In 1969 when the Soviet Union was still perceived as an unknown threat, the American military decided it wanted to link all of its computers controlling the US nuclear defence systems into a single network. One of the stipulations for this network was that it would have to still operate even if part of it sustained a nuclear attack from the USSR, with traffic intelligently re-routing itself around the disaster area without requiring human intervention. This resulted in the creation of MILNET (MILitary NETwork), and as a spin-off from this research the first incarnation of the Internet was born - ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency NETwork).

This early Internet was not a very friendly place to be, and was mainly used by computer engineers and scientists with large expensive mainframe computers. The main use of it to start off with was for transferring files to each other, and it wasn't until the early '80s that common features such as email started to appear. It was also then when the forerunners of today's search engines appeared, whose names illustrated the computer industry's love affair with stupid sounding acronyms - Archie, Veronica, Jughead, Spiders and Gophers, to name just a few.

The mid-'80s saw the Internet expand rapidly, with separate specialised networks (mostly academic) linking together via a main high speed Internet 'backbone' to create one big network. At this stage, commercial activity was more or less banned on the Internet unless it directly served the goals of research and education, and this ban was to remain in place until relatively recently in 1995.

Then in 1991 came arguably one of the most important inventions to hit the Internet - the World Wide Web (WWW or 'Web'). This was actually invented by an Englishmen, Tim Berners-Lee, whilst working at the European Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN). It allowed information to be viewed graphically with the use of a 'browser' instead the text-only format that people have had to contend with up until then, and is now how virtually all information is accessed on the Internet. The first browser was called Mosaic, which then went on to become Netscape Navigator. This more or less had a monopoly of the browser market until Microsoft sat up, took notice and declared war with Internet Explorer, with inevitable consequences.

Nowadays, the Internet can be split down to two basic components of interest to most companies, Web sites and Email. Email is the ability to send and receive mail almost instantly through your computer, whilst Web sites are areas on the World Wide Web which you can purchase or rent to publicise your own company. Larger companies purchase their own site and have its address (or 'domain') on the Internet registered in their name, such as www.bbc.co.uk or www.ford.com.

For example, our own company produces large format graphics for the Screenprinting industry. We had a new client from Newcastle recently who wanted a set of films for a truck side. He was put in touch with us by his client, a company in Sweden, the director of which had been in Sidney, Australia on holiday. Whilst there he went into a Cybercafe and picked up our company whilst surfing on the Internet!

It is now even possible to have your own Web site and receive information from it without owning a computer. This system involves having an enquiry page on your Web site, which is then redirected to your Fax machine (Efax).

For commerce the implications of the Internet have been tremendous. Completely new industries have sprung up to exploit the medium. The first people to see the potential of the new technology were the companies who developed the search engine systems, which enable you to find your way around the Internet. These companies, such as Yahoo! and Excite, have in a few years mushroomed into large international companies. America On-Line (AOL) by taking over Time Warner and merging with the British company EMI have become one of the largest companies in the world, with a turnover larger than that of many nations.

These search engines are basically large directories, which contain the addresses of millions of Web sites on the Internet. Like telephone and trade directories they should contain every company who is registered free of charge. Unfortunately however, the search engines have become victims of their own success. This is because they make their income by selling space and banners to publicise individual companies, and as the number of companies and people who want their own Web sites are bludgeoning, it is taking longer and longer to get a free site registered. To have your site registered without paying inordinate sums of money can take anything up to six months, or more in some cases.

The other component of the Internet of interest to business is Email. Email is causing a little confusion because the claims and counter claims of the various providers. There are many organisations providing what they call free Email, but unfortunately these companies, such as supermarkets and retail chains, recover their costs by selling on your Email address. One can find that up to 90% of your Email via one of these providers can be unsolicited junk mail, which would render it useless as a business tool.

To have your company's own dedicated Email address and Web site as a package can cost as little as £30-£40 per month - this can include the designing of the Web site itself. This type of presence on the Web usually involves a two year commitment, because to allow you to have Email access you will need your own domain. This has to be registered for a minimum of two years with the registration authorities, although with that you also get an enhanced Web site address (ie. www.yourcompany.com rather than www.mgvs.co.uk/yourcompany).

Once your company is 'on the net', a potential marketing tool open to millions of viewers - with thousands joining each day - is at your disposal. Even a one page entry level site can have an effect, and as you become more adventurous, your provider can tailor make a multi-page site complete with animation, e-commerce and links to related sites. Nowadays, you can only really create a Web site that stands out from the crowd if you've got that essential creative ability in the first place. It is for that reason that you should just let your imagination flow, as the technology's now in place to make it very much a reality.



Dave Mulvey
IT Manager, Mulcraft Ltd
Graduated from North East Surrey College Of Technology with a Higher National Diploma in Computer Studies, and went on to develop computer systems within government and the financial sector. Now working at Mulcraft with their Internet Services department, developing complete Internet solutions for small to medium-sized businesses.