Burstable Connections

Most office Internet use is "bursty" in nature.  A typical user will download a large file once in a while, check their email every few minutes, and may have an occasional video conference or voice over IP call.  This type of business is best served by a "burstable" connection.  Most of the time, the usage is quite low.

With this type of account, we allow the customer to "Burst" to the highest line speed available, whether 1.5 megabits for a T1, 8 megabit for a fiber connection, etc.  We charge the customer based on the 95th percentile usage, which is usually MUCH lower than the full line speed.

This calculation says that 95% of the time, your usage is at or below this amount. With the top 5% of the bandwidth usage being short spikes of atypical usage, they are discarded.

The 95th percentile is a mathematical calculation used to determine the normal utilization of your internet connection. Basically, the 95th percentile measurement says that "95 percent of the time, your usage is at or below this amount." The top 5% measurements are discarded. This means the connection will not be penalized for the brief bursts of usage (such as downloading an unusually large file) which happen from time to time. It is important to understand that the 95th percentile measurement is NOT an average. Rather, it is a realistic representation of the usage level, and how it affects InfoWest's network. 

Measured Connections

A measured connection is similar to a burstable connection.  Instead of measuring average usages and discarding "spikes," we allow you a set amount of bandwdith usage per month, measured in gigabytes.  This type of account might be better for a customer that has relatively long periods of heavy usage, followed by longer low usage periods.  For example, if you backup data every night, but only use the internet during the day for email and typical web browsing, this type of account might be right for you.

As an example, a 64 Kbps measured connection could download or upload about 5 gigabytes per week.  A 1 Mbps measured connection could download or upload up to 75.6 gigabytes per week.  Either connection could "burst" to a full lines speed of 1.5 megabit for a T1, or higher for another type of connection.

All-You-Can-Eat

For businesses with continuous heavy usage, InfoWest offers dedicated , unmeasured "all-you-can-eat" connections.  If you host servers, use frequent streaming video, or download massive amounts of data every day, this is probably the best type of account for you.

Let us help you select the best option for your business.  Contact our Business Services Team at 435-674-0165 or email dedicated@infowest.com