web hosting

Options for Your Reseller Software

There is much to consider when choosing a control panel, but one of the most important of all is its user-friendliness.  This is especially true for a reseller as your hosting customers will likely range from newcomers to more advanced users.  An ideal solution would be finding a control panel that bridges that gap between both types of users.  It is understandable that everyone would prefer a control panel which is simple to navigate as it makes it much easier to find the tools and services they need to access.  The control panel market is expanding rapidly, but we have listed some of the best options for your reselling hosting endeavors.

HostFlow

Though a relative newcomer, the HostFlow control panel is quickly shaking up the web hosting control panel market and serving as worthy competition to the industry leading players.  As of now, HostFlow is the only control panel that allows hosts to sell web hosting plans, bulk web services and dedicated servers through both direct and indirect sales channels.  A complete hosting automation system, it supports a number of modules that facilitate server, customer, order and billing management, allowing users to get the most of their reseller business.  If you are a seeking a product with the ability to automate virtually every aspect of the hosting delivery process, HostFlow could the solution for you.

Ensim

The Ensim software makes another great choice for a control panel.  It offers a wide variety of features as well four levels of administration, reseller option included.  Ensim makes it easy to create hosting accounts, manage your clients, monitor bandwidth and much more.  All of your administrative tasks can be handled in far less time as everything goes through a streamlined, centralized interface.  Ensim is known as a very flexible solution that supports both Linux and Windows platforms.

H-Sphere

H-Sphere also runs on both Linux and Windows servers.  This is perhaps one of the most advanced and complex of all web hosting control panels on the market.  The major plus as that the software gives you a lot of power as the features are virtually unlimited.  This software is ideal for experienced users as it streamlines the reselling process with extensive billing options and total automation.  If you want a reseller hosting control panel that does it all, H-Sphere is definitely worth a closer look.

Zervex DSM

While it is not as well known as the other options, Zervex DSM is one control panel that demands attention.  The software has a clean, easy navigable interface that benefits both server administrators and webmasters alike.  Zervex allows you to administer multiple websites or a multitude of servers through a powerful web-based interface.  The software has three levels: Server Administrator, Reseller and End User.  Each interface is identical from a graphical aspect, providing easy to use tools at ever level.  Equipped with the built-in Plug-ins manager, your customers will enjoy the ability to install well over 30 open-source software applications with the click of a button.  Zervex DMS makes a solid choice if you want to give back to your loyal clients.

Control Panel Customization with RVSkin

The highly customizable nature of cPanel gives it many advantages over other control panels.  Boasting ease of use and a rich set of features, cPanel offers benefits that can be extended to hosting providers, resellers and end-users alike.  One of its most underrated features is RVSkin, a unique third-party program that adds new meaning to customization.

What is RVSkin?

RVSkin is a popular add-on made to function with the cPanel and WHM software.  This multi-theme, multi-language tool comes packed with some amazing features and a user-friendliness that coincides perfectly with  the leading web hosting control panel.  RVSkin currently supports over 20 languages including English, Dutch, French, Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Italian to name a few.  What many like about the software is that it allows you to easily brand your cPanel skin in a matter of minutes.  As a reseller, you can incorporate logos, links to your company website and more.

RVSkin Key Features

RVSkin is integrated with numerous features.  Some of the most noteworthy  include:

Themes: RVSkin gives you a selection of 14 themes for customizing your control panel. Furthermore, these themes can be modified by the reseller and end-user within their version of the control panel.

Reseller Tool: The reseller features in RVSkin gives server administrators the ability to decide what features are available in their clients’ control panels.  If you don’t want your resellers providing features such as shopping carts and databases, they can be easily disabled and made invisible to the user.  You can also control what level of RVSkin access resellers enjoy.

Skin Editor: Branding your skin is made easy with the Skin Editor.  Server administrators and resellers can control the look of client control panels with customization that drives the brand name home.  Aside from inserting links to your site, you can also customize the skin with links to your support department or any other areas who want customers to have direct access to.

Page Editor: The Page Editor feature allows you to easily create pages in many different languages within RVSkin.  It offers full support for HTML programming as well PHP and Python.  Once your pages have been created, they can then be added to the skin using the Add Body Links function, which lets you exclude pages from the certain packages or allocate them to different language settings.

Marketing Tools: RVSkin is integrated with a number of tools that can help hosting providers and resellers increase their revenue.  In a few easy clicks, you can make configurations that provide your customers with the content they need to view certain information or place orders all from their control panel.

Third-Party Integration – One of the best things about RVSkin is that works seamlessly with various add-ons.  The software can be fully integrated with popular third-party applications such as Modernbill, CPSkins Auto Installer and Fantastico.

RVSkin Availability

Not every company provides RVSkin to their customers.  However, every host and reseller that utilizes cPanel has the ability to do so.   This powerful customization tool is admired for its ease of use and often preferred over similar applications such as X Skins and others that come standard with cPanel.

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.

Crucial Paradigm Launches New VPS Solutions

Virtual Private Server or VPS hosting, has become extremely popular over the last couple of years, highly sought after because of its flexibility and cost-efficiency.  Those interested in this hosting solution will be glad to know that VPS has just became more beneficial.

Crucial Paradigm, a fast growing shared, reseller, dedicated server and managing hosting provider, recently made an announcement that it is expanding its VPS solution offerings.  The company’s new VPS hosting plans have already gone into effect, introducing a variety of entry-level and high-end services designed to provide more options for its existing and prospective clients.  With the recent upgrades, VPS hosting customers can now leverage two of the new entry-level plans which include generous offerings on disk space and allotted resources.

Crucial Paradigm director Aaron Weller, remarked that after more than five years in the web hosting industry, the provider has learned the importance of offering an array of hosting solutions that provide customers with the utmost in usability, flexibility and scalability.  Weller followed up by stating that the new VPS plans will broaden the range of hosting solutions Crucial Paradigm is able to offer, essentially broadening the spectrum of customers they are able to serve.

Crucial Paradigm’s new entry-level Linux VPS hosting plan begins at only $10 per month, offering access to 128 MB of memory, 15 GB of disk space and 75 GB of data transfer.  The Windows plan is attractive as well, starting at $25 per month with access to 256 of memory, 25 GB of disk space and a robust 150 GB of data transfer.  All Windows VPS plans are powered with the Windows Server Edition 2008 software with the Dotnetpanel control panel available upon request at no additional cost.

Not to be left out of the discussion is the two new high-end VPS hosting solutions offered by Crucial Paradigm.  According to Aaron Weller, the upgrade has resulted in one of the most extensive and powerful VPS platforms in the industry.  Customers hosting on a Linux server can now upgrade to the VPS-16384 plan.  This plan beings at $1200 per month, offering access to 16 GB of memory, 1600 GB of disk space and 6000 GB of data transfer.  Comparable to this solution is the Windows VPS plan which begins at $320 per month and offers access to 4 GB of memory, 400 GB of disk space and 2400 GB of data transfer.

Aside from the new VPS hosting plans for its clients in the United States, Crucial Paradigm has also introduced a number of enhanced VPS solutions for its customers in Australia.  The Australian division offers Linux VPS plans at AU $15 per month and Windows plans as low as AU $35 per month.  Existing customers are not automatically impacted by the upgrades as they have the option to upscale or downscale their web hosting plans according to personal requirements.

Crucial Paradigm was originally founded in 2003 and now operates in multiple locations across the globe.  The firm is most known for providing a wide range of custom hosting solutions based on the needs of each individual client.

Introduction to Reseller Hosting

Web hosting comes in many different flavors, but one of its most unique variations is reseller hosting.  Reseller hosting is the type of hosting plan where you purchase an account and are provided with a certain amount of disk space and bandwidth which can be sold to other people.  It essentially gives you a way to purchase bulk amounts of server capacity and then sell hosting packages to your own customers.  Reseller accounts offer a means for average people to break into the industry and earn money from the hosting business.  As it doesn’t call for you to have much technical knowledge, practically anyone familiar with the internet can succeed with their own reseller business.

An Emerging Hosting Solution

The concept of reseller hosting is growing fast as more startup businesses are discovering the benefits.  This hosting solution is typically used by individuals who simply want to earn money online along with developers, consultants and other professionals who are familiar with web-based technologies.  Requiring a minimal investment, reselling hosting is a cost effective way to generate income from an industry that is already bringing in billions of dollars each year.  By employing sound business practices and ensuring that your customers are taken care of, you can use this platform as your vehicle to success.  You would be surprised at how many small businesses started with a reseller account and went on to become prominent web hosting companies.

What You Get with Reseller Hosting

Most providers give you the freedom to build custom reseller packages, allowing you to deliver hosting plans best suited for prospective clients.  Others offer predefined packages that are ready to be sold directly to customers.  In either case, you are generally provided with enough disk space and bandwidth to not only sell hosting plans, but create a website for yourself as well.  The reseller hosting provider sets you up with a control panel such as H-Sphere or cPanel’s WHM (Web Host Manager).  These programs allow you to manage your reseller account, providing access to various features such as payment systems, statistics and applications.  From the control panel interface you can create hosting plans, setup domains, view resource usage and much more.  In many cases, the reseller provider also supplies your clients with similar control panels so they can manage their own hosting accounts.

Conclusion

Reseller hosting is ideal for small businesses and individuals who want to make money from the flourishing web hosting industry.  Getting started requires a minimal investment and little effort as most companies set you up with packages that are fully loaded with features and ready to be sold.  If you sign up with the right company, you can operate a reseller business so efficiently that customers have no idea they are dealing with a middleman.  This is especially true when you have the ability to offer all the features and services found in conventional web hosting plans.   When considering how the hosting business continues to thrive, it is very likely that reseller accounts will offer tremendous opportunities for some time to come.