21: Product Launch

To promote Web Ark One, Noah's Ark Company planned to hold a grand product launch conference on December 1st!

Although Noah's Ark wasn't well-known on its own, the two companies behind it were reputable in Silicon Valley!

The Nicholas Group and Cisco sent invitations to major innovative high-tech companies in the region. This momentum was nothing short of impressive! The Netscape browser, IMDB website, Nicholas website, and Cisco official website were all promoting the upcoming product launch conference of Noah's Ark!

"Noah's Ark is here! Have you bought tickets on our website?"

Advertisements bombarded the internet, ensuring that nearly every netizen would encounter this phrase.

Although Noah's Ark's product launch conference had yet to occur, it had sparked widespread curiosity!

Numerous newspapers and media outlets began reporting on it!

Company CEO Bob Gallagher brimmed with confidence, asserting that Noah's Ark Company was destined to soar to new heights this time!

Before long, December 1st arrived, and many attendees came to Noah Ark's product launch. Representatives from renowned companies such as IBM, Apple, and Microsoft were even present!

The exhibition area shone brightly; a red carpet lay on the ground, and a projection screen adorned the background wall. At the center, Web Ark One sat, draped with a red cloth.

As the time for the press conference drew near, Bob Gallagher, dressed in a tailored suit, strode confidently onto the stage!

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the product launch of Noah's Ark Company!" he greeted the hundreds of attendees. "Although I'm quite the handsome fellow, some of you may still not know me. Therefore, I'd like to introduce myself. Ahem... My name is Bob Gallagher, and I am unmarried... So, if any beautiful women are interested, please remember to contact me privately. Just kidding! That was a joke!"

With humor, Bob moved to the center of the exhibition stand, placing his right hand on the red cloth. "Are you all curious about what's on stage?"

Instead of unveiling the red cloth immediately, he went on: "I believe you've all seen the phrase online: 'Noah's Ark is here! Have you bought tickets on our website?' That's right! Our product launch is closely related to our website. As you know, a computer with excellent performance is essential for opening a website. However, current supercomputers are prohibitively expensive, while ordinary computers can easily cause a website to crash. Therefore, Noah's Ark specializes in researching and developing a product to address this issue for website companies!"

"Now, it's time to unveil this mysterious object!" After he finished speaking, Bob lifted the red cloth, revealing Web Ark One.

At first glance, attendees noticed that this device resembled a computer, albeit larger than typical models.

"This device is called a web server. It is a specialized computer designed specifically for the web. Compared to general-purpose computers, it boasts superior processing power, stability, reliability, security, scalability, and manageability. It is many times more capable! With this, you won't have to worry about the website crashing easily. It was born for the web!!!"

Bob then proceeded to explain and demonstrate its functionality.

Many attendees had experience building websites, some of which had previously crashed. The introduction of web servers was undoubtedly a game-changer.

Typically, utilizing a supercomputer to establish a website was necessary. Otherwise, high traffic could lead to delays. Unfortunately, supercomputers are costly, making them unattainable for most companies! A supercomputer can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the pricier options can even run into the hundreds of millions.

"Some of you may be wondering about the price of our web server. I assure you it is far cheaper than the supercomputers currently on the market! Now, let me reveal the price: it's only one hundred thousand dollars! You heard that right: just $100,000! For this price, you can own a web server comparable to a supercomputer! So, if you are looking to build a website, please consider purchasing a web server!"

"In addition, our company will establish a server hosting department to provide hosting services for major websites, allowing you to rent our web servers. And the hosting fee is very reasonable, only $2,500 per month!"

Finally, Bob exclaimed, "Noah's Ark is here; please buy tickets on our website!" to conclude the product launch.

After the press conference, three companies placed orders for Web Ark One, while five additional companies signed up for hosting services. In the following month, inquiries flooded the company daily. While the number of web servers sold wasn't massive, over 20 websites sought hosting arrangements.

On November 31, 1987, the global website count exceeded 10,000!

According to domain name management statistics, the number of registered domain names had crossed the 10,000 threshold, and the number of websites would soon follow suit! Even if only one-fifth of those websites opted for Noah's Ark hosting, the company stood to gain significantly!

Typically, those purchasing servers were well-funded companies, but many companies lacked the necessary funds. In the realm of the internet, approximately 20% of businesses buy their own servers, while 80% utilize dedicated hosting agencies. This statistic indicates that the hosting market remains vast! Even if Noah's Ark focuses solely on selling servers, it might not yield significant earnings initially. The hosting business, while offering lower immediate profits, has the potential for long-lasting income.

To facilitate Noah's Ark's rapid growth, Nicholas Group and Cisco conducted a second round of financing, jointly investing $10 million. Noah's Ark planned to establish over a dozen substations across the United States, with each station housing a custody database, accommodating ten web servers per hosting library. For websites with low traffic, one server is typically sufficient to manage eight or nine; however, it's best for a hosting library to limit its websites to less than fifty. Having more might not overload the server, but could result in network congestion leading to significant delays on the websites!

Fortunately, the National Science Foundation Network had begun to enhance its speed. Within a year or two, network speeds could improve dramatically! When that happens, Noah's Ark is sure to experience explosive growth.

Henry envisioned that with the successful growth of Noah's Ark, they could first deploy cloud storage, cloud computing, and big data. Engaging in custody at this stage would mean possessing external data. While it's unethical to steal data, business ethics often take a backseat. This highlights the unfortunate realities faced by some smaller companies...

Moreover, with the successful development of their web server, they could branch into creating servers for other functions. Established companies like IBM had already made strides with supercomputers and server technology. In Henry's previous life, IBM's servers had continued to impress! Noah's Ark had a competitive edge—IBM had yet to enter the server industry, and Noah's Ark was eager to seize the market and strive to become the world's preeminent server company!