As a business owner, you probably don’t think about your networking equipment too often. After all, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right? But if your IT provider shares that mindset, it might be time to reconsider your options.
With more services moving to the cloud, your company relies on a stable internet connection more than ever. Networking equipment is the backbone that connects your business to these critical cloud solutions while also maintaining security. Essentially, this equipment is the protective barrier between the unpredictable internet and your business. That’s why having modern, well-maintained networking equipment is crucial.
Here are a few important questions to ask your IT provider about your current network setup:
- How quickly can we get a replacement if the hardware fails?
- Does your IT provider keep spares or have a maintenance contract for quick replacements?
- Does the equipment come with support?
- Can your IT company get help from the manufacturer if needed?
- Is your IT team certified with the equipment you're using?
- There are many brands of networking equipment—does your provider have the skills and certifications to support your specific setup?
At EarneyIT, we offer two networking solutions based on your company’s needs.
Option 1: For Companies with Over $1 Million in Revenue that Rely on Cloud Services
If your company generates over $1 million in revenue and uses cloud-based services, we strongly recommend combining Unified Managed Networking with a failover internet solution. This could be through LTE or satellite backup internet.
The cost-benefit calculation is simple. Here’s how it works:
- Calculate your revenue per hour: Take your total annual revenue and divide it by 1920 (the number of working hours in a typical year). Adjust this number if your company works fewer hours or takes Fridays off.
Example:
- Total Revenue: $1.8 million
- Revenue per Hour: $937.50
- Estimate the potential cost of downtime: The average internet outage in North Carolina lasts about 9 working hours per year, based on historical data.
- Cost of downtime for 9 hours: $8,437.50
- Compare the costs: Failover internet with managed networking costs about $300-$450 per month. This covers both the networking equipment and backup internet connection (around $200 per month for failover internet and $175 per month for the managed networking).
- Annual cost of failover internet and networking equipment: $4,500
In this scenario, investing in failover internet makes sense because the cost of a few hours of downtime far outweighs the cost of backup solutions. Plus, as your revenue grows, the protection becomes even more valuable.
Option 2: For Companies with Less than $1 Million in Revenue and Minimal Cloud Dependence
If your business earns under $1 million annually and doesn’t rely heavily on cloud services, we recommend our Unified Managed Networking without the additional LTE failover.
You can use the same calculation as above to see if failover internet is worth the investment. If your revenue per hour is lower and you don’t depend on the cloud, you can save around $2,400 per year by skipping the LTE backup while still benefiting from reliable networking.
Example:
- Total Revenue: $900,000
- Revenue per Hour: $468.75
- Cost of Unified Managed Networking: $175 per month, or $2,100 per year
Why Choose EarneyIT's Unified Managed Networking?
In both scenarios, we highly recommend implementing Unified Managed Networking to keep your business secure and operational. Our solution ensures that your networking equipment is well-maintained, supported, and always up-to-date. Plus, it’s included in our Complete Plan, so you can have peace of mind knowing that your business is protected.
