Businesses located outside of city centers are often faced with spotty coverage and limited connectivity options. Sometimes, business owners are told they can’t get decent internet without having to pay tens of thousands of dollars to trench a private connection. This can significantly restrict how they operate and the types of business applications they can use.
Ken Johnson, president of US IT Systems, an IT consultancy firm located in the southeast United States, helps businesses of all shapes and sizes find and implement communications and networking solutions.
Johnson has several customers located in rural areas that are far from hardline telecommunication connections. Others are on the “wrong” side of city infrastructure, where cable and fiber were never deployed. These customers commonly have a hard time finding reliable and fast internet options that can keep pace with their business needs.
One of Johnson’s customers runs a remote office located over 2,000 feet away from a DSL or cable line. Initially, the customer purchased wireless from the nearest cell tower, but the signal was weak, inconsistent, and service was often throttled. This poor connection prohibited the use of essential business applications, such as Voice-over-IP (VoIP), that his customer needed to perform basic tasks.
This wasn’t the first time Johnson has come across this type of situation, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. He needed a high-speed internet service he could trust would always be an option, no matter where his customer was located.
Putting Viasat to the test
At a recent Telecom Consulting Group (TCG) event, Johnson met the Viasat team and learned about their vertically integrated broadband satellite services and ability to install nationwide in just a few business days.
Johnson had used other satellite providers in the past, but their service proved to be slow and often unreliable. Additionally, their pricing was typically complex with several hidden fees, creating confusion and frustration with his customers.
Needless to say, Johnson was skeptical of Viasat’s ability to deliver the speeds and reliability his customers needed. With a background in engineering, he decided to test the service at his home by using the same business applications his customers used, specifically VoIP, over the Viasat Business internet connection. Johnson was impressed with the results and decided to try it out with one of his customers.
Within seven days of deployment, Johnson received a call from his customer. They were pleasantly surprised to see they were getting speeds above what was advertised and all with an unlimited data plan that had a flat monthly fee. Based on the connection reliability and consistent download and upload speeds, his client decided to make Viasat the foundation for their business internet connection.
Broadband to any business, nationwide
Viasat Business Internet enables Johnson to serve customers just about anywhere in the U.S. with fast, reliable connectivity that can support the lastest business applications such as VoIP, inventory management, point of sale, and real-time video security.
Reliability, 35 Mbps+ speeds and unlimited data have all been key differentiators that have contributed to customer satisfaction among his clients.
“We started off looking at Viasat as a solution for a few single locations, and the success of its capabilities has provided US IT Systems with an introduction into a large number of opportunities,” Johnson said. “Having Viasat as a trusted partner in sales has given me a 20 percent increase in available target market. Viasat has changed the market by providing consistent bandwidth, consistent service and consistent support.”
As businesses continue to move to the cloud, reliable internet “anywhere” is crucial to operational success. Viasat fills an important role for Johnson and other Viasat Business partners as they grow their business and expand their customer base.
