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Tips for Selecting a Strong IP Transit Provider

For companies that do not run their own BGP network, there is a need for an IP Transit provider, especially when Web hosting, game hosting or dedicated service provision is involved. Selecting the right IP Transit provider is a challenge, however, as making the wrong choice can easily result in outages and poor service delivery. 

This blog provided some great insight in the process of finding the right IP Transit provider. For starters, it is important to consider the network performance at peak times. This means checking the network in the evening when the network is likely to be the busiest. With so many people leveraging social media in their off hours, the evening is becoming the new peak time of day. Examine performance during this time, running tests such as a ping test or the MTR. 

It is also important to measure how long it takes the host to reply to e-mails. If a sales e-mail is not immediately responded to, this is an indication that your support calls may never take priority. Send an e-mail at varying times of day to get an idea of how quickly the IP Transit provider will respond to your messages.

Assess the basic knowledge possessed by the IP Transit provider. Conduct your own research and then test the firm. Determine how well they know they uplinks providers, and what points of presence (POPs) they have. Assess the amount of traffic they push through and the type of equipment they use. Examine similar hosts and compare the two in an effort to pick the one that stands out. At that point, ask the leading IP Transit provider why they can provide the best solution with their network, service, knowledge and expertise. 

You also must look at the history of the performance of the provider. If there is not a good history of optimal network performance, it is important to determine why. It is usually a good sign when the IP Transit provider has no bad reviews, but it is not the only indicator that network performance is up to par. 

Also consider checking hosting forums, such as WHC, that offer a search area. This allows you to search for your potential IP Transit provider and determine whether or not there has been a positive response from participants. Be leery of reviews as positive reviews are generally done when there is an affiliation in place, and negative reviews occur when a particular customer has a problem. Examine these documents for what they are worth as you complete the process of selecting the best IP Transit provider.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Juliana Kenny

IP transit resources

• IP Transit
  National Access points of pressence. Flexible bandwith tiers support incremental capacity demands. Connect to almost any city in the US.
• Transport
  100% service availability. Partners & carriers that fit your needs. Multiple carriers for custom configurations.
• Colocation/Power
  State-of-the-art environmental, power and security control systems. Access dozens of DC providers. Custom or pr-built configurations.
• Content Delivery networ (CDN)
  Scalable service options support image objects, streaming, caching. Choose from multiple CDNs to best suite the needs of your business

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