Data Transfer Rates

What is data transfer?

All activity online is about transferring data. A web page is in essence a file, and when you visit a web page you are transferring that file and everything included on the page, such as pictures, documents, videos and podcasts from the IGLOO network to your computer, temporarily. You may also send/receive email, download files from the web, stream video, instant message, or upload files. All this activity transfers data back and forth in various amounts.

Product Editions

How much data transfer is offered in each package?

Free Edition

10 Gigabytes (GB) per month

Basic Edition

15 Gigabytes (GB) per month

Professional Edition

25 Gigabytes (GB) per month

Enterprise Edition

75 Gigabytes (GB) per month

Typical Data Transfer Rates

Each internet activity is unique, but here are some average file sizes to give you an idea of what your data usage might be:

Average email: 59 KB
Average web page: 130 KB
Average song file: 4 MB
Average digital photo: 5 MB
Average standard def movie: 2 GB
Average hour of online gaming: 15 - 30 MB

If the amount of data transfer allocated to your online community is 100 GB, then that would be equivalent to:

Sending or receiving 170,000 emails, or
Viewing 77,000 web pages, or
Downloading 2,500 song files, or
Downloading 2,000 digital photos, or
Downloading 5 high definition movies

Why have a set amount of data transfer usage?

Transferring data uses up network bandwidth, the same network bandwidth that all users in our data centre use to access their online communities. So if one customer in the IGLOO network uses 1,000 times the bandwidth that everyone else does, the overall performance (and user experience) will dramatically suffer. In those cases, it takes additional resources to manage the entire IGLOO network to ensure reliable and fast internet access for all of our customers. That is why we have to actively manage the IGLOO network and have a plan in place to provide for additional spikes in our data transfer requirements, as needed. By allocating bandwidth based on the service level, we can optimize our resources accordingly.

Why charge data transfer fees for use beyond the included data transfer amount?

When the IGLOO network usage is unbalanced, such as when a small percentage of the people on the network use a large percentage of the network's bandwidth, it takes additional resources to manage that specific network (i.e. monitoring, throttling, etc) and to make sure that all users on the IGLOO network can access their communities according to their specific service level agreements.

At IGLOO Software, we believe that a fair solution is to have those heavy users contribute more towards the management resources required to accommodate their additional network use. Therefore, we have set a monthly data transfer amount that is included with each service level agreement, and reasonable fees for additional data transfer usage beyond those levels.

How are the included data transfer amounts determined?

Our data centre team has determined the included data transfer amounts for each service level based on the bandwidth usage needed to optimize the IGLOO network for all users. We also wanted to make sure that the included amount was high enough that the vast majority of our users would never approach it, and therefore could continue to use our online communities as they do now, without worry. We set the included data transfer amounts for each service level at well above the monthly usage for more than 99% of our users. Our goal is not to "nickel and dime" our customers, but provide the right service level to meet their needs.

What counts towards the data transfer usage amount?

All activity that takes place over your internet connection that involves data being transferred (downstream or downloading and upstream or uploading are aggregated for purposes of determining your consumption) during each calendar month related to your online community hosted at IGLOO Software. This includes all devices that utilize an internet connection, including laptops, desktops or handheld devices.

What happens if I use more than the included data transfer amount?

If you exceed the included data transfer amount within in the calendar month, then you will be charged an additional data transfer fee. Your service will continue to work, and will not be limited in any way, subject to our Terms of Use Policy. The fee will appear on your next billing statement. You can also request to recieve a monthly report of your data transfer. The fee for this reporting service is $100 per month. We recommend that if you are using a public community, set up a Google Analytics account to to help monitor your traffic origin and destination pages. Google Analytics can also help you build a stronger community by monitoring traffic patterns, top pages, downloads and more.

Pricing

If a customer exceeds their data transfer amount within the calendar month, they will be charged an additional data transfer fee. The fee is $10 for every 10 gigabytes (GB) over the usage amount included within their package. For example, if you are using our Professional Edition, the data transfer amount included with this online community is 25 GB. If during a calendar month, your data transfer increases to 35 GB, your additional Data Transfer Fee for that month will be $10.

Monthly Monitoring Option

IGLOO Software offers a monthly monitoring option. This is ideal for customers who anticipate either large or volatile data monthly transfer rates. Monitoring will allow you to track data transfers and spikes in usage.

One time set up fee: $500
Monthly recurring fee: $100 per month.

Note: At the end of every month, IGLOO Software will email your community administrator a report summarizing community data transfer usage.

Customer Care