Let's discover together what an Internet Provider is, what services it offers, and the elements to consider when you need to choose a provider for your company.

It happens that we think we know a topic well, but in reality, we need to delve deeper. Even though internet service providers have enabled the rapid development of the Network today, not everyone knows what a provider is and how to choose the most suitable one for their own company. In this post, we try to provide some clarity.

What is an Internet provider and what does it offer

Let's start with the basics: what is a provider? Also called ISP (an English acronym for Internet Service Provider) is a company that provides paid Internet access to their users, consisting of individuals, professionals, and businesses. To offer connectivity, an Internet provider has a series of points called PoP (Point of Presence), composed of a complex of equipment, such as routers and servers, that allow users to connect to the Internet. In addition to Internet access, an ISP provider also offers other services. Among the most common, there is the possibility of an email account and spaces for website creation.

Providers are divided into DialUp and Broadband, based on the type of connection they guarantee. Broadband are the fastest and most expensive ones (DSL, Cable, Wireless, Fiber Optic), while DialUp allows connecting to the Internet via Modem on a regular telephone line.

The ISPs that made Internet history were the "small" ones, which operated at the time with banks of MoDems. Then, with the explosion in the number of Internet users (around the year 2000), the large telecommunications operators arrived.

Some Internet providers have been incorporated into multinationals, while others have chosen to "remain independent" and to join associations, such as Assoprovider. In these associative forms, they continue to have a widespread and decisive presence in the territory and to support battles for the fundamental rights of the Network.

What services does a provider offer

Born to provide Internet access, over time providers have transformed and have offered more and more services. The Internet is in constant and rapid evolution, and this is why Internet providers have tried to keep up with the times and the new market demands. But what are these services? Let's look at a list of the most common ones:

•     Domain registration services
•     Email account
•     Web space on hosting
•     Web portal development
•     Backup of important emails and WEB files
•     Cloud servers or dedicated servers
•     Dedicated IP addresses
•     PEC – Certified Electronic Mail
•     SSL Certificates (this is a security protocol that allows applications to securely transmit data, manage the sending and receiving of protection keys, and encrypt information, ed.)

Internet providers that also offer domain name registrations are also called Registrars.

Characteristics of a Quality Provider

Consumers are faced with a sea of opportunities when they have to choosing the connection provider. It is certainly not an easy choice, but there are some parameters that allow us to understand what distinguishes a quality provider from another of poor effectiveness.

Assoprovider suggests the factors to consider when choosing an ISP:

• Security. It is certainly the first element to evaluate. The first thing you need to find out is whether the provider uses SSL encryption to protect connections.
• Uptime guarantee. Indicate the percentage of time the server remained down.
• The costs. These should be related to the services that the ISP is able to offer. If there are many and they meet your needs, you might consider paying a little more; otherwise, higher costs are not justified.
• Reliability and customer support. It is important to understand if the connection provider has maintenance issues. If the ISP is often out of service and the response times are long, and the consultants show a lack of adequate skills, then it is not the provider that suits your needs.
• Speed.  It is one of the first elements to consider in order of importance. The question you need to ask yourself is whether the ISP allows you to quickly access your email and browse the Internet.

How to obtain this information? Use the Internet. Search for the provider's name on Google or within social media and forums to understand how other users talk about it. If the reviews are good, you can be reassured. Otherwise, you will need to opt for different choices.

Which provider to choose: the importance of speed

It goes without saying that for a company it is essential to choose the right provider. As previously mentioned, speed is the most delicate issue. There are two speeds generally from analyze to understand which provider to choose for your business.

• The first is the download speed which is essential to ensure us a quick display of the content we read on the Internet.
• The second is the upload speed, which indicates the speed at which you upload images, multimedia files, or email attachments to the Network.

In general, in almost all connections, the upload speed is lower than the download speed. Both depend on various factors, such as the area where your company is located (whether peripheral or central) and the type of connection: copper pair, fiber, radio waves, or satellite.

Before choosing, it is important that you understand what the type of connection available in your municipality. There are websites that help you like  Infratel Italia. And, furthermore, you will need to understand what speeds are allowed.

• Fiber beyond Gigabit and its multiples in up and download
• ADSL up to 20Mb down and 1Mb upload
• Wireless from 20 to over 100 Mbsec on multipoint connections and Gga on dedicated point-to-point connections.

The choice should be made based on your actual needs. For example, do you have a company with a maximum of 12 PCs? ADSL might be a suitable choice. For a larger number of workstations, however, it is always advisable to opt for fiber.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, inquire about the minimum speeds guaranteed by each net service: they are legally required to declare them. If they fall below those speeds, you can request refunds.

Is it better to choose an Italian or foreign provider?

Another point you might have doubts about is whether it is better to choose an Italian or foreign provider. In other words, under more advantageous economic conditions, is it worth moving to an American, German, or French hosting?

SEO experts – Search Engine Optimization agree that the best choice is to opt for Italian providers.  The reasons are essentially three:

• Longer latency times. The term "latency" refers to the time it takes for the server to respond. With foreign providers, these times increase.
• Attention to the IP. Google's spiders also evaluate the IP, your identity card on the Internet. Therefore, having a server in Italy ensures that Google favors the content in the ranking compared to a foreign provider.
• Assistance. Previously, we revealed that when choosing a provider, support services and their promptness in resolving any faults are crucial. Choosing a foreign provider extends response times and complicates matters if support is not offered in Italian.