For devices that connect directly to the Internet, an international authority named the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is responsible for the distribution of static Internet IP addresses to smaller regional authorities, and in turn, the regional authorities assign those IP addresses to Websites and other devices and services that connect directly to the Internet within that region (IANA, n.d.).

The term static IP address means that the IP address is permanently assigned to that device within the network and no other device will be allowed to use that address.

Only devices that are permanently connected to the Internet need a permanent IP address. A Web server must have a static IP address to ensure that users who want to connect to that server can do so quickly and efficiently. Similarly, routers and servers that provide an Internet connection to computers on a smaller network must also have a static address, so that data requested by a network user can be delivered to the correct user's machine.