Stay online when your main connection goes down.
If your card machines, phones and cloud apps all run on one internet connection, an outage can bring business to a stop. A backup connection with automatic failover keeps you working. We help you plan backup failover that fits.
The problem
Why this gets complicated
Outages happen. A cut cable down the street, equipment failure, or a storm can take a connection down for minutes or for days. When almost everything runs through the internet, from payments to phones to the software your team uses all day, one connection is a single point of failure.
Adding a backup is not always as simple as ordering a second line. If both connections come from the same provider or run through the same cable into the building, they can fail together.
Before you sign
What to look for
A few things worth checking before you sign anything.
A different path
The best backup takes a different route into the building, such as a different provider or a different type of connection, like fixed wireless or cellular.
Automatic failover
Ask whether the backup takes over on its own, so nobody has to unplug and replug anything during an outage.
Right sized backup
A backup does not always need to match your main line. It needs to carry the essentials, like payments and phones.
What is critical
Decide which systems must stay up during an outage. That shapes what kind of backup you need.
How we help
How our technology brokers help
We represent virtually every major carrier, so we can compare options side by side and recommend what fits. You have one point of contact from the first call to after you go live.
Find the weak spots
We look at how your business connects today and what would stop if the internet went down.
Compare backup options
We compare second connections across the carriers we represent, including different types of service.
Plan the failover
We help you plan backup failover so the backup can take over when it is needed.
One point of contact
If something goes wrong, you know who to call.
FAQ
Common questions
Is a backup connection expensive?
It depends on the type of connection and how much you need it to carry. A backup is often a smaller connection than your main line. We will show you the options and costs before you decide.
Will it switch over by itself?
It can. With the right equipment, traffic moves to the backup on its own when the main line drops, and moves back when it returns.
Can my phones stay up during an outage?
If your phones run over the internet, a backup connection can keep calls going. Many cloud phone systems can also forward calls to cell phones.
Should the backup come from a different provider?
Often, yes. A different provider or a different type of connection lowers the chance that both go down at once.
Keep reading
Related solutions
Restaurants and retail
Reliable connections for card payments, online orders and guest Wi-Fi.
Learn moreMedical and dental offices
Steady connections for scheduling, imaging, phones and patient calls.
Learn morePhone system upgrade (cloud and VoIP)
Move from an old phone system to cloud calling, video and messaging.
Learn moreIndustries we help
- Restaurants and retail
- Medical and dental offices
- Professional offices (law, accounting, real estate)
- Construction and contractors
- Manufacturing and warehouses
- Auto dealers and repair shops
- Hotels and hospitality
- Nonprofits and churches
- Schools, daycares and childcare centers
- Salons, spas and fitness studios
- Property management and apartment communities
Helping businesses across the Twin Cities
Talk to a technology broker.
Book a free 30-minute virtual meeting. Tell us what you have today and what you need, and we will compare your options. Carriers pay us, so our help costs you nothing extra.