A long time ago, when a business wanted to lease a T3 bandwidth connection it required getting a local listings book and search for a provider, and many times the provider was one of very few options. This meant you had to usually pay more, and that never even guaranteed reliable up-time for your bandwidth. It was a vital component to business, but very costly and sometimes loaded with headaches and loss of business.
Internet technology eventually caught up with the industry some years ago and not only did more providers than you could count on your fingers and toes pop out of the wood work, but so did the brokers. Naturally the brokerages started to pop up too to save T3 shoppers the hassle of consulting with each T3 provider one by one,and of course, to cash in on some commissions.
It was in this time of need that real-time quotes became a new industry standard. Everywhere you look online now, there are offers for instant quotes from tons of providers and brokers, made to save you time, but are they good for saving money?
Okay, so it's true you can browse T3 providers in an instant and usually get very accurate quotes. Even better, you can compare without having to call different bandwidth providers and deal with sales pressure, however, will you get the best negotiable rate, and even more important, will the provider be reliable?
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.
What would downtime do to your business? Might you loose a large number of clients? Loose out on new sales? How much per hour do you pay your employees and how much will you be paying them before you realize your business is at a halt? Productivity is a high commodity in the business world, you don't want to loose it.
Even though the topic of discussion is about T3, this can just as easily be any other bandwidth including larger optical carrier bandwidths such as OC3, OC48, OC96, and so on.
Always be sure to know a provider's track record when comparing T3 prices. If your broker is entirely dedicated to selling you one single provider, be wary. I'm not saying a broker is not after your best interests, but bandwidth providers are known to offer spiff promotions to agents, and this can cause the drive to sell a product solely on the rewards to the agent.
So how do you find the right T3 provider and the right price for your communications budget? Well right off the bat, you need to find a good broker first. No need to revert to the old days, brokers get you lower rates, more so than if you went directly to the provider and a good broker is knowledgeable of the industry standards as well as the high performers.
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.
Also keep in mind that consulting with a broker does not obligate you into a purchase. A broker who pressures you into thinking you are indebted to their agency for consultation services not under a contract should be avoided. In addition, it's advisable you consult with more than one broker to compare advice and recommendations.
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.
Internet technology eventually caught up with the industry some years ago and not only did more providers than you could count on your fingers and toes pop out of the wood work, but so did the brokers. Naturally the brokerages started to pop up too to save T3 shoppers the hassle of consulting with each T3 provider one by one,and of course, to cash in on some commissions.
It was in this time of need that real-time quotes became a new industry standard. Everywhere you look online now, there are offers for instant quotes from tons of providers and brokers, made to save you time, but are they good for saving money?
Okay, so it's true you can browse T3 providers in an instant and usually get very accurate quotes. Even better, you can compare without having to call different bandwidth providers and deal with sales pressure, however, will you get the best negotiable rate, and even more important, will the provider be reliable?
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.
What would downtime do to your business? Might you loose a large number of clients? Loose out on new sales? How much per hour do you pay your employees and how much will you be paying them before you realize your business is at a halt? Productivity is a high commodity in the business world, you don't want to loose it.
Even though the topic of discussion is about T3, this can just as easily be any other bandwidth including larger optical carrier bandwidths such as OC3, OC48, OC96, and so on.
Always be sure to know a provider's track record when comparing T3 prices. If your broker is entirely dedicated to selling you one single provider, be wary. I'm not saying a broker is not after your best interests, but bandwidth providers are known to offer spiff promotions to agents, and this can cause the drive to sell a product solely on the rewards to the agent.
So how do you find the right T3 provider and the right price for your communications budget? Well right off the bat, you need to find a good broker first. No need to revert to the old days, brokers get you lower rates, more so than if you went directly to the provider and a good broker is knowledgeable of the industry standards as well as the high performers.
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.
Also keep in mind that consulting with a broker does not obligate you into a purchase. A broker who pressures you into thinking you are indebted to their agency for consultation services not under a contract should be avoided. In addition, it's advisable you consult with more than one broker to compare advice and recommendations.
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:
Remember that finding the right T3 connection relies on research and you are ultimately responsible for the leasing of services. Larger bandwidths such as OC3 or OC12, the same broker rules will apply. Click here for Article Submissions.
