WAN

acronym (Science and Technology) Short for wide area network, a computer network (see networkÜ) in which computers over a wide area are enabled to communicate and share resources. Etymology: The initial letters of Wide Area Network. History and Usage: The wide area network was developed in the early eighties to perform a similar function to the local area network (or LAN) but over longer communication links. WAN seems to have been used almost immediately as a pronounceable acronym, probably under the influence of the pre-existence of LAN. A 'WAN'--wide area network--facility so that your organisation can talk to the computers of other organisations. Your Business Mar. 1986, p. 47 One only has to have lived through a few disasters to know that an effective network management system can quite literally be worth as much as the network itself. This is why the transition to a corporatewide, LAN/WAN network can leave many LAN administrators feeling like they're living their worst nightmare. InfoWorld 14 Jan. 1991, Enterprise Computing Supplement, p. 6