What is a static IP address and how could my business benefit from having one?
Firstly, it’s important to understand what Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are and how they work. In simple terms, an IP address refers to the number assigned as a unique identifier to an electronic device when connected to the internet.
IP addresses can be categorised in four ways; public or private, dynamic or static...
Public IP Address – A public IP address is the IP address assigned to your broadband modem by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Typically, the IP address allocated to your modem is a dynamic IP address. A dynamic IP address will change from time to time and will never remain constant, whilst a static IP address is assigned to you and will never change. Most businesses require at least one static IP address.
Private IP Address – A private IP address is the IP assigned to any device connected to your home or business network and is allocated to your device by your broadband router. Just as with a public IP address, a private IP address can be either static or dynamic. However, rather than being determined by your ISP, the allocation of IP type is determined by the way your router is configured.
When a broadband provider refers to a static IP address, they are referring to a public static IP as this the IP address they allocate to you. A public static IP address will never change, which makes it easier to remotely access devices on your home/business network. Business broadband providers tend to charge for static IP addresses as they know most businesses will want or need one.
Homeworking is becoming more and more common in the modern workforce. Having a static IP address allows members of staff to connect from their home PC directly to their work PC, which means they’re able to access all of the information they could in the office – such as CRMs, sensitive corporate data and emails – but whilst connected securely from their home offices.
Having a ‘Remote Desktop’ solution in place is an essential part of a business continuity plan; for example, companies with a Remote Desktop Solution in place were readily equipped to work from home during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, which meant there was no business downtime and their employees were immediately out of risk to exposure to the virus.
Dynamic IP addresses, as we have mentioned, do change from time to time, whilst static IP addresses always remain constant. In order for your dynamic IP to renew, there is a possibility for your signal to drop whilst the IP updates. As a static IP does not change, it eliminates the possibility of downtime, making it the preferred choice as it ensures seamless connectivity.
If your business has a website, then you can utilise a static IP address to privately host your website. Although you can host your website via shared host, there are several risks that come alongside this. For instance, if the host company experiences any downtime, your website will also go down. Additionally, hundreds of different websites could be being hosted alongside your website, which could result in slower load times for your customers visiting your website.
When using a static IP address, you are able to block your own IP address from your Google Analytics figures, this means every time you visit your website, your visit will not be included within the visitor figures. This allows you to view a clear picture of traffic to your website to see if your website is optimised for attracting visitors.
When taking any of our business broadband packages, we give our customers one free static public IP address as we understand the importance and the benefits associated with having a static public IP address.