I originally posted this at http://www.318.com/TechJournal
Often, a single internet connection is all that is needed to allow a group of computers to access the internet for websites, email and chatting. DSL, Cable Modem or a single T1 can often provide enough bandwidth for a small group of users.
As your company grows, there can come a point where the speed of the internet connection becomes a bottleneck, increasing the time for web pages to load and for emails to be sent and received. After you hit the limits of what a single connection is able to provide, one very cost effective way to address the issue is to add a second connection.
Adding a second internet connection to your network is also highly recommended if your business relies heavily on the internet. In the event of a downed internet connection, the outage could cost companies thousands of dollars in lost productivity and client interaction. By utilizing a second internet connection from an alternate provider, businesses can ensure a higher level of availability and uptime.
The equipment can be set up in one of two ways. When setup in a failover configuration, the second internet connection is used only when the primary fails. In typical configurations, the fast data connection such as a T1 is supplemented by the slower connection, such as DSL, to bear the burden of connectivity in the event of an outage.
When setup with load balancing, both internet connections are used simultaneously, with the traffic load being split and routed to the more ‘available’ connection. In this configuration, both data circuits should be sufficiently fast to allow the load to be effectively shared between both circuits, typically T1’s.
318 is an expert in setting up and integrating Dual-WAN networks. It can be as simple as using a DSL line and a cable modem, or as robust as using two T1s from two different providers. Or even an mix of a T1 and WiMax link. If you think this is a situation that would suit your business, give 318 a call to discuss your options.