A Guide to Backup Internet for Business

How backup internet keeps your business running

Lost productivity and sales from outages are estimated to cost businesses thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour. Backup internet for businesses gives you a secondary way to get online, preventing lost productivity and revenue.

Internet outages are inevitable, and can be caused by many factors:

• Weather
• Power outages
• Damage to underground cables
• Equipment failure
• Solar flares

Business backup internet plans can offer enough speeds to cover just the essential tasks, or act as a full-scale replacement that closely matches your primary service.

Signs your business needs backup internet

The vast majority of businesses with physical locations can benefit from backup internet, as modern business equipment and tools often require an internet connection.

Downtime affects many parts of a business:

• Point-of-sale (POS) systems
• VoIP phone services
• E-commerce systems
• Access to cloud tools and storage
• Inventory and equipment monitoring systems
• Security systems
• Employee productivity
• Customer satisfaction

Weighing the cost

If your primary connection is generally stable with rare outages and you’re not sure if backup internet is worth the cost, balance the cost of backup internet service against the costs incurred during downtime.

Smaller companies might not stand to lose much during a few hours of downtime, and in that case, backup internet might not be worth it. However, for companies where even an hour of downtime can have a noticeable impact on the business, a backup line is an essential service.

Types of business internet backup

Backup internet comes in the same connection types as primary internet:

• Secondary wired connections: DSL, cable, or fiber lines from a secondary provider provide redundancy.
• LTE/5G backup: SIM-enabled equipment connects to cellular signals.
• Satellite backup: Satellite connects locations with limited options.
• Managed failover services: Software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WAN) manage multiple connection types and prioritize bandwidth for specific applications.

Secondary wired connections are important when you need similar speeds and features of your primary connection to maintain business as usual when one connection goes offline.

However, make sure that the infrastructure for your secondary line is physically separate from your primary connection. Weather or construction can damage both connections if your primary and backup lines run side by side underground.

LTE and 5G cellular backup can be a lower-cost backup option than an additional wired line. When hooked up to secondary power, a SIM-card wireless gateway can also keep your business online during a power outage. One of the biggest benefits of cellular backup internet is that it’s not affected by whatever’s happening on the ground.

Satellite backup is useful in rural and remote areas where there are limited in-ground internet options, or where cell signals aren’t strong enough for cellular backup.

Managed failover uses SD-WAN technology to automatically switch your connection to your backup, and even prioritize essential apps.

Automatic vs. manual failover

Some backup internet connections, also referred to as failover, can switch on automatically. Others require you to turn on separate equipment manually.

Automatic failover is designed to create almost no noticeable interruptions in your workforce’s connectivity. In this setup, your router or SD-WAN is set up to regularly check that your primary connection is online. Once it detects an outage, your equipment switches to the secondary connection.

There’s often a 30 to 90 second delay during the switchover, which can interrupt POS, phone lines, or file uploads. This is the best solution for medium to large enterprises where every minute of downtime can be costly.

Manual failover requires you to physically turn on the backup network, usually a wireless gateway or satellite receiver. Often less expensive than automatic solutions, manual failover is better suited for small offices, shops, or any business where a short downtime period while you get the backup online won’t cause detrimental results.

Choosing the right backup bandwidth

There are backup business internet plans to meet most business needs, ranging from basic to full-scale service. Many businesses don’t necessarily need to match their backup internet bandwidth to their primary one, but you’ll want to review your internet needs before choosing a plan.

During an outage, consider which business tasks need to continue when determining how much bandwidth you need:

• POS system: 5Mbps per terminal
• Cloud inventory, accounting, or other tools: 20–50Mbps
• Internet browsing and email: 20Mbps
• Employee devices: 2–5Mbps per employee
• Guest Wi-Fi: 50–150Mbps, but can be set to any limit
• Security cameras with 1080p resolution: 1–4Mbps per camera

Adding up the activities above, you can get an estimate of how much bandwidth your backup internet plan needs.

Minimum operations: 20–50Mbps

This range of bandwidth can help cover minimum operations for a medium-sized business, or even basic operations for smaller businesses. It can keep security and phone systems online, allow for basic internet browsing, and process payments at one POS terminal.

Limited operations: 50–500Mbps

This range of bandwidth can help keep daily operations going, such as payment processing and guest Wi-Fi, for small and medium-sized businesses. For larger businesses, this can be enough to keep dozens of employees online at once. At this range, you would still want to limit resource-heavy activities such as large data transfers or frequent video conferencing.

Full-scale service: 500Mbps and up

For businesses such as health care and financial services, where noticeable downtime is not an option, a full-performance backup plan ensures gaps in service are barely noticeable.

If your business location experiences outages often, consider a backup plan with bandwidth similar to your primary internet to minimize business impact.

Data caps

Since most backup internet plans are meant to be used only during short outages, many include data caps. In most cases, exceeding that cap means your speeds can get throttled. Some plans might also charge fees, so check the terms and conditions before you make a final decision on a provider.

Proven backup designs for different business setups

Backup internet can be configured to suit any business, from small enterprises to large chains. Let’s look at how different business setups can utilize backup internet.

Single-location businesses

• Location type: Retail boutiques, small cafes, restaurants, and offices
• Primary internet: Wired or satellite connection
• Backup internet: 5G/LTE

A primary wired cable or fiber connection with a SIM-enabled router supports daily POS, VoIP, and inventory systems.

Backup 5G/LTE internet from your primary internet service provider (ISP) uses the SIM-enabled router to connect to a cellular signal, maintaining a connection for basic operations. It can often be added to existing business internet plans for a low monthly cost, making it appealing to small businesses.

Branch offices

• Location type: Warehouses, medium-large offices, health care, financial services, and multi-location food or retail
• Primary internet: Wired or satellite connection
• Backup internet: Wired, 5G/LTE, or satellite

Companies that are managing multiple business locations with dozens of devices connected at once need backup internet that minimizes interruptions. With Internet of Things (IoT) technology and fleets of employee devices, these businesses can feel a chain reaction when an outage happens.

When staying online is imperative, a secondary wired connection from a different provider can maintain the same level of service during an outage.

In areas with limited in-ground options, a cellular backup internet plan, either through your primary or a secondary provider, will likely be your best choice.

Multi-carrier and SD-WAN setups

While it’s possible to get a secondary wired backup internet line from your primary internet provider (such as cable and fiber, or DSL and cable), a multi-carrier solution is a better choice for businesses that cannot afford downtime. If your primary ISP experiences issues that affect all of its in-ground connections, your backup internet may not provide the redundancy you need.

Having multiple internet carriers, especially with different connection types, is key to reliable backup internet at your large business. This can be configured in a few different ways:

• SIM-enabled gateway: Automatically switches from wired to cellular connection
• Wired connections from different ISPs: Automatically switches from one wired connection to another
• SD-WAN managed connections: Automatically routes traffic between backup links while monitoring connection quality

SD-WAN can also be added to an existing network to enable automatic failover and help route traffic for important tools, such as POS and VoIP, to stronger connections.

What to look for in a business internet backup service

With several backup business internet providers to choose from, there is a plan out there that suits your business. When comparing options, consider these key features to ensure your business gets the right backup internet plan:

• Wired, cellular, or satellite: Consider what type of connection is best for your location.
• Bandwidth: Determine how much bandwidth your business needs for downtime operations.
• Data caps: Check for fees or throttle speeds for exceeding the data cap.
• Service-level agreements (SLAs): Negotiate terms for latency, bandwidth, and uptime.
• Hardware: Confirm if plans include hardware or charge a monthly rental fee.
• Total cost: Calculate the service costs, fees, and taxes for a full picture of the total

When upgrading your primary connection makes more sense

Outages are unavoidable for any type of internet service. However, if your business is experiencing frequent outages that are affecting your bottom line, it’s time to look at other options for your primary connection, rather than adding backup internet.

There are a few reasons your current internet might be unstable:

• Your ISP might have reliability issues in your area.
• Your equipment is outdated or underpowered.
• Your current plan doesn’t have enough bandwidth for your workload.

Changing providers, upgrading your equipment, and stepping up your internet plan can help improve network stability without the additional cost of backup internet.

How to get started with backup internet for your business

Adding the cost of backup internet to your monthly expenses isn’t something we take lightly. To help understand if backup internet is right for you, we’ve partnered with Clearlink Consulting to offer expert, objective advice for free.

Business internet consultants are available to answer any questions and listen to your needs to guide you in making a decision for backup internet. Get connected by calling +1-833-923-6262.

Definitions

Software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN): A technology that manages multiple internet connections and automatically routes traffic to the most reliable one, helping maintain peak performance.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): A phone service that lets your business make and receive calls over the internet instead of traditional landlines.