Who First Imagined the Internet?
It all began with a man by the name of J.C.R. Licklider who introduced the concept of an ‘intergalactic network.’ He was appointed the head of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) after he developed an idea for a global computer network that would allow users to access information from anywhere in the world. Vinton G. “Vint” Cerf continued the research started by Licklider and co-designed the TCP/IP protocol suite with Bob Kahn in the 1970s.
How Did the Web Evolve Into a Global Commerce Platform?
Just 20 short years after its invention, there are over 2 billion users on the web*, with the number of online transactions in the US totaling 1.3 billion for 2010 and online sales reaching $210 billion. A scenario never imagined by our predecessors, much of the world’s global commerce is driven by the World Wide Web.
The internet has gone from a small academic experiment to the backbone of the global economy—powering everything from streaming services and e-commerce to banking, logistics, and real-time communications.
Why Is Website Performance So Critical Today?
With staggering amounts of traffic and transactions traversing the Internet, it’s no wonder site developers, designers, retailers and many others want their sites to perform at peak levels. Organizations are increasingly choosing Website Performance Optimization (WPO) technologies to boost reliability, availability and their bottom line.
Fast, reliable websites are no longer just nice-to-have — they directly impact revenue, user experience, and brand reputation.
What Can WPO Technologies Actually Do?
Why WPO?
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Identify problems and shift traffic quickly without waiting for slow BGP convergence
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Avoid sending traffic down paths that are problematic due to route oscillations, black holes or routing loops
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Measure service levels and alternate paths
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Obtain performance, distribution and economic reports to validate and fine-tune policies
By combining global routing intelligence with real-time performance data, WPO solutions help organizations keep their websites fast, resilient, and accessible—no matter how much traffic comes their way.
