web hosting

A Look at The Reseller Hosting Market via WHM Hosting

The most popular and widely used software tools are usually celebrated for good reason, mainly because they are able to address the needs of professionals and end-users over a broad range of segments.  When you find a certain tool that the user community is buzzing about, it typically means that the software is at least worth a closer look.  When it comes to the reseller market, WHM is one software tool you will hear a lot of people talking about.  This article will fill you in on why this program has been able to generate and maintain such a positive buzz.

WHM Overview

Web Host Manager or simply, WHM offers the reseller an easier way to manage several hosting accounts and run their business through various automated processes.  Often bundled with the popular cPanel control panel package, WHM has become one of the most preferred management tools for not only resellers, but web hosting providers all around the world.  If you were a webmaster before diving into the reseller market, you have probably at least head of cPanel, a powerful control panel that deserves all the praise it receives.  cPanel is easy to use with a ton of great features that appeal to the novice as well as the experienced webmaster or administrator.  The widespread use and notoriety of this dynamic automation software tool makes WHM just as popular by association.

Extensive Automation with WHM AutoPilot

A distinct advantage WHM has over other reseller management tools is its ability to integrate with WHM AutoPilot, another product created by the makers of cPanel.  WHM AutoPilot is a complete, out of the box web hosting management system that provides resellers with the ability to automate virtually every administrative task associated with their business.  Its most prolific features include a built-in billing management facility, profile system and convenient access to support.  WHM AutoPilot is one of the first in the business to enable resellers to create a remote order system in which a single installation can effectively manage multiple domains, allowing each to have its own branding and identity.  The aspect of centralized control is one of the biggest perks of using WHM as your reseller hosting software.

You Can’t Go Wrong with WHM

WHM is a tool that is only available to the reseller and server administrator.  And just as other control panels have separate versions of their reseller management software, this one is unique to the cPanel program.  Choosing a hosting account equipped with this software is a surefire way to make your job as a reseller much easier.  It also gives you the means to really market your business on “an easy to use platform” since your customers will be provided with the user-friendly end-user version of cPanel.  The management software is one of the most important factors that must be considered when choosing a reseller hosting account.  With WHM in your arsenal, you are well on your way to succeeding with your new online business.

Common E-commerce Hosting Terminology

Choosing an e-commerce hosting plan can be extremely difficult for two reasons.  One is because there are so many options available to you.  The second is all the confusing terminology and technical jargon a hosting provider will throw at you.  This article will aim to clear up some of that confusion.

Affiliate Program – An affiliate program refers to a revenue sharing program where webmasters can earn commission by generating leads, traffic or sales of a web hosting service.  If you feel that have signed up with a respectable hosting provider, you may be interested in their affiliate program to earn some extra cash.

ASP - Active Server Pages is a technology that allows developers to create dynamic, database-driven websites.  The web server processes the ASP code and then translates it into HTML for your visitors to view.

Auto Responder – An auto responder is an automated program that can be configured to acknowledge the receipt of an email, and automatically sends a reply to the sender.  This is an effective tool for keeping base with clients when you’re away from the desk or on vacation.

Backbone - A backbone refers to a single high-speed line or a series of connections that enable a pathway to a network such as the internet.  The more backbones or the higher the capacity, the higher level of availability your site will enjoy.

CGI Scripts - Common Gateway Interface scripts are small programs installed into a web server.  They are designed to perform specific tasks and enable functionality that a simple HTML document cannot.

Control Panel – A control panel is a software package that allows hosting providers and customers to simplify various web server tasks.  This type of application gives you the ability to easily maintain your mailboxes, files, manage domains and more even if you have little to no experience.

Dedicated Server – Also called dedicated hosting, a dedicated server describes a situation where you lease service from a hosting provider and get the entire server to yourself.  This in contrast to shared hosting, which hence, calls for you to share the server with other customers.

IP Address – An IP address is a unique numerical code used to specify hosts (computers) and networks.  Every machine connected to the internet has its own IP address.

Reseller Hosting – Reseller hosting is a type of hosting where a customer purchases service from a provider and then sells hosting package to customers of their own.  This has become a popular and affordable way for entrepreneurs and small businesses to profit from the web hosting market.

Shared Hosting - Shared hosting refers to a hosting arrangement where multiple websites are stored on a single server.  This is the most affordable and common type of web hosting there is.

Web Host – The web host is the company who provides you with the e-commerce hosting solution.  They run computers known as severs that have dedicated lines to the internet.  The purpose of a web host is to serve your pages to internet users and assure its availability.

Starting Your Own Business Through Reseller Hosting

With the U.S. economy suffering like never before, more consumers are unemployed, thus more people are looking for ways to generate money online.  Fortunately, the internet offers endless opportunities for those looking to bring in a few extra books.  Many have been successful with affiliate marketing while several more have learned to master advertising programs like Google AdSense. One of the easiest and most affordable ways to start an online business is a unique type of hosting known as reseller hosting.

Reseller Hosting Defined

Reseller web hosting is a type of web hosting that allows you to purchase server space, bandwidth and other features from a legitimate hosting provider, and then sell hosting packages to customers of your own.  As a reseller, you get special software for creating hosting plans while your customers get a control panel application to manage their own hosting environment.  Though more expensive than traditional shared hosting, the resources and services you get in return usually result in excellent value for your money.

Benefits of Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting offers a number of benefits to the ambitious entrepreneur.  The greatest benefit is perhaps cost efficiency that allows you to purchase bandwidth and disk storage in small allotments.  This way, you are not wasting precious resources and most importantly, money.  With such a minimal investment requirement, you can eventually work your way up to a dedicated server or at least yield small profits instead of incurring substantial losses every month.  This factor alone makes reseller hosting a great business to get into.

Another benefit of reseller hosting is having the full support of a professional web host.  As we all know, things do happen and most of it will relate to technical jargon you won’t have a clue about.  The hard drive on a server may fail, an OS kernel might get corrupted, there could be an outage in the data center – anything could happen.   The good news for you is that the web hosting provider is responsible for such issues.  When signing on for a reliable service, you can focus on selling more packages and appeasing your customers instead of worrying about the technical aspects.

Finding a Reliable Partner

A reseller account should be treated like a real business and therefore, you need to be very selective when it comes to choosing a service.   Most providers will only allow you to host a certain amount of domains and may also limit features such as email accounts, databases, scripting languages, or other important services.   Additionally, not every host can be depended on.  Your best bet would be to take advantage of the available resources and learn more about what’s out there.  This simply means asking friends or using your favorite search engine to find a reliable service.

Reseller Expectations

Many have made a successful venture out of reseller hosting but be warned, it will take dedication and hard work on your part.  There are no guarantees so you have to be committed to bringing in customers and providing a level of service that keeps them around.  This is all made easier when choosing the right reseller hosting solution.

Heed the Tricks of Cheap Hosting

Cheap hosting has become a very popular niche, but there is another side to the service which the average customer may not be aware of.  Some web hosting companies employ a wide variety of tricks in order to sell their cheap service, many of which could hinder your ability to be successful with a website.  Learning about these practices will help you know what to expect and hopefully elude the hosts behind them.

Lack of Experience and Track Record

The web hosting market is filled with thousands of companies who are just waiting to provide you with service.  One should also beware that some of these providers have not been in business very long.  Even worse, some do not have the manpower, knowledge and experience it takes to run a web hosting business.  Signing up with a host that is just hitting the scene and riding the learning curve might leave you with a lot of heartache when things to start to go wrong.  While everyone has to start somewhere, it is best to find a company that has a proven track record.  This is one that is most likely to provide you with the best service.

Lousy Support

There are many web hosting providers that will cut back on every aspect they can in order to save money.  One of the most vital areas they sacrifice is support.  These are companies who make it next to impossible to get the help you need.  They may offer limited support by allowing you to only contact the staff via email.  Some will even advertise 24/7 support but fall short by taking forever to respond to your inquiries or simply not answering the phone.  This is why it is so important to make sure you sign up with a host that can provide quality support.  It is a good rule of thumb to test the company with an email or call during late night hours or over the weekend.  Whenever you need help, they should be able to step up and deliver.

Shady SLA

The Service Level Agreement or SLA, is often overlooked but you should never disregard it.

The SLA is to entail how problems that the web host encounters will directly influence the customers experience.  This agreement needs to be read thoroughly before signing up with any web host.  If the company doesn’t offer one, move onto the next.  If the SLA does not clearly outline the level of service you are to receive and what will happen if is not upheld, you should probably find a company that offers something more comprehensive.

Beware of the Middleman

When running across a cheap hosting plan, there may be a chance that you are not dealing with a web hosting company at all, yet an agent selling packages on their behalf.  This is known as reseller hosting, a practice that allows entrepreneurs and small businesses to profit from web hosting.  Although reseller hosting isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you should keep in mind that you will have no direct contact with the web host, the company who is doing all the work and actually housing your data.

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong with cheap hosting as it can be a viable option in many situations.  With that said, it helps to be informed on these questionable practices so you can stay away from the companies sacrificing quality for a cheap service.

Windows Hosting with DotNetPanel

The control panel is very important in the web hosting arena as it can offer benefits to both the end-user and web hosting provider.  These programs are generally made to run on certain platforms and one of the best available for the Windows system is DotNetPanel.  Created by SMB SAAS Systems Inc., DotNetPanel is a feature-rich control panel made to simplify management tasks in the Windows hosting environment.  This control panel is robust, highly scalable and runs seamlessly without the bugs that commonly plague other applications.  Ease of use, excellent support and a great price are making DotNetPanal a first choice for many businesses.

Web Host/End-User Features

Advanced File Manager – The DotNetPanel File Browser is both powerful and comprehensive, allowing you to manage your files without the use of FTP.  This utility includes a zip/unzip function along with standard file managing options such as copying and moving files, creating files and folders and more.  Such advanced functionality gives you the power to deploy applications faster and more efficiently than FTP.  The File Browser is a wonderful feature for end-users who are behind a firewall and may not be able to use File Transfer Protocol.  It is easy to use and doesn’t require any complex network configurations.

Virtual Directories – DotNetPanel offers the unique ability to manage websites and virtual directories with nearly every one of their essential properties.  This includes default documents, security settings, MIME types, custom errors and FrontPage extensions among several others.  You can also change the location of the root folder or virtual directory any time after creating it.

Comprehensive Database Backups – DotNetPal has a wide range of features you will not find in other control panels.  One of them is the database backup/restore utility.  From the user-friendly interface you can easily backup and restore both MS SQL and MySQL databases.

Reseller Features

The DotNetPanel control panel is integrated with an arsenal of features designed to aid in the management of reseller hosting.  Some of the most notable features include:

Unlimited Hosting Accounts – With DotNetPanel, there is no limit to the number of standard or sub-reseller accounts you can set up.

Simple Resource Navigation - As an administrator, you can view all the websites, databases and user accounts of all the resellers and customers underneath you.  This can be done with ease from a centralized interface.

Account Activation and Suspicion - DotNetPanel gives you the ability to activate reseller, sub-reseller and user accounts in separate packages.  Once you suspend an account, all the resources of that particular hosting package are disabled entirely.

Audit Log – The audit log feature allows you to monitor and control every aspect of user accounts.  You can track user login credentials and also create, update and delete various activities.

DotNetPanel is a fully integrated control panel that covers nearly every angle of web hosting, a viable option for the shared hosting environment as well as dedicated and virtual private servers.  Although its restricted to a specific platform, DotNetPanel is quickly becoming the preferred choice for Windows hosting operations.