Digex
Encyclopedia
DIGEX was an early provider of Internet services
in the United States
credited with creating the "managed hosting" business. Its corporate predecessor, Digital Express Group, and then DIGEX provided dialup "Public Access Unix
" shell account
s in the Baltimore-Washington region beginning in the fall of 1991.
Digital Express Group, and thus DIGEX, was started by Doug Humphrey and Mike Doughney, in the basement of Mr. Humphrey's town house in Greenbelt, Maryland
, in a fairly classic "Internet Startup" mode, offering dial-up access to the early Internet environment. DIGEX was a very early, if not the earliest, provider of "hosting" services, which would grow to dominate the company operations.
By 1992 DIGEX had moved its base operations to above the Beijing Chinese Restaurant in Greenbelt, Maryland. With a team of hard working individuals the company grew to serve Dial-Up access in several regions including Atlantic City, NJ and Tappahannock, VA as well as built the very first known web hosting farm. By 1993 DIGEX had swelled again and needed to move to 6800 Virginia Manor Road in Beltsville, MD, continuing the trek of one of the only companies to IPO three times under the same name. The company grew early by offering enterprise web hosting services and Internet connectivity for businesses and government. Early investors included Grotech Capital and Venrock Associates
. The company was first acquired by Intermedia Communications, a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier based in Tampa, Fl.
In 1999, the enterprise hosting operations of Intermedia were carved out into a separate entity that operated as Digex. This business grew to over $200 million in revenue in 2000 and raised over $1 billion in two separate public offerings. In 2000, Microsoft Corporation and Compaq Computer Corporation invested $100 million in Digex.
In 2001, WorldCom acquired Intermedia Communications and gained a majority holding in Digex. In 2003, WorldCom (renamed MCI) acquired the remaining public shares of Digex. The company's products have since been renamed under the Verizon brand .
Internet video. In 1995, Digex launched ISP-TV, a network of linked CU-SeeMe
videoconferencing
servers from multiple ISPs to provide for large-audience webcasts. In 1996, ISP-TV began producing original video content in one of the first "cyberstudios" in Laurel, Maryland
. Shows included "Head" (a beer show), "Wired For Cinema" (a movie review show), "Angry Girl" (a talk show hosted by Doug Humphrey's wife) "Meeks Unfiltered" with MSNBC
correspondent Brock Meeks, and "Real Time" a cyber-issue interview show.
Digex also streamed Bud Bowl
during the Super Bowl
for Anheuser-Busch
for two years.
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
credited with creating the "managed hosting" business. Its corporate predecessor, Digital Express Group, and then DIGEX provided dialup "Public Access Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
" shell account
Shell account
A shell account is a user account on a remote server which gives access to a shell via a command-line interface protocol such as telnet or ssh....
s in the Baltimore-Washington region beginning in the fall of 1991.
Digital Express Group, and thus DIGEX, was started by Doug Humphrey and Mike Doughney, in the basement of Mr. Humphrey's town house in Greenbelt, Maryland
Greenbelt, Maryland
Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Contained within today's City of Greenbelt is the historic planned community now known locally as "Old Greenbelt" and designated as the Greenbelt Historic District...
, in a fairly classic "Internet Startup" mode, offering dial-up access to the early Internet environment. DIGEX was a very early, if not the earliest, provider of "hosting" services, which would grow to dominate the company operations.
By 1992 DIGEX had moved its base operations to above the Beijing Chinese Restaurant in Greenbelt, Maryland. With a team of hard working individuals the company grew to serve Dial-Up access in several regions including Atlantic City, NJ and Tappahannock, VA as well as built the very first known web hosting farm. By 1993 DIGEX had swelled again and needed to move to 6800 Virginia Manor Road in Beltsville, MD, continuing the trek of one of the only companies to IPO three times under the same name. The company grew early by offering enterprise web hosting services and Internet connectivity for businesses and government. Early investors included Grotech Capital and Venrock Associates
Venrock Associates
Venrock, a compound of "Venture" and "Rockefeller", is a pioneering venture capital firm formed in 1969 to build upon the successful investing activities of the Rockefeller family that began in the late 1930s. It has offices in Palo Alto, California, New York City, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and...
. The company was first acquired by Intermedia Communications, a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier based in Tampa, Fl.
In 1999, the enterprise hosting operations of Intermedia were carved out into a separate entity that operated as Digex. This business grew to over $200 million in revenue in 2000 and raised over $1 billion in two separate public offerings. In 2000, Microsoft Corporation and Compaq Computer Corporation invested $100 million in Digex.
In 2001, WorldCom acquired Intermedia Communications and gained a majority holding in Digex. In 2003, WorldCom (renamed MCI) acquired the remaining public shares of Digex. The company's products have since been renamed under the Verizon brand .
Video leader
Digex was an early leader in streamingStreaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
Internet video. In 1995, Digex launched ISP-TV, a network of linked CU-SeeMe
CU-SeeMe
CU-SeeMe is an Internet videoconferencing client. CU-SeeMe can make point to point video calls without a server or make multi-point calls through server software first called a "reflector" and later called a "conference server" or Multipoint Control Unit...
videoconferencing
Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference by a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously...
servers from multiple ISPs to provide for large-audience webcasts. In 1996, ISP-TV began producing original video content in one of the first "cyberstudios" in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
. Shows included "Head" (a beer show), "Wired For Cinema" (a movie review show), "Angry Girl" (a talk show hosted by Doug Humphrey's wife) "Meeks Unfiltered" with MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
correspondent Brock Meeks, and "Real Time" a cyber-issue interview show.
Digex also streamed Bud Bowl
Bud Bowl
The Bud Bowl was a stop motion animated Super Bowl advertising campaign first aired in 1989, and sporadically during the 1990s. It served as an advertisement for Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser family of beers. It featured Budweiser bottles playing a football game against Bud Light bottles.-History:Bud...
during the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
for Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
for two years.
External links
- Doughney, Michael, and Digital Express Group, Inc. Digex "Public Access Unix" advertisement posted to Usenet newsgroup dc.general, April, 1992
- Gibbons, Kent. "Above a Greenbelt Chinese eatery is an international Internet menu." The Washington Times, October 25, 1993
- Edwards, Tom. Nobel Prize Speeches on ISP-TV posted to Usenet newsgroup sci.chem, December, 1995.
- Mohney, Doug. ISP-TV Broadcast Schedule posted to Usenet newsgroup alt.politics, November, 1996.
- "DIGEX IPO Plans Stir Debate." Washington Technology, June 27, 1996
- Henry, Shannon. "Intermedia to Swallow Digex." Washington Technology, June 12, 1997
- Pappalardo, Denise. "Digex teams with Compaq and Microsoft to develop ASP services." Network World, January 13, 2000
- Olavsrud, Thor. "WorldCom Acquires Intermedia, Buying Into Digex." internetnews.com, September 5, 2000
- Ross, Patrick. "WorldCom nabs Web site manager with $6 billion buy." CNET News.com, September 5, 2000
- Creed, Adam. "Allegiance Telecom Buys Intermedia Business Internet Arm." Newsbytes News Network, January 4, 2002
- Verizon Communications. "Digex is now part of Verizon Business." Retrieved 2006-11-12.
- Grotech Capital Group. "Our Investments." Retrieved 2006-11-12.
- Venrock Associates. "Past Investments." Retrieved 2006-11-12.