SAN MARCOS, Calif., April 8 — Today Susan Estrada joins the elite ranks of notable individuals who have been inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for their significant contributions to the advancement of the global Internet. The Internet Hall of Fame inducted Estrada for her contributions to the early Internet growth.
Estrada has been named a Pioneer, a category that recognizes and celebrates individuals who were instrumental in the early design and development of the Internet. She is the third U.S. woman to be included in this prestigious category and the fourth woman in the world.
Susan founded CERFnet in 1988 while at the San Diego Supercomputer Center on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. CERFnet was one of the original regional IP networks and served the academic and commercial communities in California. As executive director, she took the initial National Science Foundation (NSF) funding ($2.8M) and successfully commercialized the network for both the academic and private sector users, growing from 25 sites to hundreds of sites. CERFnet was notably visible network because Estrada was able to use a small amount of resources to achieve early commercial acceptance of the Internet, leading to the Interop Achievement Award in 1991.
CERFnet developed a number of notable firsts for the Internet including the first deployment of dialup IP, accounting reports for customers, and high quality service with 24/7 monitoring. Through her leadership and collaboration with PSInet and UUnet, Susan helped form the interconnection enabling the first commercial Internet traffic via the Commercial Internet Exchange (CIX). Giving practical advice on getting the best Internet service, Susan wrote one of the first books about the Internet, Connecting to the Internet, An O’Reilly Buyer’s Guide, in August 1993 (a Barnes and Noble bestseller.)
“The 2014 Internet Hall of Fame inductees include extraordinary individuals who have helped shape the global Internet,” noted Internet Society CEO Kathy Brown. “This historic assembly of Internet trailblazers, innovators, and thought-leaders represent many different countries and backgrounds, each with an inspiring story to share. We applaud their achievements and determination to push the boundaries of technological and social innovation to connect the world.”
“People call me an Internet pioneer since I was building Internet infrastructure way before it was “cool,” said Estrada. “But, I like to think of myself as an innovator and collaborator – building the commercial scale Internet that our academic and businesses customers wanted – and they needed much more than 56 kilobits. It was a heady time – we built it right and they certainly did come. One of our earliest commercial customers was a startup named Qualcomm. And we made some bold choices like purchasing equipment from another startup named Cisco – and provided them with a big boost — 10% of their gross revenue for 1988.”
Leading Aldea Communications since 1993, Susan continues her service to the Internet by consulting on Internet infrastructure and investigating technologies and techniques to increase older adult use of the Internet. Throughout her career, she has given back to varied communities through her volunteer work serving organizations such as FirstMile.US, Glenner Memory Care Centers, AARP, San Diego Technology and Aging Coalition, Public Interest Registry (.ORG), US FCC Technological Advisory Council, Pacific Bell/SBC Telecommunications Consumer Advisory Panel, US Federal Networking Council Advisory Committee, Internet Society, Commercial Internet Exchange, Internet Engineering Task Force/Internet Engineering Steering Committee, and Farnet.
Susan was honored at the Internet Society’s 2014 Induction Ceremony on April 8 in Hong Kong. The Internet Hall of Fame induction ceremony can be viewed via live stream: https://new.livestream.com/internetsociety/2014internethalloffame. More details on the 2014 Internet Hall of Fame inductees, including their biographies and photos, can be found at www.internethalloffame.org. You can follow the Internet Hall of Fame on Facebook and on Twitter at @Internet_HOF (#ihof2014).
About Aldea Communications
Aldea Communications (www.aldea.com) is a consulting firm that works with clients to define strategies for Internet infrastructure and Internet users. Our insight and thought leadership tie together critical Internet-oriented project plans and the people and resources needed to deliver them. In particular, Aldea is keenly interested in pioneering ways to make new Internet technologies relevant to the varying needs of divergent communities – rural, older adults, and the disenfranchised.
About the Internet Hall of Fame
The Internet Hall of Fame (www.internethalloffame.org) is a recognition program and virtual museum that celebrates the living history of the Internet and the individuals whose extraordinary contributions have made the Internet, its worldwide availability and use, and its transformative nature possible. The Internet Hall of Fame was launched by the Internet Society in 2012.
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society (www.internetsociety.org) is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership from around the world. With its principled vision and substantial technological foundation, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone.
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Source: Internet Society