Gomez to Launch Actual Experience XFBy Justin Lee, theWHIR.com
December 1, 2006 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- For any Web host, particularly if it is one that offers hosted applications, the ability to measure the performance of its Web site is a crucial factor in determining the level of its success.
However, while many traditional behind-the-firewall-based monitoring solutions only measure the basics of a Web site's performance, Web application experience management solutions provider Gomez (gomez.com) goes beyond those capabilities to deliver a full performance analysis.
In the first quarter of 2007, Gomez will launch its on-demand service, Actual XF (ExperienceFirst), which will enable organizations to authentically measure their online customer experience from a browser-based perspective.
That experience incorporates the customer's login location, the type of browser they are using and the size of the browser window. The service measures the online application's download times, abandonment rates and service consistency.
All of this information can then be used by the Web site's developer to enhance page appearance and create a better user experience. According to Arthur Mateos, worldwide product strategist for Gomez, a Web site's ability to measure its performance for the purpose of improving its overall experience can greatly influence its overall success.
"[In a study] we ran, 87 percent of people said that if they had a poor experience on a Web site they wouldn't go back [to the site]," says Mateos. "That's basically highlighting the importance of managing the user experience online."
The Actual Experience XF service has customers embed a small piece of code on their Web site, and when customers request the page and its related applications, the Gomez network is activated to start measuring performance.
Developers increasingly rely on services provided by third parties and must collect distinct content, logic and data online, resulting in less direct control over their customers' Web experience.
Additionally, the browser processes more data than ever, often bypassing the Web host. Actual Experience XF can affectively address this problem, helping developers and application service providers alike.
"If I'm a Web hosting company, particularly one that hosts applications, then I may be building my site by composing it out of other third party vendors," says Mateos. "In order to provide a good service, we can make sure all of those third parties are performing adequately."
Mateos says that Gomez attributes a large part of its success to its application hosting clients.
"Several of our customers host applications on behalf of their customers," says Mateos. "[They] can potentially use [Actual Experience XF] to enhance their understanding of the experience they're delivering on behalf of their customers."
Gomez Actual Experience XF is in its final launch phase, with several early adopters actively participating in the beta program, and will be available for general release as a separate set of services in the first quarter of 2007.
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