Here are ways to avoid the headache caused by the traffic jam on America Online. If you're an Internet-dependent business, have a contract with your provider that guarantees service and provides for restitution if the provider causes a business loss. Obtain insurance that covers loss of business due to Internet access problems. Explore possible tax deductions tied to your access impacts, such as unanticipated costs of doing business to fulfill a legal obligation.
Analysts look at it variously as a technology, management, ethical or legal issue.
Home businesses rely on online services for e-mail and general Internet and World Wide Web access. Many online services host web sites through which home business owners sell and market their products or services. With even a single project interrupted or sale lost because they can't get online, the potential for serious business loss looms large. Just ask Peter Masse. An AOL user for four years, he operates Sensible Business Systems, a Cortland, N.Y., home-based enterprise that markets accounting software to colleges and other organizations.