Keynote Simplifies Web Transaction Measurement and Management With Transaction Perspective 3.0
Self-Service Recorder is Fast and Easy to Use; In-Depth Error Diagnostics For Immediate and Accurate Root Cause Analysis
San Mateo, California, December 3, 2001 - Keynote Systems (Nasdaq:KEYN), the Internet Performance Authority®, today announced Transaction Perspective Version 3.0, which simplifies and provides greater control and accuracy measuring the performance and identifying the root cause of problems affecting multi-step, interactive Web-based transactions, such as online purchases and stock transactions.
With Transaction Perspective 3.0, IT managers and Web site operators can reduce lost revenue due to transaction abandonment; assure end users are able to complete critical transactions; understand the impact of Internet latency on performance and revenue; and diagnose the root cause of problems more efficiently, whether on the network, at the backend, or in page components – now from locations worldwide as well as in the U.S.
Keynote Transaction Perspective 3.0 introduces: a new, easy-to-use self-service recorder so that customers can automatically script and record the transactions to be measured themselves, providing greater control and making transaction measurement easier and faster; instant automated error graphs and page level breakdowns that increase the range and granularity of error messages for faster root cause analysis (including page download, connection timeout, and other metrics by region and backbone); on-demand traceroutes for fast problem resolution.
The service provides transaction measurements over all the major backbones, and includes individual page results plus overall results for all pages in the transaction. In addition, the new recorder can be used as a quality assurance tool to test the transaction prior to deployment across Keynote`s measurement network, indicating Missing Keyword errors, total page timings, etc.
Zona Research, in its "Need for Speed II" report issued in May, 2001, calculated that $25 billion in Web business is lost annually due to poor transaction performance. The report, based in part on transaction performance data provided by Keynote, studied the economic impact of Web performance and abandonment of multi-page transactions, and cites Savoia`s Law, which states that users abandon sites based upon demerits, or "dissatisfiers," accumulated as users wait beyond their patience threshold. Zona`s report observes that consumer Web sites, particularly retail sites, have actually increased latency times, or user wait, by over 20% over the past year, based in part on heavy graphics and dynamic banner ads. It concludes that transactional latencies will eventually become the dominant factor in Web site abandonment.
Keynote`s transaction measurement results for the current online holiday shopping season, underscore the wide variance in performance for the same transaction on different sites: ranging from 3.64 seconds for a three-page search for an item of apparel on jcpenney.com, to 13.69 seconds on PacificSunwear.com, which is slower than the same transaction, done in five pages, on Talbots.com, averaging 9.64 seconds. It is apparent that transaction performance has little to do with the number of pages in the transaction.
"Performance measurements for transactions need to capture the complexity of multiple pages, yet the measurement process itself needs to be fast and simple," said Roopak Patel, product manager for Keynote`s Transaction Perspective service. "IT managers need instant and accurate error detection, with the ability to pinpoint problems to individual pages. Keynote`s transaction service gives IT greater control and swifter problem resolution to maximize Web-based transactions."
Keynote Transaction Perspective 3.0 creates an extensible platform built on the most current technologies. The new version is based on Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and the document object model (DOM), the most advanced method for scripting created by the World Wide Web Consortium, giving customers greater flexibility when sites change and creating a platform for new functionality in the future.
More About Keynote Transaction Perspective 3.0
Transaction Perspective measures transactions as recorded by the customer, from the time a user from his keyboard requests a page to be downloaded, through all the steps and pages required for the desired transaction, whether it`s searching for or purchasing an item or buying a stock. To use Transaction Perspective, customers download the Transaction Recorder from Keynote`s Web site; record and edit the transaction to be measured; submit the recording to Keynote to be deployed across the company`s measurement network, and within 24 hours can start accessing the results from their account using the MyKeynote browser-based interface.
Transaction Perspective measures all types of complex transactions including JavaScript, secure pages and logins, cookies and nested frames. Every transaction measures the complete business process and reports page-specific metrics to diagnose performance-related problems with greater accuracy. Page components measured include: DNS Time; Time to Opening Page (including network connection setup time, redirection time, SSL session setup time, and page download time prior to browser rendering of the page); and Content Download, executed for all pages in the transaction.
Keynote Transaction Perspective maximizes diagnostic accuracy by now identifying at least 33 error categories, with an extensive Web-layer error reporting capability that includes: HTTP errors, Cannot Find Server or DNS, Navigation Failed, Connection Errors, Page Timeout Exceeded, Error Page Found, and Missing Keyword, that validates that the proper pages load. Additional errors include a wide variety of DNS failures (including host and client errors), missing elements, unauthorized user identification, etc.
Transaction Perspective measurements can be taken from Keynote`s distributed measurement network from as many as 25 major metropolitan areas in the U.S., as well as from several international locations on Keynote`s worldwide network, with results covering a broad backbone representation.
Customers can set alarms to be notified by e-mail or pager when thresholds are exceeded; customize reports analyzing and charting the results and errors; and compare the performance of their pages and transactions against benchmark indexes produced by Keynote. Transaction Perspective can be combined with Keynote`s Advanced Diagnostics to pinpoint performance bottlenecks, track content problems and identify a slow server or hosting facility using parallel traceroutes and other tools; as well as with Keynote Desktop Analyzer to perform fast, in-depth analysis and reporting from data imported immediately to the desktop for analysis on the customer`s local system.
Additional information can be found at http://www.keynote.com/solutions/html/transaction_perspective.html.
Availability and Pricing
Keynote Transaction Perspective 3.0 is available immediately. Pricing starts at $995.00/month/URL for measurements taken from 10 major cities in the U.S., and is also available from 25 U.S. locations, as well as from Europe and worldwide.
About Keynote
Keynote Systems (Nasdaq "KEYN"), The Internet Performance Authority®, is the worldwide leader in Internet performance services that improve the quality of e-business. Keynote`s services enable corporate enterprises to benchmark, test and manage their e-business applications both inside and outside the firewall. By improving the quality of their e-business, companies reduce costs, gain operational efficiency, protect and grow revenue and stay ahead of the competition. More than 2,900 corporate IT departments, Web hosting companies and Internet service and content delivery providers around the world have implemented the company`s easy-to-use and cost-effective services.
Keynote Systems, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in San Mateo, California. The company can be reached at www.keynote.com or by phone in the U.S. at 650-403-2400.
© 2000 Keynote Systems. The Internet Performance Authority is a registered trademark of Keynote in the United States and/or other countries. Transaction Perspective is a trademark of Keynote.
Editorial Contacts:
Della Lowe, Keynote, (650) 403-3233, dlowe@keynote.com
Mary Lindsay, Lindsay PR, for Keynote (408) 984-7242, mary@lindsaypr.com
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