A look back on tech
As we step into 2025, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at how far technology has come since our humble beginnings in 1998. So take a walk down the 26 year memory lane with us.
The year was 1998…
It all started in 1998, when our founder, Andrew Michael, maxed out his mum’s credit card to create his own hosting service for his A-Level project. And thus began Fasthosts.
And while that was going on, another young entrepreneur was creating the search engine we all know and love – Google. Although, did you know it wasn’t always called that? In fact, Google was originally titled ‘Backrub’! Not quite as catchy, so we’re glad they changed it.
In fact, the world of computing was on fire in 1998, as the iMac was launched, as well as the beloved Windows 98 and the Gameboy Colour! We were in good company in our founding year.
Welcome to the 2000s
Enter the year 2000s, the era of low rise jeans, the Motorola Razr and Blockbuster. And while we probably weren’t rocking the Y2K fashion quite as hard as Paris Hilton, we were making waves in the tech community.
In 2000, we opened our first HQ in Gloucester, finding our home in the heart of the bustling city. In that same year, PlayStation 2 arrived on shelves, giving us something to chat about on our lunch breaks!
Then, in 2001, we cut the ribbon on another key pillar of our history – our first data centre! This was also situated in Gloucester, bringing our customers the high-performing, reliable services they deserved, right on our doorstep.
And while we were opening buildings, another tech whizz (Bill Gates) launched the beloved Windows XP, with a screensaver that will be remembered fondly for years to come. Their campaign ‘Yes You Can’ aimed to show off the platform's capabilities and demonstrate that users could do just about anything.
Speaking of Microsoft, in 2003 we became the first provider to support Microsoft’s .NET Framework 1.1 in the UK. Some of you may remember this as the year that the great iOS vs. Android debate began, as Android Inc. first came to fruition in 2003. Little did we know how hotly debated the operating system would become!
Rounding out the 2000s, in 2005 we launched our Dedicated Server range. This meant big things for our customers who required more storage, more performance and some seriously impressive hardware. We’re now proud to boast a huge range of Dedicated Server options, including variations for both Intel and AMD.
And the fun didn’t stop there, as in 2006 we were acquired by United Internet, one of the world’s largest hosting groups. Not only did this strengthen our market-leading position, but it also enabled us to create a relationship that would see us through the years to come.
Okay, that’s enough about us – what else was happening in 2005 and 2006? We’re glad you asked! Not long after competitor Android was founded, tech giant Apple released a product that would change the way we listen to music forever. Or at least for a year until they made a new one. We’re of course talking about the iPod Nano! Originally released in only two colours (black and silver) the iPod Nano would go on to become a highly sought after Christmas present on the top of every kid’s list.
The following year, in 2006, something that wouldn’t necessarily change the course of history but would change your dad’s bank balance made its way into living rooms across the globe. The Blu-ray disc aimed to revolutionise the DVD format, offering high definition movie nights to every family with a Blu-ray player. Unfortunately it wasn’t the global phenomenon that it hoped to be, as DVDs quickly fell out of favour, taken over by streaming platforms.
The dawn of Instagram
A sentence that sends fear into the hearts of parents and guardians across the globe – that’s right, Instagram has arrived. Meet the 2010s, where One Direction were plastered on teenagers bedroom walls, moustaches were the fashion trend of the time and it was rare to see someone not wearing Ugg boots or a pair of neon sunglasses.
So while we may or may not have been hitting the dancefloor to Kesha’s Tik Tok, we were winning Microsoft Hosting Partner of the year!
The wins kept coming, as the following year in 2012 we registered our 10 millionth domain. Google was having its own year of success, with the release of the first variation of Google Glass. This would pave the way for several iterations of the product, like Ray-Ban’s Meta Wayfarers just this year!
Not wanting to be left behind in the growing area of tech advancements, in 2014 we launched our Cloud Server platform. This was a global first, and a big achievement for us as a growing hosting provider. And to give us an extra hand with our shopping habits, Apple launched Apple Pay, with a spend limit of £20 per transaction! Just a slight difference to the £100 limit now.
2018 was a big year for us, as we celebrated our 20th birthday! We’d come so far since our humble beginnings as an A-Level project, to now launching our own range of Bare Metal Servers. These provided our customers with the same incredible resources as our Dedicated Servers, except with flexible billing.
And the following year, we became the first UK provider of Microsoft Exchange 2019 email – an incredible way to close out the 2010s.
The rise of streaming, Zoom and deep fakes
And now here we are, the 2020s! What a decade it’s been so far.
Although we don’t like to think about it, 2020 was a rollercoaster of a year. Covid-19 hit us all in various ways, but we wanted to make sure our colleagues were safe and well, looking after themselves while they worked from home. And when things opened up again, we found that the hybrid working format was so popular, we implemented it into our every day, allowing staff to work in the office or at home.
Despite this, Samsung dropped a bombshell on our shelves, as the Samsung Fold and Flip landed. Although there were some teething problems – creases in the screens being the main complaint – they seemed to crack the formula and go on to develop new versions of the devices in the years to come.
2021 was off to a better start. With Covid still looming, we decided not to let it get us down and started our Partner Network. This was an opportunity for customers to join a community of other like-minded businesses and individuals, supporting each other in creating and maintaining their online presence.
But that wasn’t all! In 2021, we also launched our next-gen WordPress hosting platform. This gave our customers a new way to start their online journey and get seen by customers, visitors and potential clients.
This was a busy year in the tech world too – with Metaverse coming into the world, as well as NFTs. Although at the time we didn’t know it, the Metaverse would go on to shape how we interacted online with others, and will likely continue to do so long past the 2020s!
The next year, 2022, was also a huge year for us and in the wider tech space. While we were opening our state-of-the-art data centre in Worcester, a new AI chatbot entered the scene – ChatGPT. And while we’re still getting used to developments in AI, trying to keep up with the ever changing environment, ChatGPT definitely laid the foundations for what was and is to come.
Another big birthday! Our 25th birthday in 2023 gave us the chance to get together, have a party and create some awesome merch to commemorate the occasion. We also welcomed Pip, our AI Domain Name Generator, to help inspire customers to find their perfect domain.
And we only continued to grow, with the launch of our next generation VPS in 2024, as well as a new set of AMD servers towards the end of the year.
In December, we moved into our new office, situated in the heart of Gloucester, giving us a brand new working environment, as well as the exciting arrival of our General Manager, Rupert Bedell.
Looking to the future
As we move into 2025, following the growth of AI, cloud computing and keeping up with the latest trends in tech, we can’t wait to see what our future holds. We plan to continue to bring high-performing, reliable services and products to our customers over the coming years and beyond, in whatever format that might look like. So come along with us!
If you’d like to keep up with everything we have going on, head over to our socials, where we give you all the latest updates, tech advice, blog posts and more! Find us at Fasthosts on all platforms.
For more fun posts and retro tech, why not check out our Pinterest? We've got a board for every occasion – whether you're looking for tips on registering a domain, or wondering what WordPress theme you should use. Give us a follow!
And if you fancy a chat, our teams are available 24/7 to help. Give us a call on 0800 0612 153 or message via live chat.