- Application
- Border Gateway Protocol
- Cloud
- Connectivity
- Cybersecurity
- Domain Name System
- Enterprise
- Interconnection
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Who is Internet?
The Internet is a global, packet-switched network of independently administered networks that exchange data using the Internet Protocol suite (TCP/IP), coordinated through distributed routing, addressing, and naming systems.
- Global interconnection of autonomous networks through BGP-based inter-domain routing
- IP addressing and naming services, including DNS and IPv4/IPv6 address allocation
- Transport and application protocols, including TCP, UDP, HTTP, and TLS
- Internet exchange points, transit, and peering infrastructure
- Standards development and multistakeholder governance through bodies such as the IETF and ICANN
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More About Internet
The Internet operates as a decentralized system in which independently administered networks, known as autonomous systems, interconnect to carry traffic end to end. In enterprise environments, its services are consumed through managed connectivity, cloud access, software-as-a-service delivery, and private interconnection with carriers and internet service providers. Organizations typically design around it using redundant transit, diverse peering, and encrypted tunnels to meet availability and security requirements.
Architecturally, the Internet is built on the TCP/IP protocol suite, with IP providing best-effort packet delivery and TCP or UDP providing transport semantics. Border Gateway Protocol governs inter-domain routing between autonomous systems, while the Domain Name System maps human-readable names to network resources. Transport security relies on Transport Layer Security, and addressing continues to move from IPv4 toward IPv6 adoption. These protocols are specified through the Request for Comments series maintained under the Internet Engineering Task Force process.
Comparisons are most useful at the level of network models rather than single vendors. Private wide area networks, multiprotocol label switching services, and software-defined wide area networking often run over Internet transport, adding policy, performance guarantees, or segmentation that the public Internet does not provide natively. Enterprises therefore treat the Internet as a shared transport layer and apply access, routing, and security controls above it.
The business and technical significance of the Internet lies in its role as the common substrate for digital commerce, communications, and cloud computing. Its governance is distributed: ICANN coordinates domain name and IP address policy, regional registries allocate address resources, and standards bodies publish protocol specifications. Within current information technology areas, the Internet is associated with networking, internet services and infrastructure, and cybersecurity, reflecting how enterprises consume and secure its services today.
Our description of Internet. Updated October 2026.