities, your network can scale with you, allowing your business to capitalize on marketplace changes without delay.
Business internet cost requires thinking about long-term needs
If you know it’s time to dump those legacy systems and migrate to next gen, don’t assume that one network solution is as good as another. Taking a shortsighted approach to infrastructure design and network integration can cost you money, time, productivity, and more in the long run.
Instead, determine what the current and future demands on your network are and will be, then take the time to design the best network solution for your needs—one that aligns with your business strategies for growth and adapts accordingly.
Business internet cost is a major investment for any company. Working with a trusted partner to look at both your short-term and long-term needs will help you evaluate the right decisions as you move forward. Learn how Verizon can help you evaluate your network costs, including business Wi-Fi cost, to get the network performance you need.
John Hanton is Product Marketing Manager for Verizon’s Managed Network Services. He has over 25 years of industry experience in product management, product marketing and business development with equipment vendors and service providers.