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T3 - Finding The Right T3 Provider for You at the Right Cost
Once upon a time, shopping for a T3 connection detailed the process of grabbing up a copy of a Yellow Pages Directory and searching it\'s contents for a bandwidth broker or provider in your area. You might find a provider, but with little selection to choose from, prices did not come by as affordable.While obtaining a T3 business line was a necessity, it was costly and with fewer providers, you paid a premium rate for reliability.
Finally along came the Internet and allowed for T3 providers to branch out and get noticed on a national scale. This opportunity gave birth to additional bandwidth providers making the Internet shopping place a crowded space and somewhat confusing for business bandwidth shoppers. Luckily bandwidth brokers saw a niche to fill and ultimately grew online to serve the needs of the shopping business IT community. The brokers allowed one source shopping for multiple T3 providers, giving the customer less headache.
After the growth spurt provided by the expansion of the Internet, real-time quoting started to show up online to further save the shopper time, which in the business world, equates to money. Of course saving time is a valuable asset, however, real-time quoting may not exactly be as beneficial as you may think.
Alright, you get the opportunity to view instantly different providers and their rates. You can size up the pricing options all without the hassle of a high pressured sales person keeping you on the phone line to reel you in for that sale. The reality is though, are you viewing the best negotiable bandwidth rate? More importantly, which provider will be the most reliable for your IT needs?
You may, but you are risking more money than you bargained for if you choose an unreliable provider from which to lease your bandwidth from. Countless hours of wasted man hours and business productivity due to downtime can easily outweigh a low monthly rate on a T3 connection. This decision to go with a lesser quality provider is usually done hastily when confronted with a good price. The same as in a shopping market with last minute deals, businesses can fall victim to bad purchase decisions.
Ask yourself, what would downtime do to your business? Would you loose sales? Would an entire customer service call center be shut down? Would a major potential partner revert from their decision? Would you be paying employees for services not rendered? Your up-time can very well be your reputation just as much as your productivity, don't be quick to forget that.
The same problems that could plague you with a bad T3 purchase can affect you all the same with any other bandwidth leases including T1, OC1, OC3, OC12, OC48, OC96, OC192, and up. On a larger bandwidth scale, obviously, the repercussions are more severe.
While pricing is a very attractive option when shopping for T3 service, pay more attention to the track record of the provider than how much you can save. A broker\'s job is to work in your best interests however be wary if they are pushing towards only one provider. Not in all cases, but some, a provider may offer what is a called a spiff which rewards agents who sell a quota of services solely from them. Not that this necessarily means you will fall victim of unreliable bandwidth services, but it can still happen.
Well your probably wondering how you can possibly get a good price if you need reliability as well. The obvious answer is to find yourself a good broker that can offer guidance and consult with you on the best provider options for your region. Finding the right broker for you may not be as easy as it sounds, but once you find one, you can be assured you will be taken care of.
You need a broker that can consult you through your technical needs just as much as your financial needs. There are a lot of brokers to choose from, so be vigilant and picky when choosing a broker you want to do business with.
Another thing, because you consulted with a broker doesn't mean you are obligated to purchase services through them. Unless you have signed some binding contract (unheard of) you are free to make your own decisions, including consulting with other brokerage firms. Actually, it's highly advisable you do just that. By having more than one broker consult with you, you are able to gather information from other parties to better help you see which provider is probably the best for reliability and service.
One kind of broker that is rare but very beneficial when it comes to quality and pricing is a wholesaler. A wholesaler basically has purchased bandwidth already from multiple providers and has the power to negotiate at much lower rates while offering leading providers.
About the Author (c) TopSavings.Net - Shop wholesale T3 bandwidth and OC3 bandwidth options for your business bandwidth needs. Also shop and compare business phone services such as 800 numbers and Hosted IP PBX. Click here to submit article.
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