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Web Design Help > Internet Reliability The Internet
is completely unreliable. So how come we have a multi-billion dollar economic
expansion that is being carried largely on the back of a completely undependable
technology?
These news stories serve as a wake-up call and attest to how fragile and unreliable web-based information delivery really is.
OK, the
Internet is relatively new, so we'll cut it some slack. But our fast track
methods of doing business are requiring the Internet to be there for us
all the time, and it simply isn't, nor will it probably ever be. As we come to depend on Internet-based delivery of information, we are constantly being reminded that reliability is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain. Or, to use another analogy, the pathway between your computer, a site you want to view, and back again, is like a dark alleyway in the worst part of town. Not being able to access information from a web could be caused by literally one or a combination of several hundred different factors, including, but not limited to: your computer's Internet connection; your Internet Service Provider's (ISP's) server, connections, traffic load, software, etc.; and the general traffic volume on the Internet at any given time of the day. And that's before you even get a connection to the Internet! The hardware connections and software interfaces between your ISP and the destination web site's server, the hardware and software that supports the server itself, and the route back, can be just a fraught with problems when everything is not working as it should.
Factor in the deliberate attacks from malevolent computer hackers, glitchy software and just bad equipment, and it's a wonder that any Internet connection works at all. What can we do? Before we can DO anything, we must first accept that the Internet is not perfect (we will assume all of us have had that revelation at least once) and that there will be failures. Then, we must "backup" and provide contingency plans for absolute necessity. For example, the Cebiz webmaster has no fewer than four separate ways to connect to the Internet. If eBay® goes down for a day (and they have, several times), they lose millions of dollars in revenue, and score another black mark in the market pundits' little black books. Bad karma. For that reason, eBay has mirror servers and redundant pathways to insure against the inevitable, but at a cost of millions. No one ever said the insurance business was a losing proposition. Everything comes at a cost, and whether or not we can (or will) pay depends on the investment versus the return. Most of us can live without access to a web site or even msn.com for a day. But as we come to demand and expect reliable connections and information delivery at the click of a mouse, we will need to do everything we can, within good budgetary common sense to ensure we are planning for possible failures wherever we can. We recommend using two separate, but equally important methods to insure against Internet unreliability, and assure you a bit more peace of mind. Redundancy Plan
Ahead Someday, unfettered access to the Internet's content, no matter where you are, no matter when you need it, will be a reality. Until then, if you are a Cebiz client, know that we will do everything possible to minimize your grief and maximize the reliability of our information delivery, to keep you in tune with the best content and analysis in our industry. Visit other Cebiz Web Help pages for articles related to Internet and digital technologies.
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Remember
the last time you picked up a landline telephone and didn't hear a dial
tone? Sure, the telephone service is less reliable on a certain level
than it used to be. But in general, the telephone works pretty much all
the time. Of course, the telephone is a 19th century technology. We've
spent more than 100 years figuring out how to build a telephone system
that's operational better than 99% of the time. 
And
blame is extremely hard to pin on any one factor. Because the Net relies
on the exchange of data between components owned and operated by lots
of different players, problems are harder to identify and often difficult
to correct. 