All business owners have been there- the Internet is down, the DSL or Cable has gone out and your office and ground to a halt. Email stops flowing to the desktops and everyone switches into mobile mode, time for a long lunch.

Finding the right Internet for your office can be a challenge. As a business owner or manager, you want to save money, and at first glance DSL seems like the cheap way to go with roughly the same speeds. But, is a day, or even two, without Internet in your office worth the lost productivity in exchange for some small monthly savings? Your staff would probably say "no."

Alternatives to DSL and Cable

At this point, you're ready to admit $15/month DSL might not be the best solution for your office, so where to go now? There are several options for business Internet access, we'll cover them here and make sure you're equipped to know the difference.

Business Class DSL

Unlike it's cheap cousin "regular DSL" or "home DSL" Business Class DSL can come in two varieties: ADSL, which is Asynchronous, or SDSL, which is Synchronous. ADSL means you have a high download speed, and a low upload speed, this is handy for offices that typically do a lot of reading on the web but don't need to upload anything large large files or send emails with big attachments. SDSL means you have the same speed both up and down, so if you have a 1.5Mbps SDSL line, you get 1.5Mbps download while also getting 1.5Mbps upload. Business DSL should always come with a Service Level Agreement ("SLA") that guarantees uptime and provides 24/7 support. If you're looking at Business Class DSL that doesn't offer guarantees, you're looking in the wrong place!

T1 Internet

T1 lines, formally referred to as DS1 lines, are special line configurations installed by the local phone company to support high speed data transmission over standard copper lines. The term T1 actually comes from an old AT&T branding exercised that renamed DS1 to T1, and DS3 to T3, utilizing the Ts in AT&T to be associated with AT&T rather than their competitors. T1 lines can be delivered over one or two pairs of copper lines, and when you order T1 service the provider will work with the local phone company to ensure there is enough cable to deliver service. T1 lines operate at a guaranteed speed of 1.544Mbps download, and 1.544Mbps upload. The main advantage to T1 lines is the guaranteed speed, whereas something like SDSL is not guaranteed to always provide the same speed. In addition T1 lines typically have greater SLA requirements and provide for faster resolution from the local phone company in the event something is wrong with the wiring.

T1 lines can also be delivered as "integrated", "fractional", or "flexible." When you buy an integrated or flexible T1, this typically means the service provider can also include local telephone service across the same line. These are usually really good deals for small businesses, as you can get T1 lines that give you full T1 internet access speeds, but then as people utilize the telephone lines, the amount of Internet bandwidth dynamically scales down to permit additional call capacity. Integrated T1s are available in different configurations that work with either standard telephones, or small business telephone systems like Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, and others. "Fractional" T1 lines are literally what they sound like, you get a portion of the line in exchange for a lower cost. This is ideal for offices that need the reliability of a T1 but want to remain in a small budget.

Where to Buy a T1 or Business Class DSL

Your initial reaction may be to call the local telephone company, but this will most likely be your most expensive option. Instead, look for someone who can provide quotes from multiple providers, TheT1Shopper.com.