1. Does your business have more than 3 people using the Internet?
2. Does your business download or send large files?
3. Does your business host its own Web site?
4. Does your business regularly use the internet to research information or make purchases?
5. Does your business rely on a connection to the Internet that is consistently up and running?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then it would most likely be cost effective to purchase a dedicated connection to the Internet.

Types of Dedicated Access

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) provides fast access to the Internet relative to standard dial-up access, but is slower and less scalable than the other technologies mentioned further down. In addition, ISDN is not actually a true dedicated connection – it is not always on. You are assessed per-minute charges for the time you spend connected to the Internet, which can add up.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is very popular because it offers the same bandwidth available on more expensive lines such as T1. However, this new technology is not yet available in many parts of the country. Furthermore, the bandwidth you’re able to get depends on your distance from the telephone company’s local office and some other factors.

T-1 is a private leased line that goes directly from your office to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), providing transmission at 1.54Mbps (40 times the speed of a standard dial-up modem). If you don’t need that much speed, you can purchase a fractional T1 leased line, which is simply a T1 line split into segments and divided among users. Leased lines provide guaranteed bandwidth, since they are not shared with other users.

FRS (Frame Relay Service) differs from a leased line in that the connection to the Internet is owned by the telephone company and shared by many users. Frame relay ISPs provide a Committed Information Rate (CIR) for minimum transmission speed they will guarantee. Many also provide burst able bandwidth, which means you can use more than your contractually allotted bandwidth for short periods of time without incurring extra fees.