Gawkwire: Web Hosting and Internet News Resource

iPad Knockoffs Have Arrived

2010-04-30T08:20:00-04:00

(Vectorwire) - Since Apple has yet to make the iPads available overseas, its not surprising to find that Chinese knockoffs are already being produced.

We have learned that these new tablets are going for $410 and feature Windows OS along with three, count ‘em, three USb ports. The device is being sold in its first rough version and looks almost identical to the iPad.

Yeah we know, nothing unexpected here. But if you can’t afford the real thing, you can always count on China to produce to the next best thing: a crappy knock off!

Writer’s Bio: Derek Morris is Senior Editor of Vectorwire.com, source for the latest graphic design, web design, web hosting, and technology news and articles.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/ipad_knockoffs_have_arrived.html

Peak 10 Launches Enhanced, Next-Generation Cloud Plus

2010-04-22T08:15:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) Peak 10 recently announced its newly enhanced, next-generation Cloud Plus environment. Utilized by companies that are looking for the flexibility and speed of cloud combined with the security, personal touch, and best-of-breed infrastructure for which Peak 10 is known, Cloud Plus has seen rapid growth and received strong positive customer feedback.

Cloud Plus is available in two deployment models, Enterprise or Private. Enterprise Cloud Plus delivers services per virtual machine from multiple hosted clusters. It takes advantage of the multi-tenant model with resource pooling, dynamic load sharing, and redundant infrastructure. Enterprise Cloud Plus allows seamless scaling and flexibly supports temporary demand spikes without the need for permanent investment. The Private Cloud Plus option is available for customers who prefer a dedicated environment to support compliance requirements and/or unique processing needs.

“We have been offering fully hosted services for years on both physical and virtual platforms, shared and dedicated,” said Monty Blight, the vice president of managed services at Peak 10. “The cloud was a natural evolution of that service and has been widely accepted by our customers and has seen rapid growth.”

A key component of the offering and the reason for the “plus” in its name is the hybrid approach many customers are using. Customers can inter-connect traditional and cloud infrastructures seamlessly by combining Peak 10’s data center services with its cloud offering. This allows the customer to drive migration to the cloud according to its specific requirements and timetable. Peak 10 customers, such as Pure Fishing, have already adopted Peak 10’s Cloud Plus offering and are enjoying the efficiencies of streamlined IT infrastructure.

“Peak 10’s level of control and interoperability sets us apart and drives a unique value for our customers,” said Jeff Spalding, the executive vice president of market operations at Peak 10. “While our current offerings have achieved wide acceptance, there is more to come. We are working closely with our clients on their specific needs as well as key vendors in the cloud community on exciting new features which will be available soon.”

Peak 10’s broad experience, early entry into the field, and beta work with key cloud vendors makes it a resource for organizations looking to move into the cloud. This includes specific work like platform readiness checks, migration analysis, service consultation, and testing – but also general information such as conference participation, webcasts, and white papers.

To learn more about Peak 10’s Cloud Plus environment, visit http://www.peak10.com/Managed-Services/cloud-services.asp. Download Peak 10’s white paper “Leveraging Cloud Services: Determining IT Direction in the New Cloud Era,” at http://www.peak10.com/resources/register.asp?wpid=p10vm003.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/peak_10_launches_enhanced_next-generation_cloud_plus.html

Project Management: The Business of Green

2010-04-21T08:05:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) Being Green is not just Kermit’s theme song anymore. It’s every one’s. Green tips are top of mind, everywhere we turn.

So, when we think of project management, how can we apply some “green thinking” to our projects?

Here are our top five ways to bring some green ingenuity to your every day project management.

1. Green Materials Maven. Are you using materials that have been recycled and are you recycling the materials that you’re currently using? Regardless of what industry that you work in, just a little research can make a big difference, in your project’s carbon footprint.

2. Packing Green. Packing materials for products can produce a lot of waste. Can you use recycled materials for packing like old newspapers? There are also biodegradable packing peanuts and environmentally friendly soft foam.

3. Green Team. There are hundreds of ways to make your office greener here are just a few to get you started:

§ Use coffee mugs instead of paper or Styrofoam
§ If you are a small or home-based office, you can produce your own energy. Visit www.cheetahpower.com for more information.
§ If you can’t produce your own energy, look for a supplier that is producing green energy in your area.
§ Put automatic timers or sensor lights in your bathroom, conference rooms or spaces that are not occupied the majority of the day.
§ Use as much natural light as possible in the design of your office space.
§ Use energy saving light bulbs.
§ Switch off computers, photocopiers and other equipment when not being used.
§ Buy office equipment with the best energy ratings.
§ Use green materials when building out a new office, like bamboo instead of wood flooring
§ Use refillable vs. disposable pens
§ Buy green products for your office – everything from toilet paper to recycled paper for printing
§ Promote a “reuse” mentality and lead by example
§ Promote “think before you print.”
§ Use environmental or natural cleaning products.
§ Support and buy the products of other vendors and suppliers who are eco-friendly.
§ Support virtual office employees or support car-pooling and ride sharing if in a suburban area.
§ If you’re in a rural area, can you create a wildlife trust around your company’s property?

4. Make a Commitment to Green. When you make green more than a passing fancy, you show your team, and your customers that you mean business. You’re not just being trendy; you’re making changes that impact the world around you.

5. PR with heart & soul. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of bad news out there. Your customers do want to hear about the good things that you’re doing. So, if you have a green initiative or a project with a green heart and soul, talk about it. Get the buzz going. Green PR is only bad, when it’s insincere.

So, when it comes to greening up the planet, who better to lead the charge than Project Managers? Who knows better than you about tackling something large with small milestones that make a big difference! So, Kermit, it can be easy being Green. Just bring a project manager on board to get it done.

About the Authors
Michelle LaBrosse is an engineer and an entrepreneur with expertise in both aerospace and mechanical engineering. She started her career as an Air Force officer in the field of aircraft structures and vibrations; a challenge that resonates today with some of the technical challenges encountered with wind power.

A marketing intern for Cheetah Learning and Cheetah Power, Erica is Cheetah’s go-to resource for all things green. She researches and writes the Cheetah Power newsletter and is also a research assistant for a communication professor at the University of Portland.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/project_management_the_business_of_green.html

Website Hosting Niches

2010-04-13T08:17:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) In my work with web hosting companies and also those designers and developers looking for a website host, I often encounter a specific set of needs that falls clearly under a web hosting niche. Why would a hosting company focus on a niche? Which niches are out there for those desiring a great hosting provider? Here are a few specifics.

Niching by Price
Probably the most obvious and pervasive niche in website hosting is that of price. One typically sees three tranches of pricing emerge: discounters, mid-tier providers, and premium hosting services. Examples of discounters would be: 1 and 1, and GoDaddy. Mid-tier companies are represented by firms like Hostway. Premium hosting is the scope of web hosting companies like Orcsweb and Rackspace.

Geographical Niches
While web hosting is easily accessed via an Internet connection anywhere on the globe, there are still strong boundaries of culture, language and currency that draw customers to a local firm. For example in Japan one will prefer to read website content in the Japanese language, access sales and support in Japanese, and pay bills in Yen. There are as many examples of geographic website hosting niches as there are countries. Here are just a couple of website hosting companies in this niche: UK website hosting firm 34SP.com and Australia’s Digital Pacific.

Niching by Operating System
A powerful niche can emerge based on supplying a particular operating system. Since most web hosting companies prefer a LAMP (Linux, apache, mySQL, php) environment, the prevalent OS in this niche is Linux. Typical of this type of host is linuxwebhost.com. Another operating system that has tremendous market power is the Microsoft developed and supported OS – Windows (now Windows Server 2008 or ASP.NET). Microsoft has built this niche among Windows developers. Hosts specializing in the Microsoft platform would be DiscountASP.NET and Maximum ASP. Another operating system that was once much larger, but is now being replaced by Windows and Linux is ColdFusion. Although ColdFusion is typically installed over a Windows operating system, it has properties that make it unique and desirable for ColdFusion developers. HostMySite.com is a web hosting firm that offers strong expertise in ColdFusion.

Reseller Hosts
It is possible to buy multiple accounts from just about any web host. However, those companies that have developed the reseller niche have honed their expertise in making accounts that hold a bundle of separate websites under one owner. These reseller accounts also often come with substantial discounts for each sub-account. This enables the account holder to resell the hosting and gain a profit. Examples of reseller hosts include the venerable HostGator and Resellers Panel.

Niche by Account Type
Another very common segregation of web hosting firms occurs by account type. These are usually a separation between shared accounts, VPS and dedicated servers. Shared hosts offer multiple customer accounts sharing a common server. For example, DiscountASP.NET. VPS companies have fewer virtual accounts per server – often with isolated environments and guaranteed resources. An example would be SliceHost. Dedicated server firms will give a single server to each customer. An example would be managed dedicated hosting firm NaviSite.

As you can see, there are many ways that website hosting companies have created niches for themselves and their customers. While the above list is certainly not exhaustive, it does give you a sense of how the marketplace has established niches for both buyers and sellers of website hosting products and services.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/website_hosting_niches.html

The Web Hosting Business Is Changing

2010-04-01T08:38:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) Sarah, a member of Australian Web Hosting Talk has opened a thread in the forum’s “General Discussion “section. “I’m looking at starting up my own online clothing store, but I’m not sure which company offers the fairest deal. Everyone seems to have a catch. And I’m a little overwhelmed. To start with it’s on a small scale, low budget and designed by myself. Has anyone been through a similar experience? Or have any suggestions?”. See what we have responded to the thread, in order to explain our vision for the web hosting industry.

“Good to meet you. There are plenty of good web hosts around and honestly, I don’t think there would be a big difference between one or another. Of course one company has a better network than another or its customer support is more responsive. But I think that you might need help with the shopping cart and the organization of your new online clothing store and this is something what you would discuss with your prospective web hosting provider. I mean that you should talk to them about different CMS and software applications pre-installed on hosting account and about any future assistance you might need with your website maintenance. Web hosting business is moving from a “web hosting service” to a “website platform as a service” or let’s say to a Software environment as a service.”

Rapidly Changing Industry

Web hosting business is rapidly changing and the Cloud computing is accelerating this change. But besides the new Cloud approach to computing and to web hosting services in particular, there are many other factors that work a change. One of them is that the dot-com’s world has become too complicated. In the 90s we had very few opportunities to choose from when we needed to start building a website. We had a limited number of content management systems (CMS) on the market, or even didn’t have any pre-configured software to download and deploy. We also didn’t have any web development frameworks to use (at least not any in term’s of today’s notion of a “web development framework”).

Web Hosting Environment As A Service (EaaS)

Today we have plenty of choices and many web entrepreneurs get confused when they need to choose one from hundreds of options they have, especially when it comes to Linux based Open Source content management systems (CMS) or web development frameworks. We can mention only very few - MODx, Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, TextPattern - from hundreds of excellent software anyone might use for their web projects.

10 years ago, site owners needed pretty standard things as a part of any web hosting service - PHP and MySQL support, FTP and Email service. Today any Linux Shared Hosting service provider must offer at least 20 of the most popular software appliacations, as pre-installed tools with on customer’s account. However this is not enough for any hosting provider to position itself as a quality web host.

Tomorrow’s (Why not “Today’s”) web host will look much more as a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider. Host Color uses term EaaS to outline a successful hosting service that site owners appreciate. We call it web hosting “Environment as a Service” (EaaS).

Environment as a service (EaaS) means that any web host should be prepared to create and maintain a number specific web environments in order to serve different fields of online business activity. That’s what we do, or to be modest - that’s what we try to do.

http://blog.hostcolor.com/2009/07/25/how-the-web-hosting-business-is-changing/

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/the_web_hosting_business_is_changing.html