A startup, Infinishare Technologies (www.infinishare.net), has introduced "Web-Plus," a novel technology that allows any PC with an Internet connection to function as a Web-server. Until now, only computers with "real" Internet (IP) addresses could function as Web-servers for Web-hosting. The new technology allows home computers or office computers behind firewalls, proxies, NAT routers, etc to Web-host irrespective of the type of Internet connection or network settings.
Resources on these computers can now be accessed with HTTP URLs (Unique Resource Locators) just like any other hosted Web page today. The technology does not require content readers to have any software or plugin installed other than regular Internet Browsers, and therefore provides advantages over P2P or VPN technologies in use today. Moreover, unlike hosting with Web-hosting service providers where the content resides on the storage of the service provider, with Infinishare, it resides on the user computer, and files travel securely end-to-end only when accessed by a reader. Security being a key consideration for typical Business and Home Computer users, Infinishare ensures that only the resources explicitly identified by the user for hosting become available to readers.
Speaking about the innovation, Anand Soman, the company's CEO said that "Infinishare can make any resource or service on any computer uniquely and globally addressable over standard HTTP protocol. Users can also choose to encrypt all data sent from their computers, and have it delivered over secure HTTPS protocol. In a way, this technology increases the size of the World Wide Web because many more computers can now function as Web-hosts, too."
Soman claims there are potentially many applications where their technology can be leveraged, including Remote Monitoring, CRM, Collaborative Tools, Enterprise Reporting, Publishing, Ecommerce sites, auctions, On-line Communities etc. Infinishare's business model is to be a technology provider, licensing the technology for integration and bundling into other applications.
In order to showcase their technology, Infinishare has also released a Web-hosting application that users can use right away to host and share resources from their computers.
About Infinishare Infinishare is based in India, and was started by founders Anand Soman, and Yogesh Chitnis, both of whom returned to India after working for several years in hi-technology companies in the U.S.
