Visualware Introduces MySpeed Server

• By The WHIR, June 03, 2004

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Visualware Introduces MySpeed Server

Philbert Shih, theWHIR.com

June 3, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY

REVIEW) -- In order to distinguish themselves in the marketplace, Web

hosting providers are constantly introducing value-added services into

their overall offerings. Site building software, control panels and

marketing solutions are among the more popular services, but they have

become increasingly common fare as the majority of hosts now offer them

and customers, for the most part, have come to expect them.

For hosts seeking something a little

different to help generate added value for their customers,

California-based performance management software developer Visualware (visualware.com)

may have an answer. On Wednesday, the company introduced MySpeed

Server, an Internet speed-testing tool that provides Web site visitors

with an easy and convenient way to measure their upload and download

connection speeds. With MySpeed, Web site visitors literally just click

on a button and the graphical results are displayed in their Web

browsers within seconds.

MySpeed is a java applet that is

installed directly on the Web server. "The implementation is very

easy," Julie Lancaster, director of marketing for Visualware told the

Web Host Industry Review. "It's very different from many other types of

testers where you have to write scripts or customize it for a

particular Web server. With MySpeed, you just copy the files on to the

server and that's all you need to do."

MySpeed, currently being marketed almost

exclusively for hosting service providers, can also be incorporated

directly into Web pages, or the default MySpeed Web page can be

customized with the look and feel of the Web hosting provider with

their logo and branding information.

For users, all that is required is a

java-enabled Web browser, which times a sample HTTP download and upload

to come up with the user's connection speed. The user also won't face

any security hassles, the company says. The applet provides

problem-free access and users won't have to download any software or

change any security settings. MySpeed is compatible with any Web server

platform, though the company says servers running the latest version of

Apache render the most accurate results.

What differentiates MySpeed, says

Lancaster, is that it measures both upload and download speeds. This is

in contrast to other testers, which typically only provide measurements

of download speeds. According to Visualware, MyServer is designed to

deliver highly precise measurements, accounting for variables such as

upload burst and the consistency of download capacity.

Among its benefits, Web site operators

can use MySpeed to generate extra traffic for marketing and promoting

their products and services, says Lancaster. In fact, the traffic

MySpeed generates for the Visualware site, which runs over 800

individual tests a day, was the impetus behind the product's

development and release to the public. Licenses for MySpeed are priced

starting at $249 for a single domain, single server license.

"We had placed it on our server to

attract traffic to test their Internet speed and it turned out to be so

popular, we had so many people using it," recalls Lancaster. "We were

getting requests from various people to be able to purchase it and put

it on their server. So we did that. We ‘productized' it and made it

available for purchase."

The Web hosting provider also benefits.

Lancaster, echoing comments made by Jerry Jongerius, chief technology

officer for Visualware, says MySpeed can be used for technical support

purposes. "MySpeed not only enables customers to easily test their

connection speeds on demand, but it's also a valuable tool for

networking support staff, since it provides fast, accurate results

useful for troubleshooting connection problems," Jongerius said in a

release.

Web hosting and streaming content

delivery provider StreamGuys and its customers both reap the benefits

of MySpeed. StreamGuys uses the tool to monitor connection speeds to

its network. And its customers, especially those who are broadcasting

streaming content, rely heavily on accurate measurements of bandwidth

speed.

"StreamGuys finds it most helpful to

verify our client's network transit speeds to and from our network with

a real world measurement," says Kiriki Delany, president and chief

technical officer of StreamGuys. "It's important for the broadcasters

to understand their network speeds when they plan their broadcast

services with StreamGuys. This insures that the broadcasts are working

within the physical limits of the real world network speeds, and not

just the theoretical limits of the Internet account."

Tags:  security  SSL  value-added services  control panel  ADC  Apple  EDS  ETT  NEC  Streamguys 

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