The Internet is made up of computers exchanging information with each other using a common language known as the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP). In order for computers or devices to communicate with each other and send information back and forth, they need IP addresses. Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are unique 32 bit numbers which are assigned to each computer on a network. To understand what a Static IP is, you first have to understand what an IP address does and why it’s important. Similar to that of your home address, IP addresses are unique addresses that let other systems know how to find you. If your computer is hosting a web server, its IP address is what identifies it to the rest of the Internet.

The difference between Dynamic and Static IP Addresses:

The majority of people connecting to the Internet use dynamic IP addresses. Dynamic IP addresses are IP addresses that change every time you connect to the Internet and can be reused, which solves the IP address scarcity problem. However, if you are a small business you might want to consider using a Static IP address, which is an IP address that remains constant. If your small business requires more advanced features, a Static IP address is extremely important.

Advantages of Static IP addresses:

A Static IP address can be great for running a home office or hosting your own website. As a small business owner, it is important to stay in control with the reliability of a Static IP address. With a Static IP from Cincinnati Bell, your IP address remains constant. Does your business run on VOIP? Do you host your own website? If so, a Static IP address provides many advantages.

Routers, phones, tablets, desktops, laptops, and any other device that can use an IP addresses can be configured to have a Static IP address. With the Static IP address never changing, other devices always know exactly how to contact your device. Once the computers have an address tied to it, you can program your router to forward specific inbound request directly to a specific computer.

For example, it would be a good idea to use a Static IP address if you host a website from home. If you didn’t use a Static IP address and decided to use a constantly changing dynamic IP address, it might become difficult to host a website. With every new IP address that your computer gets, you would have to change the router setting to forward every request to that new address. If you neglected to do this, nobody would be able to get to your website because your router would have no idea which device in your network is the one that’s serving the website.

A Static IP address also limits downtime by allowing you to stay connected to your existing Static IP address instead of getting kicked off from the connection and having to wait for a new address like a dynamic IP address would. This becomes useful if you have a file server in your network, use networked printers, forward post to a specific device, run a print server, or if you or your employees use a remote access program.

If your business often receives large files and you have invested in your own FTP server, then you might need a Static IP address. You will benefit from having your own Static IP address so that your suppliers or clients can reliably connect to your server.

Other examples of when you will want a Static IP address include email or chat servers, important servers, such as backup web servers, database servers, and network equipment.

There are so many advantages of having a Static IP address, including increased speed reliability, reduced downtime, email server hosting abilities, and easy maintenance. Static IP addresses are also more suitable for applications like VOIP and VPN’s (Virtual Private Network). To determine if your business could benefit from a Static IP address, contact altafiber at 513-565-8085

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