South Dakota Internet service providers, or ISPs, connect their customers to the Internet in exchange for a fee. A national ISP will grant access to subscribers in much of the nation while a local ISP will limit users to a specific geographic region.

A small business should consider a separate web hosting company to maintain its website instead of using the web space from the service that provides the Internet access. South Dakota businesses with high-traffic sites may require a large national company that can provide mirroring and redundant connections for their websites.

The first consideration in deciding which of the ISPs in South Dakota to use is the type of access you want:

1. Dial-up access uses a telephone line and is the slowest connection. You must dial in to the South Dakota ISP and you'll frequently have a limit on your connection time.

2. Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, access also is available through the phone in most areas. However, DSL is much faster than dial-up and normally provides dedicated access.

3. South Dakota broadband providers have the fastest connections small business owners in South Dakota can generally afford. Internet services in South Dakota also offer high-speed cable Internet access.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate a South Dakota ISP that offers cable access to small businesses

ISPs in South Dakota that provide an always-on cable connection are frequently the best deal for small businesses. Some national ISPs offer packages tailored to the size of your business.

I recommend: Optimum offers a range of packages for businesses of different sizes and provides web hosting and ecommerce services. Comcast is a South Dakota high-speed Internet provider that has a cable access package specifically designed for small businesses.

Find South Dakota ISPs that offer DSL service

Many ISPs design DSL packages for business owners throughout much of the nation. Businesses can bundle multiple services together, such as Internet and web hosting, to get a better deal from the ISP.

I recommend: The Verizon Small Business Center has high speed DSL connections with options for static IP addresses that allow businesses to host their own email and Web servers. Speakeasy offers a range of DSL technologies aimed at small businesses, including ADSL, ADSL2 and SDSL.

Check out the access packages from a local South Dakota Internet service provider

A rural business may have to depend on a small, local SD Internet service provider. ISPs in South Dakota frequently offer wireless DSL service for these businesses.

I recommend: Dakota Internet Services in Sioux Falls offers high-speed Internet access up to a T1 connection for businesses in South Dakota. RC Technologies provides a range of services to businesses in northeast South Dakota, including high-speed Internet access.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use South Dakota ISPs with a Tier 3 rating or better, especially if you are running a small business. The tier rating establishes the ISP's proximity to the Internet and generally how fast its access will be, all other things being equal. Tier 1 ISPs are linked directly to the Internet; Tier 2 ISPs lease their connections from Tier 1 ISPs and so on.