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