| Bill Huang sits down at his computer. As he connects | | | | develop in several spots along the transatlantic |
| to the Internet, he glances out at the sun poking its | | | | connections - bottlenecks that could slow down or |
| nose above the Hong Kong skyline. It will be another | | | | even block a web site completely. If a webmaster is |
| busy day, and he has to order those slippers for his | | | | not monitoring the performance of his web site |
| wife before rushing off to a meeting.He types in his | | | | overseas as well as at home, he will not be aware of |
| search terms and Google faithfully reports: "Results 1 | | | | the bottleneck and unable to contact his provider |
| - 100 of about 1,760,000. Search took 0.34 | | | | about it.The fact is that a web site will load slower |
| seconds."Bill clicks on a the Big Soft Slipper web site | | | | on the opposite side of the world, regardless of the |
| and waits for the page to load. "Site unavailable," Bill | | | | type of connection the surfer has. But that is |
| reads. He hits the "back" button. Then he clicks on | | | | compounded when the transatlantic connections, or |
| another of the 1,760,000 pages Google offered | | | | other local connections, block up.Is connection speed |
| him.High above Cleveland, USA, the executives at Big | | | | a problem worth monitoring?In May 2001, Zona |
| Soft Slipper are clinking their glasses and patting | | | | Research reported that slow loading web sites |
| themselves on the back. "We sure did it," the CEO | | | | accounted for $25 billion in lost sales each year ( ) As |
| crows. "Look at that beautiful home page. Look at | | | | Internet usage continues to climb around the world, |
| the easy navigation. Look at how fast it | | | | that figure might be closer to $40 billion by |
| loads."Somebody please tell them about Bill | | | | now.Another study, by ( ) in 2000, revealed that |
| Huang."Very few people realize how the web site | | | | most people abandon purchases on the Internet |
| that loads so zippy in their office, flows like molasses | | | | while already in the shopping cart section - 21 percent |
| on their customers' computers - and may not even | | | | due to slow-loading pages. In other words, even |
| be accessible at all," says Vadim Mazo, CEO of | | | | when the home page and the sales pages operate at |
| Dotcom-Monitor ( ), a web site monitoring company. | | | | a satisfactory speed, customers get frustrated by |
| "While they celebrate, they could be losing | | | | slow loading or failed shopping carts."It's one thing to |
| customers."Even in the United States, the most | | | | know that your web site is accessible. It is another |
| developed Internet market in the world, one out of | | | | to know that all your forms and your shopping carts |
| five Internet users still operate on 56K connections. | | | | are performing to your customers' satisfaction," Mr. |
| Smart companies have gotten wise, and test their | | | | Mazo says. He adds that web site monitoring avoids |
| web sites on slow connections - usually 56K. That | | | | the embarrassing moment when the customer lets a |
| leaves 13 million Americans with even slower | | | | company know its site is not accessible. "The only |
| connections - along with hordes of customers in | | | | thing worse is if nobody lets you know and you just |
| India, China, Australia, Russia, South Africa and | | | | keep losing sales."This suggests there is value in |
| elsewhere around the world.Who is monitoring your | | | | monitoring your web site from overseas -- and in |
| web site from Europe and Asia?"We just opened up | | | | monitoring the forms and shopping carts and anything |
| a new web site monitoring station in Hong Kong, | | | | other server requests and user transactionsStella |
| because there is a growing demand for monitoring | | | | Huang loves her new slippers. They are just perfect. |
| web site performance from Asia," Mr. Mazo adds. | | | | She really does not care where they come from. The |
| "While nobody can monitor individual connections, we | | | | executives at Big Soft Slipper were not monitoring |
| can monitor sever side connection speeds and web | | | | their web site performance, so they have no idea |
| site accessibility - both of which are affected by | | | | that they just lost a customer. And another |
| transatlantic transfers."In fact, bottlenecks can | | | | customer. And another... |