The Beginning of The ASP Evolution | Payment Gateways | Milinx Global Services

We had come far with a focus and a vision. We had built hardware, OS and databases from scratch. A shared application server, user network protocol, universal login to shared user profiles and data with custom applications.

Maynard L. Dokken, Tim Berners-Lee, Marc Andreesen, Scott McNealy, Jim Clark and Larry Ellison were leads in development of these pieces to make it happen. There were many other engineers, developers and entrepreneurs pushing technology, networking and software ever farther. Too many to list. I was so grateful to all.

I had a big picture view, a commercial application service through a network. Sun Microsystems Javabeans, Netscape Crossware and Oracle Cobra were coming clearer into view as solutions to a Universal Application Platform called Milinx. The vision never changed from 1987 to 2002 and we continued our journey to implementation.

The Beginning of The ASP Evolution

The next stage was understanding the corporate marketplace and the weaknesses. It was obvious to me enterprise architecture and applications had security and availability issues. We needed to understand how these enterprises were approaching technology and the market.

As I was working on the plan going forward for our application services I printed boxes of valuable information from Fitch Ratings, S&P & Moody’s. I had notified them by email I was downloading. I learned more than I could have ever anticipated and this was the reason we created AssuredCard to deliver a solution for consumer credit stress. More on that later.

History & Origin of ASP (SaaS) Cloud Computing

Origin of ASP SaaS and ASP PaaS
SuccessInc created an ASP (SaaS) multi-tenant gateway and data repository server in 1987-1988.

Similar event: SAP (Concur) began as a traditional software company in the early 1990s before transitioning to SaaS in 2014.

ASP (SaaS) Vertical
SuccessInc launched the first vertical application called APP1, focusing on employment listings in 1988.

Similar event: From 2013-2016 industry-specific vertical SaaS solutions incorporating PaaS capabilities to enhance customization and integration included Salseforce. Some notable examples of vertical SaaS companies include Veeva (life sciences), Procore (construction), and Clio (legal) in 2019.

ASP (PaaS) Gateway
SuccessInc created APPNET as an ASP (Application Service Provider) SaaS (Software as a Service) Cloud Computing gateway in 1988. This provided a way to route requests for application providers and manage user accounts, data, and settings.

Similar event: the creation of LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) in 1993 by Tim Howes and the launch of Microsoft's Active Directory in 2000. These technologies also provided ways to manage user accounts and access.

Customizable Application Platform
SuccessInc APPNET created framework for customizable Themes or Applications for any market or industry vertical in 1988.

Similar event: Force.com was launched in 2007, enabling customers to build and install apps on Salesforce's architecture.

Shared User Profile and Data Repository Access:
APPNET provided application providers and users access to Themes and Applications with single login user account in 1988.

Similar event: Salesforce's customizable SaaS CRM platform, launched in 2003, incorporated similar concepts of shared user profiles and centralized data repositories. Additionally, the development of technologies like LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) in 1993 and Microsoft's Active Directory in 2000 further contributed to the evolution of shared user profile and data repository systems.

Multi-tenant Architecture
SuccessInc customized Minix OS provided a multi-channel network gateway for access to APPNET server in 1988 for APPNET providers and user accounts.

Similar event: Salesforce transitioned to a full SaaS model in 2003, introducing multi-tenant architecture and launching the Sales Cloud with Force in 2007.

Cloud-like Storage and Access
SuccessInc had a working ASP Software as a Service (SaaS) or ASP Platform as a Service (PaaS) with cloud-like storage with data exchange in 1988.

Similar event: Cloud storage concepts emerged in the early 1960s, but modern implementations came later, with SuccessInc in 1988 and scalable versions with Milinx in 2000 and Amazon S3 in 2006.

We saw things slightly differently. At this time the players working on this solution were SuccessInc, Netscape, Sun Microsystem, and Oracle. We saw delivery of applications through a network and needed to be able to scale both systems and network.

Many things were happening at once:

• Corporate marketplace research
• Technology analysis of weaknesses in the current platforms and who was creating solutions we were not building
• Review release of the Information Security Management Handbook 1992
• Legal and Corporate structure for AssuredCard
• Creating a new database schema and framework for Online CRM & Accounting Applications
• Following the development of C to C++ Classes and new technologies to create API & SDK's for ASP applications

We were the only one looking at the ASP picture including delivering the framework and kits for developers to build applications using our backend service. At that time API (Application Development Interface) and SDK’s (Software Development Kits) with C Client Libraries. We would build the backend service and let developers build their own apps. Later we discovered developers wanted a template so we had to build the beta applications as well.

We had our hands full and more. So we needed to divide our focus into two: SuccessInc (which became Milinx) creation of Beta CRM and accounting applications; and the AssuredCard corporation legal and technology framework for a new credit product.

As we were doing our market research we discovered enterprises including rating agencies had huge security risks and data leaks. There were glaring weakness in the NSFNET wide-area packet switched networks. These enterprises were sharing ports for bandwidth. LAN networks switches were being adopted by network providers without network wide assurance. We needed security for our new company and customers.

To avoid these weaknesses or exploits the AssuredCard network was divided into two segregated systems: Windows NT for corporate communications; and Novell Netware for customer records. It was a temporary solution. We needed a long term solution. That was when AssuredCredit was born to create online security solutions including public user account access. As well SuccessInc had been building ASP CRM and accounting apps to update AssuredCard technology which became useful as Beta Applications for Milinx.

During the development of SuccessInc a pivot was required to have a viable market for our platform that could pay monthly fees to cover T1 Network costs. In that process we realized the credit market seemed to be out of balance. We also had found a weakness in security of credit agencies and notified them we were able to download from their portal all the reports internal and public. It was two discoveries in one.

As a result AssuredCard was launched in "1994-1999" as a service to reduce credit stress related to payments and over the limit fees. We were very cognizant of security issues for customers even though at that time the applications came in by mail. We knew we needed to create a secure backend for registration as well payments. Initially we had implemented what was the best possible structure for security using two separate networks. One with newly released Windows NT which had access to the internet and the other using Novell NetWare which was used for customer accounts accessible by a separate department. We needed to link the two together in a secure manner for updating accounts online to make the operation efficient. AssuredCredit was created for that purpose.

The new AssuredCredit Web Portal was launched in 1997 as an Intranet and launched in 1998 as the Portal for AssuredCard operations including the original ASP CRM and Accounting applications of 1994. It was a  testing ground for the Origins of the Online Hosted eCommerce Payment Gateway released Dec 1998 and launched on a scalable Milinx platform early 1999-2000.

The successor "Hosted" technology used Netscape Crossware and Oracle COBRA technology for the front-end UI. The backend framework and database schema were replicated within the Milinx ASP applications and updated for the new Milinx ASP hosted architecture using SunMicrosystems, Oracle, Cisco and Netscape.

Relational and meta database functionality were added for Milinx miCRM, miCollaboration (sometimes referred to SocialCollab) and the eCommerce application suite using the Oracle Netscape Javabeans architecture and database engine.

The portal was again re-engineered for the Suite of Commerce Applications under Milinx miPortal which included Advanced Search & Merchant Payment Gateway Management within miPay, miBilling and miStore. The new portal also included access to the network, wireless, mobile, and storage applications through the integrated Milinx ASPConnect authorization engine and gateway.

It was developed with the Oracle 8i database engine for hosted services and Javabeans updated layer. The ASP miPortal included 9i updates with a Universal API and toolkit for ASP applications using the Universal Hosted Desktop framework.

The Hosted Data Center Global Architecture enabled 300,000 concurrent connections with 24/7 fail over and 99% uptime guarantee. It also had the highest industry level data and connection security for users and administrators.