Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » Magento http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog Web Hosting Industry News, Latest Trends, and Analyses. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:48:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 What’s A Preinstalled Script, And Do I Need It?http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/09/25/what%e2%80%99s-a-preinstalled-script-and-do-i-need-it/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/09/25/what%e2%80%99s-a-preinstalled-script-and-do-i-need-it/#comments Sun, 25 Sep 2011 09:47:55 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=2481 When setting up your next website, you will inevitably come across a need for dynamic web applications. These are things that your users can work with, adding their own content, viewing yours in a quick manner, and even manipulating it to a fine-edge. From a server-side perspective, having dynamic web apps allows you to create media in a speedy way, and then get it out to all of your various end-game sites in a pinch.

With this in mind, many current web hosts provide preinstalled scripts of varying types. These are applications that are often times built into the cPanel, or can be installed with a mere click of a button. Think of how many hosts you’ve seen offering WordPress at the get-go: Seems like most of them, right? In fact, everything from Joomla to Magento to MediaWiki can be yours, depending on the provider.

Long story short, when creating a new website, should you be taking advantage of these preinstalled script offerings to flesh out your site with dynamic content?

Short answer in long form: Yes! Here’s why, too!

These Scripts Are Safe

Because your provider knows its servers, and because they’ve become intimately acquainted with the software they’re looking to install, you can be almost absolutely positive they’ll have the thing locked down. This doesn’t mean your new system will be hacker-proof, but it’s certainly better off than if you had installed it yourself on an unfamiliar server you don’t even have direct access too. All in all, it’s their basket, and they have an eye on it. If you’re looking to keep your server as secure as possible, leave the app installation to the provider, and use what they’re offering.

It’s Easy Like Apple Pie

Even better, relying on preinstalled dynamic web apps takes a huge load off of you. You don’t have to worry about uploading code to the server, installing it properly, locking it down with better security protection, and managing it as problems arise. Better yet, when problems do occur—and trust us, they will—it’s up to your provider to help you sort them out. With an automatically installed script, the host takes care of the installation, manages the script once placed, and brings the content to you hassle free. It’s like being given a Christmas gift that unwraps itself, plays without stopping, and fixes any tears that appear.

If that’s not a win, we don’t know what is!

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]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/09/25/what%e2%80%99s-a-preinstalled-script-and-do-i-need-it/feed/ 0 An Expansion of eCommerce Web Hosting in the United Kingdomhttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/06/13/an-expansion-of-ecommerce-web-hosting-in-the-united-kingdom/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/06/13/an-expansion-of-ecommerce-web-hosting-in-the-united-kingdom/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:36:59 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=1660 United Kingdom-based web hosting provider, Nexcess.net, recently announced that is has expanded its eCommerce hosting line to customers in the U.K. The expansion of services within the country began in April 2011. The announcement was released approximately three months following the launch of its managed cluster solutions line to eCommerce customers.

Partnering with Magento

The press release indicated that Nexcess is hosting provider that specializes in eCommerce hosting. As a result, the company has become an official partner of Magento, an online shopping cart software platform. Unfortunately this addition to its Magento product line is only available to customers in the U.K. For those in other regions, a new set of low-end hosting options featuring the Magento platform will be available.

The SIP-100 and SIP-200 Hosting Packages

Nexcess’ SIP-100 and SIP-200 Magento hosting packages were previously exclusive to United States-based customers. These lines were developed for small Magento stores that do not have the same requirements as large enterprise users. SIP or Secured Isolated Platform is a customizable hosting environment for all eCommerce websites using Magento. All hosting packages are within a PCI compliant environment.

Unfortunately, the SIP-100 and SIP-200 hosting plans do not include CDN access. The cost is $47.95 and $129.95 per month, respectively. All packages are currently powered by Nexcess servers that are located in a Surrey, United Kingdom data center.

Three High-end Magento Hosting Packages

In addition to the lower-end packages, Nexcess is offering three high-end plans that include two dedicated server offerings for those that require more resources. Luckily all plans are cost-effective and customized for eCommerce startup businesses in the United Kingdom. As a result of the recent expansion from the United States, the company has witnessed a positive response. However, one major concern from the European customer base was the lack of service offerings in the United Kingdom.

Data Center Locations

The United States data center location is in Dearborn, Michigan. The next data center will be located in Southfield, Michigan which is planned to open in late 2011. The information technology corporate office is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Magento is a popular shopping cart and eCommerce solution that is growing amongst online retailers. By only offering eCommerce web hosting plans, Nexcess has found a niche with few competitors. The recent expansion to the United Kingdom should make them an industry-leader in the European marketplace.

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]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/06/13/an-expansion-of-ecommerce-web-hosting-in-the-united-kingdom/feed/ 0 Open-source Shopping Cart Optionshttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/04/08/open-source-shopping-cart-options/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/04/08/open-source-shopping-cart-options/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:26:06 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=278 If you are looking to get up and running with your own online store, then a shopping cart is what you need to make it happen.  A shopping cart is a type of software application that allows you to incorporate a storefront into your e-commerce website.  This software can help you customize your store with tons of products attached with thumbnails, multiple shipping methods and payment options.  With a good program, you can start selling products immediately by accepting payments via credit card or popular alternatives such as PayPal.  Some of the most popular shopping carts are open-source programs and this article will introduce you to several popular choices.

osCommerce

As open-source software, the osCommerce shopping cart is free to use.  The program is integrated with a number of features that can easily be enabled and configured.  The osCommerce shopping cart gives you the ability to add multiple items to your store, organize them in categories, give out discounts, run special promotions and much more.  It also offers built-in shipping and tax capabilities to ensure accuracy.  With this shopping cart, you can set prices in different currencies and accept payment through methods such as credit cards, Payal and e-checks.  osCommerce is extremely popular and currently powers a large number of stores on the web.

CREloaded

The CREloaded shopping cart is a fork built on the source code of osCommerce.  This feature-rich platform caters to beginners and professionals alike, offering the ability to process credit card payments via PayPal or Authorize.net.  You can list a large number of products, set discounts and shipping costs.  CREloaded’s greatest attribute is the wide variety of themes that allow you to customize the look of your storefront.  This software is tailored to help you create a store that fully brands your identity and enhances the customer’s shopping experience.

Zen Cart

Zen Cart is another open-source shopping cart freely distributed under the GNU General Public License.  This software was designed with simplicity in mind but offers some very powerful features.  Zen Cart lets you set up an unlimited amount of products and organize them in numerous categories.  The program supports multiple payment options and different currencies as well as top-notch security mechanisms such as SSL certificates.  The built-in control panel allows you to mange products and all related items from a centralized area.

Magento

Magento is one of the latest open-source shopping cart applications.  This e-commerce platform offers a lot exclusive features geared towards managing customer relations and marketing your store.  The user-friendly interface allows you to control virtually every aspect of the store from listing and organizing products to setting up browser options and special promotions.   This shopping cart software sets itself a part from the competition with built-in analytics, reporting and promotion tools.  Magento is completely scalable and backed by an extensive support team.  Though cost effective in comparison to premium shopping carts, Magento isn’t free like the other software mentioned in this article.

Conclusion

These are just a few of several highly functional open-source shopping carts.  Like most open-source technologies, these programs can be easily incorporated into your existing e-commerce site.

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