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Email Host Outblaze Joins MAAWG

June 28, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosted messaging services provider Outblaze (outblaze.com) announced on Tuesday it has joined the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (maawg.org), a group of communications and technology companies working to eradicate spam and other types of messaging abuse.

 

The announcement was made at MAAWG’s seventh General Meeting in Brussels, Belgium. Outblaze will join MAAWG as a full member.

“Outblaze’s global network and long experience in managing email will provide invaluable insights to our efforts,” says Jonathan S. Curtis, chairman of the board of Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group. “MAAWG is excited to welcome Outblaze as a member as we work to make the Internet safer for communication and e-commerce.”

Outblaze manages spam and virus protection for more than 75 million email boxes in 117 countries, providing it with one of the widest views of message abuse in the industry.

Host Gator Opens Toronto Office

June 28, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosting provider Host Gator (hostgator.com) announced on Tuesday it is opening a new subsidiary in Toronto, Canada, making it the company’s first subsidiary supporting its Boca Raton, Florida headquarters.

 

Host Gator Canada will handle both general administrative tasks as well as support tickets originating out of the US offices in Boca Raton. Approximately a dozen technical system administrators will be working out of the Toronto office by the end of the year. All staff will become direct employees of the company and no sub-contracted workers will be hired.

“Host Gator’s expansion to Canada is a major milestone in our company’s history,” says Host Gator president Brent Oxley. “The company has grown rapidly and we felt it was necessary to expand our administrative and technical support infrastructure in order to maintain the level of service our customers are accustomed to.”

The company decided to open a new office after it had difficulty finding technically skilled employees in the Boca Raton area. Host Gator quickly attracted more than 60 applications when it posted an ad for the system administrator position on Craigslist for the Toronto area.

1&1 Internet Launches Blogging Tool

June 28, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosting provider 1&1 Internet (1and1.com) announced on Wednesday it has launched a free blogging tool to accompany all its Web hosting packages, which start at $2.99 a month.

 

According to blog search engine Technorati, the number of blogs online doubles roughly every five months. In particular, 1&1 has responded to demand from small businesses that wish to use blogs for relationship building and online brand development.

With 1&1 Blog, users can assign a personalized domain name as opposed to a long URL, and give their blogs more identity and credibility. 1&1 Blog is template-driven and quick to set up. In addition, the blogs include free news and entertainment content, 1&1 PhotoGallery, automatic updates and spam protection.

“We live in an information society,” says 1&1 chairman Andreas Gauger. “Blogging is clearly here to stay and increasingly becoming an essential tool in today’s Web savvy culture. Blogs are now respected as a valuable addition to the Web and offer a powerful way to express yourself or your business. We have long-stated our commitment to giving users every resource they need for an optimal Web presence. 1&1 Blog is a further example of that approach.”

Raritan Adds Dominion Series Products

June 28, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — IT solutions provider Raritan (raritan.com) announced on Wednesday it has added two new models to its Dominion Series KVM-over-IP product line and new software to enhance remote server management performance. Supporting 64 servers, Raritan’s new Dominion KX464 is the industry’s highest port density KVM-over-IP switch.

 

The Dominion KX464 supports one local and four remote users, and provides dual power supplies with automatic fail-over and dual LAN ports for high reliability and availability. Raritan’s new economical 32-port KX132 supports one local and one remote user, and is the lowest price per port switch in the Dominion KX line.

The high port densities of the two new switches provide users with cost-effective and scalable KVM-over-IP solutions. By managing more servers per switch, companies can save by reducing the number of switches, IP addresses and network drops. Installation and maintenance, power consumption, cooling and cabling costs are also reduced.

Both models feature Raritan’s Virtual KVM Desktop, a new level of KVM-over-IP access and control that provides a connection to a target server comparable to a direct “at-the-rack” connection. The new switches also include Raritan’s Universal KVM Client, which enables administrators to access the Dominion Series switches through a wide range of browsers and operating systems.

Web Host Boosts Security Offerings

June 26, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosting provider GlobalDomainSupport (globaldomainsupport.com) announced on Monday it has deployed TippingPoint Intrusion Prevention systems to block attacks and add another layer of security to its hosting plans.

 

GlobalDomainSupport added TippingPoint systems to protect its dedicated and virtual dedicated hosting servers at no additional cost. An intrusion prevention system is an in-line device that scans traffic and, based on rules, determines whether data packets are legitimate or malicious.

Each dedicated and virtual dedicated hosting plan includes free rapid setup, a free SSL certificate and 24-hour customer support, physical security and network monitoring.

TippingPoint systems deliver powerful network protection, functioning transparently at gigabit speeds to guard against cyber attacks. TippingPoint’s Digital Vaccine service updates filters regularly to maintain defense against the latest vulnerabilities, viruses and rogue applications.

Thawte Expands Partner Program

June 26, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — SSL security certificate provider Thawte (thawte.com) announced on Monday it has won 15 new partners for its Global Partner Program.

 

DomainBank, Domain.com, MyDomain and at least 11 other domain registrars and hosting companies have or will soon begin offering Thawte digital certificates to a customer base that has been estimated to number into the hundreds of thousands.

“It’s phenomenal to have this many registrars and hosting companies switching to our brand,” says Ilse Baxter, Thawte’s director of business strategy, sales and marketing. “It’s an acknowledgment of the effort of our sales and marketing teams who have worked diligently to deliver solutions that serve these partners’ needs. These deals are helping us realize our vision, which is to enable a global trusted digital environment that will benefit everyone.”

Over the past decade Thawte has signed up over 17,000 companies to its partner program, making it the largest of its kind in the world. To date, Thawte has sold over 620,000 SSL and code signing certificates, issued a million personal email certificates and enabled more than 3,000 enterprises through its SPKI Program.

SpeedFox Offers New Hosting Plans

June 26, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosting provider and Website Source (websitesource.com) subsidiary, SpeedFox (speedfox.com) announced on Monday it is launching new hosting plans that will enable Web masters to host unlimited domains for $4.95 a month.

 

   
Let Rackspace make the difference with reliable managed hosting solutions backed by Fanatical Support.â„¢ 100% Network Uptime Money-Back Guar., 1-hour hardware replacement, 24/7 LIVE, MS and LNX certified technical support.

SpeedFox Web hosting plans have no setup fees and include e-commerce software, free domain move service, a dedicated IP address, Web site templates, spam filters and 24-hour toll-free phone or online support. Additional IP addresses can be purchased for $5 a month.

“Website Source hosting plans are geared more towards the business client with sophisticated add-ons and additional features,” says Stephanie Rosendahl, CEO of Website Source. “The SpeedFox plans are more suited for the budget web hosting market. Both hosting companies offer a ‘clean’ dedicated IP address for free and additional IPs can be obtained for $5 per month.”

Established by parent company Website Source in 2002, SpeedFox offers affordable Web hosting services to Web masters including email, free Web tools, Web page design tools, Internet marketing, site builders and Web site templates.

DemoDemo Launches New Tool

June 26, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Flash-based Web hosting tutorial provider DemoDemo (demodemo.com) recently announced it has launched its new custom built Order Form Tour, a Flash movie that walks potential customers through a company’s ordering process.
 

 

“The OFT is an effective and affordable pre-sales tool that will help increase your signup and conversion rates,” says Vito Ceniti, president of DemoDemo. “Many visitors might shy away from clicking that order button as they are not sure of what is involved. The OFT is a perfect way to show them all the steps from tip to tip.”
 
Ceniti also says the movie will help reduce support tickets since it reminds viewers of what they need to do to get their sites online once they have placed their order. The OFT walks customers from the Web host’s home page to the order page to the payment page all the way to the welcome email and logging in to their control panel.
 
The OFT is priced at $49.95 and is fully customizable, including all text captions. The final product is delivered in Flash file format and Web hosts can submit any specific information that they would like integrated into their movie, whether it is visiting a part of the site or in the form of instructional text in the popup text captions. 

Gigenet Nears Data Center Completion

June 26, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Internet service provider Gigenet, parent company of Web hosting provider ColoQuest (coloquest.com), GigeServers (gigeservers.com), and DDoSProtection (ddosprotection.com), announced on Monday it is nearing completion of its new, 17,000 square foot data center, located in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

 

The multi-million dollar facility boasts numerous environmental safety and data-protection features, including Liebert HVAC, VESDA Smoke Detection, double-action dry pipe fire suppression, diesel generator backup and dual in-line UPS systems. To increase security, it will install physical access security, proximity card controlled access and IP video surveillance. The facility will be monitored by on-site technicians and 24-hour security personnel.

“Our dedicated hosting and attack mitigation brands have experienced rapid growth for the past several years, and ultimately we have outgrown our old facilities,” says Derek Raines, Gigenet VP. “This new facility will secure our ability to both expand and provide a high level of service to our growing client base.”

Gigenet plans to relocate its corporate operations to the new facility, as well as moved the majority of its existing customer base to the technical services portion of the building.

Soholaunch Launches Pro Edition 4.9

June 27, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web site creation and content management software provider Soholaunch (soholaunch.com) announced on Tuesday it has launched Soholaunch Pro Edition version 4.9, which features a new integrated plugin capability for templates and add-on features.

 

A complementary plugins site (addons.soholaunch.com) has been launched simultaneously offering a range of free or inexpensive templates and add-on features designed by third party programming partners. These plugins are designed to easily install into the new version 4.9 Soholaunch software.

Software developers familiar with the Soholaunch platform are asked to register at the plugins site to participate as Authorized Soholaunch Programming Partners. ASLPP program members will be authorized to list and sell templates and add-on modifications on the addons.soholaunch site as well as submit bids on customization projects requested by Soholaunch customers.

“Increasing popularity of the Soholaunch product as a comprehensive business Internet solution has created a huge need for new templates and plugin software modifications to aid in Web site development,” says Jim Buckler, CEO of Soholaunch. “The new seamless plugin capabilities of Pro Edition 4.9 will help quench this need while keeping Soholaunch the preferred Internet solution for small to medium-sized businesses around the world.”