Alibaba.com is providing faster loading for users with caching services from Blue Coat.

The Blue Coat appliances operate in front of Alibaba.com's servers, providing Web security, accommodating large numbers of users and accelerating the delivery of content from the individual servers. Rather than the servers having to re-serve information that it has to create for the same user requests, most of requests are "pre-served" by the ProxySG appliances and delivered to the user without requiring the application server to perform repetitive work.

More than 24 million users from over 200 countries and regions conduct business on Alibaba.com's online platforms. Large amounts of product and demand/supply information are continually posted and searched, resulting in significant workload pressure on the application servers.

"Blue Coat ProxySG appliances help Alibaba.com improve its competitive edge by making dramatic improvements in user response time while serving large numbers of users and providing the security that is so critical for a high profile business," said Matt Young, vice president, Asia Pacific, Blue Coat Systems. "Alibaba.com is a compelling example of the results customers can achieve from ProxySG appliances and the value that brings to important, growing businesses."