What are the best business broadband deals?

Business broadband is a dedicated internet connection for an office or workplace. Business broadband is usually needed for those businesses with more than 10 people or more, and for those that use high levels of bandwidth.

A good internet connection is increasingly essential for all businesses, whether it is to deliver your services first-hand, to enable remote working or for administration purposes. Whether you need business broadband or could manage using your home broadband connection will depend on what you need the internet for. For example, businesses that only use their broadband connection for internet browsing and reading emails with less than 10 connected devices may find they can use their home broadband effectively. However, those needing to support servers or with high volumes of uploading to do will find a home network may struggle to meet their needs. This is where the additional services and prioritised speeds available under business broadband packages are essential. Things businesses should consider when comparing broadband deals include:

Business broadband providers usually offer dedicated customer support teams. These have longer operating hours than residential broadband and these can be available 24 hours a day depending on your broadband package.

Business broadband is prioritised by some broadband providers to ensure businesses get the speed of internet they require consistently through the day and night.

Business broadband comes with more security measures to help protect your business from hackers. Larger businesses that need to connect more than 10 computers will need a more robust router. These business routers can also offer more security such as VPNs and firewalls.

Residential broadband services have dynamic IP addresses – this is a unique number to reference your computer or device and it changes each time you connect to the internet. Business broadband offers a static IP address, and this can be used to host servers, a website or to allow staff to connect remotely to their PCs remotely.

Business broadband is usually more expensive than residential broadband services. This is because of the additional services provided when compared to those broadband packages used at home.

Yes, if you have a home office or run your business from home then you can choose from business broadband or use your residential broadband. What you decide will depend on the level of service you need from your internet connection, how you intend to use it and the amount you are prepared to pay.