Selecting a Reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP) for Corporate Needs
The Backbone of Modern Business
For corporate operations in Kenya, internet reliability is often more critical than speed. Downtime due to poor connectivity severely impacts customer service and transaction processing. When choosing an ISP, look beyond the advertised speed.
Critical Factors for ISP Selection
- **Service Level Agreement (SLA):** A robust SLA is crucial. It defines the guaranteed minimum uptime (e.g., 99.5%) and, most importantly, the **Guaranteed Response Time** (how quickly they must fix an outage).
- **Fiber vs. Wireless:** Fiber optic connection is superior for corporate needs, offering consistent speed and low latency (delay). Use high-speed 4G/LTE as a secondary, redundant backup connection only.
- **Contention Ratio:** This is the number of users sharing the total bandwidth. A lower ratio (e.g., 10:1 or dedicated 1:1) is better for stable corporate performance than a high ratio common in residential packages.
- **Local Support and Reputation:** Inquire about their local technical support team’s availability (24/7 support is ideal) and check their reputation for quickly resolving area-specific outages.
Always budget for a minimum of two separate ISPs/connection types for redundancy to ensure business continuity.