Resilience and the Need to Have a Second Business Internet Connection

In today’s digital-first world, businesses rely heavily on online operations. From cloud-based software to video conferencing and data backups, a stable internet connection is vital. However, with a single internet line, a business is vulnerable to disruptions that could lead to productivity losses, financial impact, and a negative customer experience if the connection goes down. That’s why having a second internet connection is essential for business continuity.

Why Is a Second Internet Connection Important?

Imagine your business without internet access for just an hour: no cloud access, no video meetings, no security feeds. The cost of even a short downtime can exceed the annual investment in a second internet connection. A secondary internet line acts as a failsafe, ensuring uninterrupted operations. And thanks to modern advancements, switching between primary and secondary connections can happen in seconds.

But a second connection isn’t just an emergency backup. You can integrate it into daily operations to enhance efficiency and network performance. Below are a few ways your IT team can maximize the value of a second connection:

• Load balancing between the two connections to distribute bandwidth effectively.
• Segregating business-critical networks from public guest networks.
• Isolating critical projects and operations on a dedicated connection.
• Routing essential traffic through the faster connection.
• Instantaneous failover to avoid downtime.
• Using the second line for automatic backups to prevent data loss.

Best Practices for Choosing a Second Internet Connection

If the benefits of a second internet line make sense, here are a few best practices to ensure your business is set up for maximum reliability:

1. Choose different technologies for each connection
   For full redundancy, your primary and secondary connections should use different internet technologies, such as one being fiber and the other fixed wireless. This ensures that if one technology fails, the other remains operational, reducing the risk of downtime.
2. Use two different internet service providers
   It’s crucial that each connection comes from a different ISP. If both your connections are with the same provider and that provider experiences an outage, your backup will be rendered useless. Using two independent ISPs reduces your dependency on any single network.
3. Match the bandwidth of your secondary connection
   Your backup connection should offer the same bandwidth as your primary one. If your business operates on a 100Mbps connection, the secondary line should also be 100Mbps. A lower-speed backup could create a bottleneck during failover, reducing performance and causing delays.
   Think of it like traffic on a busy highway. If your main connection is a 100Mbps, it’s like having three open lanes of traffic. But if your backup is only 30Mbps, that’s the equivalent of dropping down to just one lane, creating slowdowns at a critical time. Matching bandwidth keeps your business running at full capacity.

So why do you need a second connection?

In today’s cloud-driven, always-online environment, a second internet connection isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity. By investing in a redundant connection, you protect your business from costly downtime, ensuring continuous operations, customer satisfaction, and long-term success.

With different technologies, independent ISPs, and equal bandwidth on both lines, your business will enjoy full internet resilience and keep everything flowing smoothly, no matter what challenges come your way.

Philip Russell, Sales & Commercial Director Elio Networks