Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers

Based out of Ecuador, telecommunications company Telconet recently announced its plan to build two new data centers for technology services. Groundbreaking is expected to begin in September 2011. The company currently boasts one data center in Quito and one in Guayaquil, both are in Ecuador. There is currently a growing demand for available sites for business hosting services and the housing of services.

Three Options

The new location will be a colocation facility with low, medium and high-density options. The facility will also play host to physical servers, server virtualization, networking, virtual storage and processing. The company is attempting to cater to clients attempting to post applications in a private or public cloud. Due to the popularity of cloud hosting, Telconet must offering the service to remain competitive with other hosting providers.

Basics Specifications of the New Data Centers

Additionally, the new data centers will be specifically designed to meet Standard 942-2 TIA. Also, the Uptime Institute will provide Tier ratings of the facilities. Tier ratings are an industry measurement of different aspects of the center. Furthermore, each location will feature 1500 square meters of floor space, all of which will be dedicated to computing. The Quito location will be a Tier III with 180 racks. The Guayaquil facility will be Tier IV and feature 400 racks.

Equipment Providers

GE, Schneider Electric APC and Cisco will be a few of the many providers of equipment which will all be interconnected by a fiber optic network with a maximum transfer rate of 20 Gbps. This speed will certainly enhance available backup options.

External Connections to the World

Each data center will be externally connected to Ecuador and the rest of the world through NAP of the Americas high speed connections which is based out of Miami, Florida. Additional connections will be made through Cloud Latin or Cloud Latin American Internet Peering Group which connects Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

The Growing Demand for Internet Services

With more individuals accessing the Internet on a daily basis, the demand for web hosting services continues to grow. In emerging markets such as South America and China, Internet connectivity is growing a rapid pace. Therefore, website creation and access to websites is also expanding. With the construction of these two new data centers in Ecuador, all South American customers will benefit from the technology.

How to Conduct a Background Check for Web Hosting Providers

With the explosion of web hosting providers emerging advertising free and unlimited features, it’s often a daunting task to opt for a legit provider that actually fulfills its promise to deliver reliable services.  There are several proactive steps that you can take to ensure the web host that has caught your eye is actually worth your time and resources for perusing to manage your web hosting needs including:

• Carbon Dating Web Hosting Services – Ok, not exactly actually carbon dating that goes back over centuries, however, it’s important to perform a WHOIS lookup to obtain information on when the web host was initially purchased and how long it’s been in business.
• Verify the address of the web host. Again this step can be performed by a simple WHOIS lookup to discover the domain name.
• WHOIS Lookup – DNS Stuff grants users access to IP WHOIS lookup.  This step allows you to locate the IP block and which data center is being utilized.  Also use this option to ensure your respective hosting company isn’t in fact hosting a server from a home ISP connection.
• Ping – To assess the time it takes you to access your host simply bring up the DOS, and then type “ping DomainNameofHost”.  In return you’ll receive a specific number which can be compared to various other hosts.   Additionally, it’s possible to inquire from the host to obtain the URL of a test file to verify download speed.
• Monitor traffic and growth potential.  Alexa is a vital tool for keeping track of traffic patterns.  Simply by visiting the website and typing in a specific address, you can easily obtain a general estimate on current and potential future traffic.
• Reviewing older web pages – Wayback Machine is an essential tool for accessing any older web pages from the hosting provider as well as if the domain name was used for other purposes.
• Spam Check – Although it’s rare, but often your hosting provider may be included on a spam list.  It’s very important to check to see if your web host is listed on a spam list, if so, you should opt for another web hosting provider.

While there are numerous of other ways to perform a background check of your own, the above points are excellent suggestions to serve as a general benchmark to weed out the shady web hosts from the more trusty-worthy and reliable web hosting providers.

Summer Web Hosting Coupons

As a global provider of quality shared, VPS, reseller and dedicated servers, Host Color recently announced several new discount codes for money off of web hosting packages. The coupons apply to a variety of hosting products and services including the company’s new 100 Mbps Unmetered plans.

The SUMMERTIME Coupon Code

One such discount coupon code is SUMMERTIME which decreases the price of shared hosting by 25 percent with instant savings upon signup. This coupon applies to “Blog Hosting”, “CMS Hosting”, “Social Web”, “Multiple Domain Hosting” and the “Web Mall” service plans. As a result, the Blog Hosting package is reduced to $2.99/month which is one of the most inexpensive quality blog packages in the industry.

Basic Features of All Packages

All accounts are protected by a RAID 10 configuration. The hard drives feature PHP 5.2.9, Perl 5.8.8 and Python 2.4.3 scripts in addition to Ruby on Rails. Databases include, PostgreSQL 81.18 and Apache 2.2.11.  Furthermore, site owners are given the opportunity to install over 200 Open Source applications such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Zikula, Magento, ZenPhoto, MediaWiki, Elg, Dolphin, MODx and many more through a single click from the control panel.

The Dedicated Server Hosting Discount

Those with high traffic websites that required dedicated hosting can receive up to 12 percent in savings with coupon code MYSERVER. This includes savings on hosting packages Dedicated Start, Dedicated Plus, Dedicated Advance and Dedicated Power. Also, this coupon code will decrease the price of “dedicated 100mbs Unmetered” hosting to $699/month. With this package, customers receive the highest quality bandwidth and a 100 percent uptime guarantee.

Highest Quality Equipment

Host Color boasts that it does not use cheap hardware in its server systems, unlike many other providers. This ensures the greatest amount of uptime and best performance on the web. All dedicated servers feature a Supermicro chassis and motherboards. Hard disk drives are server edition WD RE 3, created for the most demanding enterprise clients.

Host Color Company Information

Located in Delaware, Host Color is hosted out of a brand-new data center in South Bend, Indiana. Due to its location, the facility is strategically located in the Midwest to guarantee the lowest latency to all points in North America. The other data center that hosts European websites is located in Lisbon, Portugal. With the company’s 100 percent uptime guarantee, customers will enjoy blazing fast speeds, a redundant network and low latency.

Web Hosting Pros to Meet at HostingCon 2011

Converging together for the world’s premier web hosting trade show and educational event is an annual practice for the top influencers in the hosting industry. HostingCon is now celebrating it’s 7th annual event and this year’s show promises to be among the best ever. Early indications – such as the fact that the exhibit floor is already 100 percent sold out – point to a vibrant and energized gathering helped by a thriving technology market and the emergence of multiple high profile Cloud hosting products in recent months.

Adding to the considerable experience already gathered together by show organizer’s iNET Interactive is the deep experience in hosting held by the journalists at The WHIR (having been recently acquired by iNET). The coverage of the show should be epic and for those who are considering attending HostingCon 2011, here is a bit more information to help you make up your mind.

First, the particulars. HostingCon 2011 will be held from August 8 through August 10, 2011 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Through June 30th, early bird rates are still in effect. You can save when you register at HostingCon.com (http://www.hostingcon.com/account/register.) Depending on the registration type, you can save up to $200.

Below are the thoughts of a knowledgeable web hosting professional who has extensive experience with HostingCon from year’s past, a sneak peek from the show organizers as well.

As a co-founder of 34SP.com in Manchester, United Kingdom Mr. Daniel Foster has been a regular attendee at HostingCon events since they began. He offers this advice on the show, ”HostingCon is a great event for both those who are in the business of web hosting and also for anyone who sells to or markets hosting companies. If you are a hosting company that is looking to get acquired, there are many business brokers who specialize in hosting properties in attendance. If you are a hardware manufacturer who wishes to sell servers to hosting companies, there are usually at least a thousand representatives of hosting companies at the show. If you are a website developer who is looking for a well supported dedicated server or Cloud hosting solution, you can speak directly with literally dozens of hosting providers at the show and in the exhibit hall. The educational sessions also keep you up to date on the trends in web hosting. For example, there are several sessions this year concerning the Cloud and new opportunities in hosted services. In short, this is the ‘must attend’ event in web hosting.”

Kevin Gold is Director of Marketing with show producers and organizers – iNET Interactive.
In his own words here is what Mr. Gold told us to expect at HostingCon 2011.
”Every year since 2009, the first year HostingCon was produced by iNET Interactive following the acquisition, we have strived to build an even greater experience based upon attendee feedback. HostingCon 2011 is no exception. First, let’s discuss the HostingCon educational program.

This year’s keynotes were selected based on feedback from the 2010 HostingCon attendee surveys. It was clear that the opening keynote needed to be more motivational to help set the stage for the week’s events. Simon Wardley was highly recommended for his passionate, thought-provoking style, and he’s sure to get hosts thinking about their business and excited about the content to come.

The second day keynote with Antonio Piraino from Tier 1 Research will help attendees peer into the future of web hosting, from a point of view driven by data and analysis. This is what HostingCon is all about – helping hosted services professionals create a vision for the future and navigate through the changing environment.

The third day keynote is with Birger Steen, the new CEO of Parallels. Parallels has a vested interest in the success of its hosting partners, so has invested a lot of resources into its role as an advisor. His presentation will offer hosting providers practical, tactical advice on how to compete and succeed.

Within the larger program, this year we have extended the Sales and Marketing track from two days in 2010 to three days. The track is jam-packed with expert Internet marketers, product innovators and sales and customer service strategists. At least 50 percent of the speakers in the Sales and Marketing track are new to HostingCon and come highly qualified from the Internet marketing industry. We have continued adding panel discussions to provide greater topic depth, but this year we have limited panelists per session to a maximum of three. Across all four tracks, the sessions were selected based on attendee and advisory board voting and 2010 attendee feedback. I am extremely excited about the program, and I guarantee our attendees will be too.”

You can also see the show schedule here: http://www.hostingcon.com/account/events/schedule and a speaker list here: http://www.hostingcon.com/account/events/speakers.

For the latest information on HostingCon 2011 or to register for this year’s event – be sure to visit: http://www.hostingcon.com. If you want to see a list of HostingCon 2011 exhibitors please see: http://www.hostingcon.com/account/exhibitors. Another great way to keep up on HostingCon news and events is to check out the HostingCon Twitter feed with the name @hostingcon at: http://twitter.com/#!/hostingcon.

New Facebook Social Media Store

Lyle & Scott recently announced the launch of its first social media eCommerce store. Created by BT Fresca, the new application allows customers to make purchases through Facebook with the Scottish fashion brand. The store was customized to fit the social media while making it easy-to-use. Prior to the launch of the store, the organization’s Facebook Fan Page had 38,000 fans.

The Revamped Website’

The release of this new social media store has been launched in conjunction with Lyle & Scott’s revamped website which has been optimized for mobile use. Also developed by BT Fresca, the site serves more than 53 countries. Also, the design of the website is now suitable for viewing on smartphones with quick and easily-navigable uncluttered pages.

A Statement Lyle & Scott

The head of the eCommerce department at Lyle & Scott released a statement announcing that customers can now easily shop with them no matter their location. The mobile site was the first step and the new Facebook store allows customers to shop without ever leading the social networking site. The company selected BT Fresca because they have supported them with the development and execution of the social media strategy.

Increasing Sales and Experience

Known as transactional social media, this addition to their portfolio should significantly increase sales due to an enhancement in customer’s buying experience. It is also an excellent opportunity to further grow the Lyle & Scott brand. Today’s online shoppers spend more time on Facebook than retail websites. Therefore, it is extremely important for retailers to maintain a specific brand image across all channels of revenue.

Additionally, BT Fresca is providing Lyle & Scott with online marketing services such as email marketing campaigns and traffic analysis. Therefore, they are providing well-rounded support for their product.

Company Information about Lyle & Scott

The Lyle & Scott brand was established in 1874 and features a contemporary look through original and authentic designs. The company is driven by a simple sense of integrity and the highest level of quality. The company was named Drapers’ Young Fashion Brand of the Year 2010 for its high-quality jackets, skirts, knitwear and polo shirts.

This is the beginning of many land-based and online retailers adding a Facebook eCommerce store to their portfolio in order to reach the hundreds of millions of users across the world. In the future, expect to see a variety of new eCommerce pages from some of the most popular brands.

Preventing e-Commerce Shopping Cart Abandonment

While it’s important to direct traffic to your online e-commerce venture in hopes of yielding substantial profits, it’s equally as important to ensure potential customers actually follow through with the online purchase transaction once the selected items placed in a shopping cart are to be processed at the “check out”.

Many online merchants assume that once a potential customer drops an item in a shopping cart that it’s basically a done deal and calculate it prematurely as a finalized transaction.  Recent stats among large online retailers, however, reflect a shopping cart abandonment rate of over 70%.   Not only are these stats troubling to large online ventures, but small online endeavors also feel the financial wrath of shopping cart abandonment issues.

The Indecisive Shopper

Although shopping cart abandonment is among one of the largest marketing hurdles for online retailers to overcome, there are proactive steps online merchants can take to make the checkout process more user-friendly.   Of course there are some influences that are simply beyond their control such as the inevitable event of potential customers changing his or her mind before completing the online transaction.  Unfortunately, this is a factor that is entirely dependent on the customer’s needs as well as a strong marketing strategy to sell a product or service.

Real Time, Real Support

Perhaps the greatest way to prevent shopping cart abandonment is by offering real time customer service support.  Often many customers encounter technical difficulties during the online transaction process.  It’s not only frustrating for customers, but also to online merchants facing the potential of a missed opportunity.  Reliable and efficient customer support is an effective solution to walk customers through the online purchasing transaction should issues arise.  Ideally, live chat and toll-free phone support are the best options to provide immediate assistance to answer questions in real time during the actual transaction.

No Registration Required

As an online merchant, it’s imperative to cater to customers to allow them a quick and easy transaction without first having to register with a website or signup for a newsletter.  While it’s a great way to track visitors and sale leads, for many potential customers it’s an automatic turn-off as they may not have the desire or time required to fill out registration information.  Instead, offer customers the option to make an online transaction as a guest.  Once the customer has completed the information in the purchase transaction, merchants can easily obtain any required details.  Remember time is still an ageless commodity.

Details in the Fine Print

It’s also important to provide visitors with any necessary information clearly visible on the website before customers proceed to check out with their purchase to avoid shopping cart abandonment.   Information such as money back guarantees, exchange and refund policies, shipping and handling fees, privacy policies, applicable state taxes, accepted payment methods and customer support contact information.  By providing the above information posted in conspicuous sections of a website allows customers to make a more informed buying decision before finalizing the transaction.

Pointing the Way

Finally, as a last attempt to prevent shopping cart abandonment, progress indicators that guide customers through the purchase process from adding items to the shopping cart to the final checkout are helpful.   Online merchants should strategically place progress indicators on the top center of checkout pages.  Indicators should be numbered in the order of purchase sequence and highlighted as each step is completed.  Also, customers appreciate the option of being able to return to the previous page without being required to re-enter information.   As a general rule, the entire checkout process shouldn’t exceed three steps to complete the transaction.

An Overview of Cloud Hosting for the Hotel Industry

Cloud hosting is everywhere these days. It is the newest form of web hosting that all industries are attempting to utilize. It is faster and much more efficient than traditional hosting types because of shared resources across many servers. A recent survey revealed that 68 percent of global corporations are planning to adopt a cloud strategy in the near future.

Modern Technological Influence

The issue with cloud hosting is that it is such a new technology, organizations are not sure of how much they should rely on it and are not fully aware of all aspects of the hosting type. In the modern generation of hardware, hardware purchases are much less of an issue than in the past. However, payments to web hosting providers will never end. Therefore, a growing trend amongst large hotel chains is to move to cloud-based hosting.

Advantages of Cloud Hosting

There are many advantages to cloud hosting that hotel chains could benefit from including, lower startup costs, little equipment to purchase, less staff needed for maintenance, no need for future hardware upgrades and increased productivity as a result of streamlined automation of mundane tasks. Furthermore, the fixed-cost advantage does not require the business to purchase any software or subsequent upgrades.

Disadvantages of Cloud Hosting

With all benefits there are several limitations to implementing cloud hosting for a hotel. The greatest hindrance at this juncture in cloud hosting’s short life is security. The system and software is not completely perfected resulting in security exploitations. However, it is improving with new methods of searching for viruses and holes in security coverage throughout entire networks and systems.

Another downside is that monthly hosting costs are never-ending and as bandwidth usage increases so does monthly cost. Additionally, hotel websites would still be subjected to hacker attacks and other outages. Furthermore, occasionally there are poor points of performance and the hotel will lose control of what occurs at the data center. Finally, human capital could be lacking since exploring the next information technology breakthrough requires dedication and technical astuteness.

With so much sensitive guest information within hotel databases, it may not be the correct time to switch to cloud hosting. However, once the security holes are patched and other security exploitations eradicated, hotels, banks and other businesses that maintain customer information will certainly switch due to the many advantages cloud hosting provides.

Global Event and Media Group Managed Hosting Solutions

DediPower, an expert in cloud and managed hosting, currently provides the power and performance behind Tarsus PLC’s digital presence. This includes exhibitions, publications, conferences and other online media throughout the Americas, Middle East, Europe and Asia. Many of Tarsus’ international sites like the Dubai Airshow and packaging exhibitions utilize DediPower’s Enterprise Class data facilities located in the United Kingdom.

The Importance of Design and Development Services

The other important aspect of Tarsus’ digital presence is the design services which are currently provided by Deeson ONLINE. The two organizations work in conjunction to design and build online services. As a result, Deeson ONLINE selected to work with DediPower because of their unrivaled technical expertise, performance and “Support with Passion” policy.

A Statement from the Tarsus Group

A representative from the Tarsus Group released a statement commenting that the company is extremely satisfied with the collaboration between DediPower and Deeson ONLINE to guarantee the digital presence is supported. Each company has taken a collective, no nonsense approach to the project with a focus on technical solutions. As a result, the group has consolidated digital strategy which will lead to a stronger online presence.

Advantages of DediPower and Deeson

DediPower provides scalable, reliable, optimized platforms, monitoring and dedicated system maintenance which free Deeson to meet their objective of delivering outsourced web services for the in-house teams across the globe. Deeson was selected by Tarsus to manage their transition to Drupal, one of the top open source content management systems. DediPower was chosen because of their passion for service.

Reputation is Everything

In the events and media marketplace, reputation is everything. In the virtual world, customer perception is driven by look, content and most importantly, performance. DediPower is an expert in hosting web applications like Drupal due to knowledge, support and experience while delivering fast, reliable, secure hosting.

As a result, all three firms are working closely together to reach the same output of success. Since each utilizes an individual skills and expertise, all facets of the project are covered by the proper professionals.

The use of DediPower and Deeson ONLINE will certainly present positive results for Tarsus once the transition is complete. This is an excellent opportunity for all three firms to expand their client base while reaching an excellent goal. Look in the future for these three firms to be collaborating on other projects.

Five Reasons to Choose VPS

Virtual private servers (VPS), or virtual dedicated servers, offer users many advantages when compared to other web hosting platforms when launching and maintaining a functional website.  The benefits of a private hosting environment offer website owners a wealth of benefits such as enhanced security, reliable hosting resources and increased flexibility.
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eCommerce Shop for Specialized Web Hosting

Namesco, a web hosting provider, recently announced the addition of a specialized eCommerce mini-website to their main site. The mini-site will provide the latest Linux-based web hosting for professional organizations as well as online retailers.  The company is one of the United Kingdom’s top new domain name registrars.

Mini-eCommerce Website

The launch of this mini-site is a direct response to the growing demand for online business services as a result of the growing profile of Names.co.uk in the web hosting marketplace. The goal of the mini-site is to provide clients with all aspects of hosting necessary to successfully create and maintain an online retail shop. This includes several applications and tools which will significantly improve eCommerce websites.

eCommerce Hosting Features

The most common features of the hosting include, 100’s of 1-click installations such as WordPress and the option to integrate eBay, Google shopping and Facebook onto a website. The release of this new site clearly has an eye set on global expansions and entrance into mass markets for which most online retailers now target.

Offering Online Payment Solutions

Namesco has also partnered with HSBC Bank and PayPal so customers can offer secure online payments with maximum security and reliability when purchases are being made. PayPal is a leading online payment solution provider that delivers quick, reliable service.

Innovation, Flexibility and Affordability

In its short existence, Namesco has developed a reputation of being an innovative, flexible and affordable web hosting provider. As a result, the eCommerce Shop web hosting package is available in a variety of plans to accommodate websites of varying traffic as well as startup businesses.

Namesco Company Information

As the fourth largest domain name and web hosting provider in the United Kingdom, Names.co.uk specializes in providing the highest quality domains, web hosting packages, email plans, dedicated servers, website building resources and much more. Namesco currently serves more than 1.6 million domains that are registered across 250 extensions.

The company caters to 450,000 clients per month. To be successful, Namesco leverages its expertise across Names.co and Webcall.com. Names.co was founded in 1996 and Webcall.com in 1997. The two merge in the year 2000.

As a result of its innovation, Namesco continues to be one of the top providers in the world. With the launch of the mini-eCommerce website, the company is sure to draw a variety of new and veteran shop owners as clients.

DVR System Integrated with a CMS

The global leader in security monitoring, Swann Security, recently announced the release of their newest line of Pro-Series DVR’s within the DVR 8900 group. The series are available in 4, 8 and 16 channel variants that include a variety of features such as advanced recording, networking and resolution. This is the first time in the company’s history that they have been able to pack so many features into a DVR while maintaining an easy-to-use interface.

The best features of this series of DVR’s are the included mouse and point and click graphics which allow users to navigate the menu and utilize the multitude of other functions. One innovative function is the ability to easily located previously recorded television shows and events using the “Easy Search” button.

Also, Swann is utilizing the newest CMS software to monitor several DVR’s at multiple locations, all on a single screen. The Pentaplex operation has contributed to the development of the Pro-Series DVR’s by providing simultaneous recording, viewing, network streaming, playback and setup. Monitoring on the DVR is of the highest quality but is easy to install, configure and use.

Users have complete control of the DVR’s functions with high resolution recording capabilities of VGA up to 1440 x 900 pixels with AV Out set at 720 x 480. Playback resolution is up to 704 x 480 pixels by channel and a frame rate of 480 frames per second with a maximum of 30 frames per second per channel. The hardware compression utilizes the H.264 standard which is highly efficient allowing for the recording of 4, 8 or 16 channels simultaneously onto a 500 GB HDD.

Additionally, the memory on the Pro-Series can be expanded up to 1TB for a 4/8 channel model and a maximum of 6TB for the 16 channel model. Furthermore, these models feature email notifications of designated events with the ability to remotely view from 3G-enable devices including:

• iPhone
• iPad
• Android
• Blackberry
• Symbian OS
• Windows Mobile

The 8900 series will be available as a single unit or kitted with high resolution cameras. The DVR4-8900, DVR8-8900 and DVR16-8900 will retail for $399, $599 and $899 respectively. Each series is currently available through a variety of electronics retailers on the Internet.

Compared to the regular DVR’s given by cable providers, these are fast, efficient and offer a variety of features. Although the price tag is steep, these DVR’s are some of the best on the market.