Internet Access - and how we can help

For a business to access web pages, send and receive emails and to participate in electronic commerce, a connection from the business to the internet is necessary. For the South West area of England, there are several ways of connecting your business and staff to the internet:

Broadband - A high speed, always connected link provided via a standard analogue telephone line. Broadband in Somerset/Dorset/Devon is supplied by ADSL technology, but is also available via optical fibre cable in those areas supplied by cable TV companies, mainly Virgin Media. Broadband via ADSL is by far the most prevalent form of connection in use today.
Wireless 3G - Rapidly being taken up by travelling workers giving near broadband speeds via the mobile phone networks. Price is also getting more affordable, £10/month deals are now commonplace, and some networks are now offering PAYG deals, ideal for those who need this facility on an irregular basis. This option is excellent for single users but isn't practical for sharing internet access between computers. You are also very dependant upon having 3G coverage when using it, if you use it outside these areas (trunk roads and big towns / cities) the connection speeds reduce dramatically.
ISDN / Dial-Up - The original means of connecting to the internet, but almost gone now. A telephone line is required (a special digital line is needed for the faster ISDN service) and often call charges are incurred when using the service. On paper ISDN appears to be only fractionally faster than the best dial-up modem speeds, however in practice, it is noticably faster due to significantly less 'latency' and very fast connection to the internet provider. Latency is the time it takes for data to begin transmitting, rather than the actual speed the data moves once it has started. The speed of these connections is dramatically slower than broadband.
Satellite broadband - Frequently touted as a broadband internet connection, but rarely proves to fulfill a customers expectations. With the near 100% penetration of ADSL in the country now, there is rarely cause to use this connection method but we do have experience of it.
Leased Line - A dedicated internet connection can be supplied to your premises by several internet providers. Leased lines are the fastest and most reliable form of connection to the internet and are consequently also the most expensive. Costs for a leased line in Somerset would be start at approximately £4000 / annum, and increase dramatically based on how much bandwidth (loosely meaning speed) is required.

By using on of these connection methods, your office computers can be linked to an Internet Service Provider, or ISP. It is this service provider that links you to the internet, and provides behind the scenes services that allow you to browse web pages, send and receive emails and do other tasks associated with being connected to the internet. The service provider makes a charge for these services, either obscured in the revenue they generate from the telephone call charges you incur, or by directly billing you for services like Broadband or Leased Lines.

Our skills and experience

Internet access is closely linked with networking, and is a core part of Compology's business skill set. As your business becomes more dependant on the internet, and the speed that you can connect to it, Compology's staff are trained to keep up with the latest developments and ensure that you are given the right advice and assistance when setting up your connection.

We can assist and advise will ALL current means to connect to the internet, and have proven experience installing leased line, broadband and ISDN connections to local business.

How accessing the internet can benefit your business

From basics like filing your VAT return electronically, through email and browsing web sites to hosting your own e-commerce website in-house all requires an internet connection. Internet access has become another utility businesses require for day to day operations.