web hosting

Introduction to SaaS Hosting

Cloud computing is a highly scalable form of hosting, offering a convenient pay-as-you-go model for on-demand computing resources.  This technology provides a number of benefits to both IT professionals and non-technical users aside from the easy upgrades and utility billing approach.  Cloud computing comes in many forms, and SaaS is currently among the most widely used.  What does this computing model have to offer?  Here is a closer look.

What is SaaS?

Software-as-a-Service or SaaS, is a revolutionary delivery model that is changing the way software providers market and sell their products.  While many vendors are familiar with the concept of hosting applications and serving them via the web, few truly understand the elements that are required to successfully implement and offer quality SaaS services.

The Importance of the SaaS Hosting Provider

The SaaS hosting provider is the key to obtaining a hosted application structure that meets your specific needs.  A quality host is a firm that has the knowledge and technology to run a standard global infrastructure along with an extensive set of development capabilities and cloud platforms to ensure the fast, affordable and reliable deployment of your applications.  They will also provide top-notch consultative services to aid in the positive growth and success of your solution.  As with any type of hosted IT service, the provider you choose can either make or break your experience.

When and How to find a Reputable Provider?

So, how do you know if you require SaaS hosting?  Better yet, how do you go about finding a reliable service?  We will conclude this article by providing some information to help you decide when it is time to hand your application needs over to an outsourced company and also how to find the best SaaS hosting solution for your specific requirements.

Cloud computing has made it easier and more affordable than ever to develop, distribute and manage software applications.  However, vendors who want to implement this model need to make it a priority to build a delivery model capable of meeting the availability requirements of their customers while ensuring a highest level of security.  This is the only way customers can obtain a solution that provides the reliable, enterprise-class infrastructure needed to support their hosted application needs.  To meet this demand, many software vendors and individuals turn to SaaS hosting.

When looking for an SaaS hosting provider to distribute and maintain your applications, make sure the firm has a solid reputation in the industry for successfully running an SaaS hosted service.  You also need to ascertain that the company is able to satisfy your unique requirements.  This goes for planning, capacity, compliance and the seamless incorporation of any technologies your hosted applications may be require in the future.  To put it simple, SaaS should be something the hosting provider specializes in, not just an offering packaged beside their other products to capitalize on the cloud computing phenomenon.  Combine this with top-notch support, and you have yourself a winning solution.

Layer Technologies Breaks Through on Inc. 5000

Many companies are struggling during the recession, but you couldn’t tell by viewing a certain list featuring a comprehensive look at 5,000 of the nation’s top-performing privately owned firms.

Based in Plano, Texas, web hosting provider Layer Technologies, Inc., just added another accolade to its long list of honors by ranking number 622 in Inc Magazine’s the third annual Inc. 5000.  Thanks to Northern Capital Insurance, the number one company on the list this year, insurance is leading the way as the nation’s leading industry with an average growth rate of a whopping 667%.   Other notable brands representing their respective industries featured on the list include beverage brewing company Honest Tea, rental car service Zipcar and internet powerhouse GoDaddy.

Jim Melloan, Inc. 5,000 project manager, says that the Inc. 5,000 is the best source for learning about new private companies that achieve success through innovative business models and older privately owned corporations that are still profiting and growing at an impressive rate.  Melloan noted that this is the reason investors and other spectators look forward to the list every year.

Layered Technologies made the prestigious Inc. 5,000 list due to its tremendous growth rate of 441% over the past three years.  The firm invests faithfully in research and development to implement the new technologies and features that has helped it remain one of the top 10 global web hosting providers.  Layered Tech evolved from a regionally known dedicated hosting provider to a world-renown web host with a scalable infrastructure that powers a broad range of internet applications and millions of websites.

Many are viewing Inc.’s 2009 list as a report card on the U.S. economy.  In light of the harsh economic climate, aggregate revenue of companies that made the list increased by an estimated $29 billion since 2008, with an average three year growth rate of 126%.  Since its inception, Inc. has played an active hand in creating more than one million jobs, serving as the perfect example of the positive impact fast growing businesses can have on the economy.  You can view the complete results of the Inc. 5000 list by criteria such as industry and region on the Inc.com website.

About Layered Technologies

Founded in 2004, Layered Technologies Inc. is a web hosting provider that specializes in managed hosting, dedicated servers, virtualization, cloud computing and a broad range of additional web services.  Leveraging the best of technology and a world-class infrastructure, the firm delivers the level of support that enables businesses of various sizes to eliminate costly upfront investments and save significantly on operating expense while focusing on the core aspects of their business.  Its highly scalable infrastructure lends its power to millions of websites and a host of web solutions and applications such as SasS (software as a service), SQL Server and content distribution among others.  Boasting one of the largest customer bases in the industry, Layer Technologies clients range from cutting-edge startup companies and thriving medium enterprises to some of the most successful integration and consulting firms in the world.

Mezeo Takes Part in Cloud Storage Gathering

It seems as if everyone in the IT world today is singing the praises of the “cloud.”  This has been reflected by experts at the Hosting Transformation Summit Europe in London, England desire to have a closer look at cloud storage, easily the fastest growing facet of the cloud computing market.

Bill Pitts, senior Vice President of global sales at Mezeo Software Corp., participated in the panel called “Storage Opportunities: Cloud vs. Conventional.”  Pitts touched on the issue of while traditional NAS and SAN-based storage capacities have continuously expanded, users are increasingly demanding capabilities these solutions simply can’t provide.  Shedding light on how cloud storage has rapidly become a mainstream solution, Pitts says that the cloud is being widely accepted and adopted by end-users and service providers alike.  Aside from helping providers stay relevant in their respective industries, cloud storage also allows these companies to offer new capabilities to their existing clients and essentially expand their market reach utilizing the same solutions.  Pitts highly recommends that service providers and those who are still unsure of the benefits tap into the cloud storage market, and tap into it fast.

Coupled with web services APIs, the Mezeo cloud storage platform enables IT service providers to instantly enter the highly competitive cloud storage sector with their own fully-branded cloud storage solution.  The platform it currently offers is built on four different solutions: Cloud Storage with Web Services APIs, SaaS Cloud, Access Cloud and Personal Cloud Storage.  This suite of services allows customers to completely leverage the type of cloud solution that meets their storage needs best.

The Storage Opportunities panel was held on June 2, 2009, kicking off at 11:40 a.m. at the Hilton Tower Bridge in London, England.  The event was moderated by Simon Robinson, research director of storage at 451 Group.  Joining Pitts in the discussion was Sajai Krishnan of cloud storage startup ParaScale and a co-founder from Nirvanix. 

About the Hosting Transformation Summit Europe

Headed by Tier 1 Research, the Hosting Transformation Summit Europe is a major international  forum made for executives in the data center, web hosting and internet infrastructure markets.  Its overall focus is to deal with the economies of these specific markets and how each can position themselves to succeed.

About Mezeo Corp.

With its headquarters based in Houston, Texas, Mezeo Corp. is an industry leading provider of easily deployable cloud storage platforms.  Its solutions enable managed dedicated server providers, IT hosting providers, SaaS providers and converged telecommunications providers to instantly incorporate a profitable cloud storage service into their existing portfolio.  Mezeo’s cloud solutions include secure file storage, file sharing and collaboration, content tagging and genuine anytime, anywhere access for any Microsoft Windows desktop via Web 2.0 browsers and devices such as the iPhone, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile native client.   The company focuses on delivering solutions that are easy to deploy and maintain, highly scalable and secure.  Thanks to the immaculate design of its APIs, Mezeo’s cloud storage solutions are also highly extendible.