In a former life, I worked for a small IT services firm who managed the networks of small to medium-sized businesses in our area. The customers we saw often housed their servers in a spare closet somewhere in the office. Gasp! Poor, scared servers left in hot, dark rooms where employees (and sometimes even outsiders) could tinker with them or even kidnap their little bits for good!

Our goal was to provide tender loving care for this equipment, but the issue of security − both physical and virtual − was always the pink elephant in the room. Housing the servers in-house gave the client a false sense of security that their spare office full o’ terabytes was A-OK. But in reality, overheating, lack of controlled access and many missed versions of software updates spelled a case of neglect worthy of a call to computer protective services− if, er, there were such a thing.

Flash forward to today. No, its not deja vu− there are still some out there practicing what I have dubbed DSRCA (Domestic Server Room Closet Abuse). Don’t get me wrong− there are many businesses out there that treat their on-premise server room equipment with the utmost TLC. But once you start taking a machete into the server closet/cubicle/coat room (or what have you), just to find your way through the jungle of tangled cables and cords, its time for a change.

Solutions like managed hosting and colocation give you options so you can safely nurture your hardware and data until it decides what it wants to be when it grows up (maybe a Doctorate of cloud is in the cards?). Data centers today provide the necessary security precautions like key-card controlled access, biometric fingerprint and retina scanners, plus virtual firewalls, security updates and patches if you go the managed hosting route.

Ensuring your data and equipment is protected should be at the top of your list at any stage of your business, but if you find yourself in any of the above-mentioned cases of DSRCA, don’t beat yourself up too much. We can help. After all, caring for your IT Infrastructure is what we do best.

Looking for more information on security or IT managed services? Check out our features overview for colocation or managed hosting services.

It’s awesome to be recognized. It really makes your day. I can remember when my baseball coach called me out in front of the other kids for a couple of good hits in a game. I can remember winning a participation award in a fishing contest when I was nine (I caught a Brim that was maybe the size of an iPhone). Things like that stick with you.

We recently got the results from a survey done by ACM-Atlantic. This is an organization that provides industry analysis to companies in the CDN industry. Their methodology is to survey the customers of the main players in the CDN industry and provide feedback. The feedback we got was awesome.

For instance:

Of the CDN providers featured in ATLANTIC-ACM’s 2011 CDN Provider Report Card, Internap rated above the industry average and among the top three providers for ‘total network’ capabilities (network uptime/availability and performance).

This is why our clients continue to choose to deliver more websites, games, software downloads and streaming video over our network every day. Performance measured by uptime, throughput and first byte delivery are a priority for a company like Internap whose focus is performance.

Another example:

Of the CDN providers featured in ATLANTIC-ACM’s 2011 CDN Provider Report Card, Internap was one of only two that rated in line with or above average for both product quality AND product price competitiveness.

That’s validation that Internap truly provides the best price-to-performance ratio.

This feedback from our customers provides proof that the route-optimized, TCP-accelerated global CDN that we have been improving over the last four years is getting recognized for the gem that it is. Millions of dollars and man-hours have been spent over that time to make the Internap CDN one of the best performing CDNs in the world. Specifically we can see the results in great comments like:

 In ATLANTIC-ACM’s 2011 CDN Provider Report Card — a survey of 140 unique CDN customers — survey respondents rated Internap highly for its ability to deliver a strong combination of product quality, price competitiveness and network value.

-Aaron Blazar, Vice President of Atlantic-ACM

Stuff like this makes me smile. Kinda like when I caught that fish but better. What are your most memorable moments of recognition?

Sign up today for a free 30 day trial of our CDN service.

While our Mashup Maven, Stephanie, continues to bask in the glow of sunlight on her vacation, I’m here again this week, covering her beat.

I don’t know what you did over the weekend, but like millions of others, I went to the opening night of The Hunger Games movie, the first of three best-selling young adult novels by author Suzanne Collins.  The movie made history as the third-highest grossing domestic film opening and the highest-grossing debut for a non-sequel.  With many more Hunger Game (HG) films in the making, I began wondering how retail businesses would monetize the fan frenzy. As an online retailer, you may have a game plan for leveraging the success of this latest craze, but you may be wondering how to ensure the best possible experience for your end users. By implementing Website Performance Optimization technologies you can avoid boost performance and increase revenue.

If you aren’t sold on the HG hype, don’t take my word for it:

‘Hunger Games’ gorges on $214 million global debut

Hot Topic Gets Hunger Games Lift But May Not Last

‘Hunger Games’ stocks gain after record weekend

Hoards of Hunger Game fans have an appetite for Merchandise and Social Media Marketing

Using WPO Technologies to Derive Positive ROI

May the odds ever be in your favor, but just to make sure, check out if WPO could help your business emerge victorious? Check out our infographic: WTH is up with your WPO.

Momentum is defined as the force or speed of movement. Momentum means going forward, moving ahead and ultimately making progress. Momentum is something we are experiencing at Internap with the multitude of recent events and new clients announced in just the last few days.

Momentum at Internap is apparent with the recent news that we have been selected as the official supplier of web hosting and content delivery network services to Sahara Force India, the fast-rising Formula One racing team, based in Silverstone, United Kingdom. As the F1 season gets underway, employees are getting up to speed with Formula One racing and the excitement is building. And yes, pun intended.

Another area gaining momentum for Internap is retail and eCommerce. Just last week we announced National Vision and Vermont Teddy Bear are leveraging our services to support their business. Both customers depend on Internap’s suite of performance-driven technologies to build and maintain their own momentum. For example, Vermont Teddy Bear can see web traffic spikes as high as 700%! In order to keep their momentum going, they need the power behind our Performance IP™, colocation, and CDN services.  Likewise, National Vision has a strong growth trajectory, opening approximately 40 new stores annually and is recognized as the fourth-largest optical retailer in the U.S. After acquiring AC Lens, one of the fastest-growing online contact lens providers in the world, National Vision turned to Internap.

All three customers are welcome additions, and we are thrilled to support them. As we move ahead into the second quarter of 2012, we can’t wait to see what happens next.

What events are building your momentum for 2012?

For more on Internap’s IT Infrastructure solutions and their momentum, visit our news and events page.

How secure is cloud infrastructure? Is it affected by different threats more than traditional IT? And how does that affect what applications you move to the cloud and how you secure them? There are a lot of perceptions and fears around security, but until now there hasn’t been much hard data.

On March 21^st Internap and Alert Logic sponsored a webcast on the Alert Logic State of Cloud Security Report, Spring 2012. This is a new project that looks at actual threat data monitored by Alert Logic to compare on-premise IT with service provider deployments. The goal: to find out if there are any inherent differences between the environments where cloud infrastructure is hosted and traditional IT.

Alert Logic took a full year of data from its customer base and looked at the number and type of security incidents for customers in service provider vs. on-premise environments. This data represents real threats (validated by security analysts) against real customer infrastructure, and the results are interesting and sometimes surprising.

This report, and this webcast, are a great chance to replace perceptions with some data-driven observations – essential for making good decisions about hosting and cloud deployments and security strategies for them. Internap’s John Freimuth and I discussed the top threats in each type of environments, the differences in threat types and diversity, and what it means as you think about deploying in the cloud.

If you missed the webcast, view the instant replay and get some real data on cloud security – the Alert Logic State of Cloud Security Report can be downloaded at https://www.alertlogic.com/csr.

The Australian Grand Prix was certainly an action-packed race and good viewing for the fans. It’s just a shame that we got caught up in some of the drama when Nico was taken out on the very first lap of the race. These things happen in racing, but it was a cruel end to an excellent weekend for him.

Paul’s race was strong and he did well to pick up the final point. It’s difficult to judge much from the first race, but we have learned a lot from Melbourne and we will try and improve our race pace consistency this weekend in Malaysia.

What is clear is that all the teams around us are very closely matched in terms of absolute pace and even the smallest mistake in qualifying or the race can cost you several positions. It will be very competitive in the midfield, just as we predicted during the pre-season.

Sepang this weekend should be another good indicator of where we stand in the pecking order. I’m optimistic that it will suit the characteristics of the VJM05 more than Melbourne and that we can remain in the hunt for points.

-Dr. Vijay Mallya

To learn more about the IT Infrastructure solutions Internap is providing Sahara Force India Formula One, click here.

Our resident “Mashup Maven”, Stephanie is out on a well-deserved vacation, so while she’s away – I’ll be here – covering her beat.

The Internet Innovation Alliance estimates almost a 30% increase in data consumption compared to 2011 through March Madness on Demand (MMOD), an app for your computer, iPhone, iPad and select Android phones. That’s nearly 18 million total hours of fans streaming their teams hoping to pull ahead in the race for the perfect bracket. What does this mean for your network? Surveys estimate March Madness could draw more than 2.5 million unique viewers a day – checking scores, reading recaps or watching live video streams with their MMOD apps.  Crazed fans can wreak havoc on your network. Get a jump-start in warding off traffic jams, by implementing Website Performance Optimization technologies, such as Content Delivery Networks, TCP Acceleration, Intelligent Route Control and many more.

Recent articles detailing the March Madness network craze include:

Who’s Streaming March Madness? You’d Be Surprised
March Madness Slam Dunks Video Streaming
The Internet Innovation Alliance – March Madness Stats
Optimizing for Internet Traffic Jams
What March Madness Can Teach Network Administrators

Go for the “W” by optimizing your network for video and feature-rich content. Want to know which WPO is right for you? Check out our IP Buyer’s Guide.

Research by Aberdeen shows that best-in-class organizations are experiencing 99.8% availability of web applications, 273% improvement in application response times and the ability to prevent performance issues before end users are impacted 83% of the time. The question is how are they doing it? They are called Website Performance Optimization (WPO) technologies.

WPO technologies help organizations improve application performance during peak times and enhance their ability to support more site visitors. They include Intelligent Route Control, TCP Acceleration, WAN optimization, CDN services and more.

One example of a company who derived a positive ROI from deploying WPO solutions is Concurrent Computer Corporations. Concurrent is a global leader in Platform-as-a-Solution innovation that enables the seamless delivery, management and monetization of video on any screen. Leveraging WPO solutions, Concurrent was able to increase file transmission speeds by 400 kilobits per second, ultimately improving end-user experience.

Since WPO technologies are services in most cases, organizations like Concurrent are more likely to avoid an increase in the total footprint of their enterprise infrastructure allowing them to save money. Other benefits of WPO solutions include maximizing availability and minimizing performance issues for users, creating more repeat customers and increasing the bottom line.

Want to more about web performance optimization technologies? Read the full Concurrent case study now.

I recently presented to an audience of technology executives in Silicon Valley on strategies and considerations for adopting cloud services. This particular session was actually a lunch-and-learn that we jointly conducted with VMware, a partner and integral component of our solutions. Being a very technical savvy audience, we got many interesting and detailed technical questions on a wide range of topics. One basic question was asked that I think is indicative of the confusion in the marketplace regarding cloud services and the capabilities of providers in general. The question was, “How is Internap’s cloud different than the other major public cloud providers in the market?”

Although this session was supposed to be a thought leadership session and not a sales pitch to promote specific Internap or VMware® solutions, I was eager to take the opportunity to explain why we are, in fact, different and better than other major public cloud providers in the market. Simply put it’s the network performance, platform flexibility and world-class support. We deliver bits over the Internet faster than anyone else, and we have more infrastructure service platforms that can match your current and future needs – think future-proofing. We realize that not every one of your applications will be suited to a cloud, public or private. But we do have multiple outsourcing options – from colocation to managed and dedicated hosting to private and public clouds. And finally, we can provide support that goes way beyond the capabilities of most major cloud providers. Our customers consistently view our support team as extensions of their own IT organizations. With other major cloud providers a phone extension may not even possible.

But that’s just our take. What are you looking for in a cloud provider?

Looking for more information on developing your cloud strategy? View the slides from the presentation.

Formula One has intense fans. Fans who wrap themselves in the flags of their countries and favorite teams. Fans who immediately recognize a particular driver by his helmet design – sometimes the only way to tell. Fans who turn up the volume on their TVs at the beginning of every race to hear the scream of the engines. I know a few F1 fans. I even live with one, so I am familiar with the drill. But, let me tell you something else about F1 fans. They are intelligent. They don’t compromise when it comes to technology. And they hold performance in the highest regard.

When Internap was presented with the opportunity to become an official supplier for the Sahara Force India Formula One Team, I immediately understood this was a perfect match. Internap’s foundation is built on intelligent technology that provides unmatched performance. To partner with a team that excels with their technological designs in a sport that epitomizes elite, no-compromise performance is ideal. Sahara Force India and Internap – a match made in performance heaven? Absolutely.

Today, Internap announced we are the official supplier of web hosting and content delivery network services for the Sahara Force India Formula One Team. Join us as we follow the team, the drivers and the sport, and become fanatics. Tune in, turn up the volume and experience the performance!