Dedicated Server Line Expands at The Planet, with Ready To Go Solutions (Hosted Groupware by Inftek Hosting)

Dedicated Server Line Expands at The Planet, with Ready To Go Solutions

Houston, Texas - (The Hosting News) - July 18, 2008 - The Planet privately held dedicated hosting company, has released a new addition to its line of Ready To Go Servers, with the Xeon 3210-SAS, equipped with a 146GB hard drive and 2GB RAM.

Now available in one hour as one of Planet Alpha’s Ready To Go Servers, the Xeon 3210-SAS is also including the latest version of the CentOS-5 operating system on all Ready To Go Servers at no additional cost. Further, customers now also have the option to run their boxes with or without the cPanel-brand control panel.

Urvish Vashi, Director of Product Management noted, ”Our rapid server-provisioning time is one of the chief reasons people choose The Planet for their hosting solutions. The combination of our vast inventory and automated provisioning system allows us to make servers available in just one hour. By expanding our line of popular Ready To Go Servers, our customers have even more options when they require a high-performance box that must be up-and-running quickly.”

In addition to the Xeon 3210-SAS, select Ready To Go Servers include the Xeon 3040-SATA and Xeon 3210-SATA, the Dual Opteron 265-SATA and Dual Xeon 2.8 IDE. Servers are priced from $149 per month.

Ultimately, The Planet endeavors to provide the following:

• High level of network capacity and speed to deliver peak performance
• Instant scalability to handle even the largest spikes in network traffic
• Parallel, redundant, multi-tiered network routing and switching architecture to assure reliability and stability
• Multiple layer network security that prevents Delayed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks from harming businesses
• Knowledgeable experts with a passion for excellence and a commitment to operate the best networks in the business

The Planet is a leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 22,000 small and medium size businesses and 6.7 million web sites worldwide, using the best choice of servers, software tools and support, backed by state-of-the-art facilities and network connectivity.

To learn more the new offering, please visit: www.theplanet.com/servers.

For more information about The Planet, please visit: www.theplanet.com.

Web Hosting Plesk Control Panel and Power Pack, Debuts from Parallels, PEER 1

Renton, Washington - (The Hosting News) - July 21, 2008 - Server virtualization, automation and software provider, Parallels, has launched with PEER 1, an offering for hosting providers including the Parallels Plesk Control Panel and Power Pack.

The new offering is designed to give hosters the ability to quickly, cost-effectively and securely deploy popular interactive web applications to customers. PEER 1 has reported that over 500 of its 4,000 Parallels Plesk Control Panel customers are utilizing the Power Pack, with more subscribers each day.

Parallels Plesk Power Pack gives hosting service providers and their customers the tools needed to install and configure popular web applications. With the Plesk Power Pack, customers can easily design more functional and advanced websites with feature-rich content and powerful applications. Parallels Plesk Power Pack which includes the Application Vault for SaaS applications, offers customers an integrated package of tools to automate the application deployment process, reduce support costs and increase revenue.

The Power Pack includes an application bundle of SpamAssassin, Application Pack, Helpdesk, Tomcat, ColdFusion, and MSSQL Add-Ons. Additionally, hosting service providers can use the APS Catalog, an inventory of applications attached to the Application Packaging Standard (APS), to provide up to 164 additional applications via the Application Vault.

Tim Varma, Director of Product Management of PEER 1 noted, ”Including the Plesk Power Pack with our Parallels Plesk Control Panel offerings has given our managed and self-managed customers access to several beneficial applications. By offering the Power Pack, we have expanded our service offerings and will see continued growth as our customers realize the value of the applications.”

Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels remarked, ”Our Power Pack solution enables companies to offer multi-tiered hosting packages at the same time giving customers more options and easy access to advanced web applications. The Parallels Plesk Control Panel is a significant breakthrough in automated hosting technology because it gives hosting service providers the ability to take their businesses to the next-level.”

PEER 1 has used Parallels Plesk Control Panel for its managed, dedicated and self-managed server customers since 2001. PEER 1 is one of the only hosting companies offering all three types of web hosting services under one roof: self-managed, managed and colocation. These extensive services are supported by PEER 1’s world class, geographically-diverse network, which includes 17 data centers and Points-of-Presence (POPs) in major cities across North America and Europe.

PEER 1, a leading online IT infrastructure provider, believes in the limitless opportunity of the Internet and the business growth and continuity it provides for its more than 10,000 customers. PEER 1 delivers highly scalable managed hosting and co-location solutions, and self-managed hosting through its ServerBeach brand, to ensure customers’ online presence is always fast, always available. Serving a variety of companies, PEER 1 offers solutions that grow through every stage of web commerce, regardless of company size. The company’s headquarters are in Vancouver, Canada and the stock is traded on the TSX under the symbol PIX. For more information visit: www.peer1.com and www.serverbeach.com.

Parallels (formerly SWsoft) is a worldwide leader in virtualization and automation software that optimizes computing for consumers, businesses, and service providers across all major hardware, operating system, and virtualization platforms. Founded in 1999, Parallels is a fast-growing company with 900 employees in North America, Europe, and Asia.

To learn more about Parallels, please visit: www.parallels.com.

Verio Web Hosting Provider, Enhances Small Business Hosting Solutions

Centennial, Colorado - (The Hosting News) - July 21, 2008 - Web hosting, managed services and applications provider, Verio, Inc., is making available to existing and new small and home business users of NTT Plala Inc., Verio’s extensive hosting plan offerings.

Kiyoshi Maeda, President and Chief Executive Officer for Verio noted, ”With the support of NTT Plala Inc., Verio has gained a significant footprint in the Japanese market. Verio is now able to further build its small and home business user base, a rapidly growing global segment. NTT Plala Inc. can now meet customers’ needs for high- and low-end pricing options based on functionality requirements and, with Verio’s award-winning quality standards, also surpass the high service level expectations in the Japanese market.”

NTT Plala Inc., a Japanese Internet service provider (ISP), will migrate over 95 percent of its small and home business users from NTT Plala Inc.’s existing MultiStage platform to Verio’s shared hosting platform, affording customers a mid-priced solution designed specifically for these growing businesses. Additionally, select NTT Plala Inc. customers will move to NTT Plala Inc.’s new product line, Business Server-Standard with Virtual Private Server (VPS), built on Verio VPS technology.

With a significant portion of its customers in the Japanese small and home user space, NTT Plala Inc. was looking to include hosting plans that would offer advanced features at affordable price points for customers that were reliant on the web for business growth. Verio’s shared hosting platform presents a variety of pricing options based on enhanced features and functionality. These plans are designed for higher security and an enhanced online user experience. Additionally, NTT Plala Inc. can easily migrate both simple site and complex solutions users while providing access to Verio’s state-of-the-art data centers and support by Verio’s global Tier-1 network.

In addition to rich feature choices and easy modification, Verio’s hosting plans allow NTT Plala Inc. to manage accounts through control panels and to private label the service. The control panel enables NTT Plala Inc.’s customer service teams to upload and modify content, increase disk space, add users, change features, add/delete e-mail and FTP users, restore files, access usage statistics, and more.

Established in 1995, NTT Plala Inc.’s ISP services were subscribed to by 2.56 million customers at the end of 2007. In addition to Internet connection and various security services, the company provides IP telephony services and broadband video distribution services via its in-house system infrastructure. NTT Plala Inc. leads the industry by deploying services that anticipate customer needs as it aims to evolve from an ISP to a BSP (broadband service provider).

Verio Inc. is a provider of hosting and managed services for small and midmarket companies and partners worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT America, US subsidiary of NTT Communications, which provides complementary global network access reaching over 200 countries worldwide. The company offers businesses a range of Internet services, including web hosting, managed services and value-added professional service offerings. Verio supports its operations with scalable global infrastructure and systems including the NTT Communications Global IP Network, and provides business solutions to customers and partners in more than 146 countries.

For more information about NTT Plala Inc., please visit: http://biz.plala.or.jp.

To learn more about Verio, please visit: www.verio.com.

Dedicated Server Management Plans, Provided by Cirrus Tech

Markham, Canada - (The Hosting News) - July 21, 2008 - Web hosting provider, Cirrus Tech, has developed new offerings for dedicated server clients desiring to access additional support, with its Server Management Plans.

The plans are designed to offer clients server management services, such as managed backups and OS security updates, which are not available with the basic support level that is included with all Cirrus Tech dedicated server plans.

While a client may require the resources of a dedicated server, the management aspects inherent in a stand-alone dedicated server deter some clients from choosing this hosting option. Cirrus Tech’s Server Management Plans aims to relieve some of the technical demands of owning a dedicated server. Cirrus Tech’s Server Management Plans can be added to any existing or new dedicated server package.

By handling routine server management tasks, clients can focus on their core business. In addition, with a dedicated amount of support time included in each plan, clients can request assistance or have our technicians perform tasks that are normally not within the scope of a self-managed server. From simple tasks such as setting up a new email account to critical server management tasks such as performing OS updates, clients can experience the peace of mind of having a Cirrus Tech technician looking after their server.

Some of the services included in Cirrus Tech’s Server Management Plans are:

Installation, configuration, and troubleshooting of supported software applications
Email set-up and management
Domain set-up and management
Resource monitoring
Firewall management
OS security updates

Cirrus Tech Ltd. has been actively promoting its services to the hosting industry since 1999. The company has focused on 24/7 tech support, value added services and a cooperative attitude towards all its clients. Cirrus is now one of Canada’s largest Web Hosting companies and is a leading provider of comprehensive Internet services. Cirrus provides locally based sales and engineering support for its Internet services in Toronto, Canada, and offers Web hosting services to customers in many countries.

Cirrus Tech Ltd. is one of Canada’s largest web hosting companies and is a leading provider of comprehensive Internet services. Cirrus provides locally based sales and engineering support for its Internet services in Toronto, Canada, and offers web hosting services to customers in many countries.

To learn more, please visit: www.cirrushosting.com.

LeaseWeb, Web Hosting Provider, Adopts NetApp SOD Platform

Amsterdam, The Netherlands - (The Hosting News) - July 18, 2008 - International business hosting services firm, LeaseWeb, has made a decision to use a FAS 3040HA mid-range platform by NetApp so that it will be able to offer its customers a complete storage-on-demand (SOD) solution.

LeaseWeb currently hosts more than 11,000 servers in the Netherlands, divided over four data centers. In order to offer its customers additional storage services, the Netherlands’ fastest-growing hosting provider ordered the design of a shared and virtual storage platform.

Ruud Mous, Sales Director at LeaseWeb noted, ”This platform will allow us to offer several new hosted services, including managed back-up, archiving, disaster recovery, replication and deduplication.”

The corporate hosting provider compared storage platforms of several providers and eventually decided on the FAS 3040HA mid-range platform by NetApp. The choice was based on the scalability and uniformity of the platform as well as its possibilities for further expansion.

A component of the unified NetApp architecture, the FAS 3040HA platform supports servers as well as FC SAN, IP SAN and multiple network configurations. The platform is also easily scalable to powerful systems without any special data migration being required.

Mr. Mous added, ”In the future, it will be possible to scale the platform to more than one petabyte. NetApp helped us to implement the platform in a quick manner and they also provide SE support. Thanks to NetApp, we will succeed in reducing our operational expenses. And by combining the platform with VMware solutions, we achieve many benefits from virtualization.”

Recently, LeaseWeb was granted ISO certification for information security, through an IT Audit. Risk management within LeaseWeb was a security aspect that Noordbeek IT Audit included in its assessment.

The ISO 27001 certification offers security for LeaseWeb’s larger corporate customers, and also for e-commerce sites. Con Zwinkels, Managing Director at LeaseWeb added, ”Corporate website hosting requires a structured and secure approach from a hosting provider, through fixed procedures.”

ISO 27001 is a continuous process, and LeaseWeb will be audited according to ISO standards annually. Mr. Zwinkels added, ”Continuity is extremely important in the assessment according to this ISO standard. It guarantees our customers professional hosting, and gives them the security that their hosting is and will continue to be professionally organized.”

NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that will help you to achieve breakthroughs and realize extraordinary cost savings.

LeaseWeb is an international supplier of hosting products and services that specializes in both Microsoft and Linux, and focuses primarily on the professional market. The company is among the top 20 hosting providers in the world and provides services such as web hosting, dedicated hosting, colocated hosting, VPS and streaming, as well as technical support. LeaseWeb owns a Cisco-powered network offering a bandwidth of over 210 Gbps, which extends across five data centers in the Amsterdam region via the major telecom carriers. LeaseWeb is also present on Internet exchanges in Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Frankfurt, New York, Vienna , Stockholm, Warsaw, Zurich, Prague and Madrid. Founded in 1997, hosting provider LeaseWeb now manages 11,000 servers. Its customers include Starbucks, Hyves, Telegraaf Media Groep, Koninklijke Joh. Ensched, PricewaterhouseCoopers, AVRO, Direct Wonen, and University.

For more information about NetApp, please visit: www.netapp.com.

To learn more, please visit: www.leaseweb.com.

New App Store offers addictive fun
So far as Ed Baig (usatoday.com) is concerned, “the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch” is “the killer app many of us expected,” an application that “turns the iPhone into an important new computing platform.” In his review, Baig takes a look at some of the apps — Pandora, AOL Radio, Super Monkey Ball, MooCowMusic: Band, Etch A Sketch, and five others — that can make “you feel like a kid in a toy store.”