'Net Features : fasthosts

Firms at Risk; Web Professionals Take Note

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:46:00 GMT

A new Fasthosts Internet Ltd survey released earlier this month found that many firms do not have arrangements in place to retain basic control or in some cases even legal ownership of their website and domains because of over-reliance on the IT or web consultants who look after their website.

Ever broadening consumer expectations for the web has led more firms than ever (43%) to opt for using the services of skilled web professionals to help create and maintain their website. 92% of these companies rate their external web consultants positively, with 38% reporting a 'good' return on investment. However, the Fasthosts 'SME & the Web' study found that many UK companies may be risking revenue and reputation as a result of weaknesses in their workflows with such third parties.

Additional insights from the study include:

- During the past 2 years, 1 in 4 firms paying for an external web professional have had their website off-line as a result of a problem related to the other party.

- 1 in 5 businesses incurred delays to projects caused by their external partner, and 17% reported losses of both staff time and sales revenue over £1000 as a result. For 14% of respondents, an external advisor or agency had gone out of business.

- In the event of an issue with their external partner, 56% of firms have no way of making any changes or additions to their website themselves and 80% have no facility for switching their website on/off independently. For these businesses, the link to their external web professional is a single point of failure in their online presence.

- Whilst UK firms invest millions in professional web design each year, 70% of those using a web designer do not retain a back-up copy of their website themselves.

"For many firms, using external web professionals is a very sensible and rewarding option. However, as external parties can come and go, it is vital that businesses protect themselves from the potential disruption, losses and reputation damage that an off-line or out-of-date website can cause,” said Steve Holford, Marketing Director, Fasthosts Internet Ltd.

Fasthosts Adds API for Reseller Services

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Reseller web hosting provider Fasthosts Internet released an API which allows resellers to automate new customer signups, create admin tools for end-customers, and process customer orders automatically. Using the API will provide resellers with the ability to have their customers set up hosting and secure domain names directly from their website.

“Fasthosts understands how important an API is to its reseller partners. Having an administrative tool such as this significantly increases the productivity and opportunities for our resellers.” Holford said. “The Fasthosts team is confident that current and potential resellers will be very satisfied with the functionality and new capabilities this interface will offer them. Not only will the API make their reseller business easier to manage, but it will provide our resellers with more options that they can implement into their customer care strategy.”

Fasthosts has already included the API into its resellers’ control panels. The API is accessible using any server side language, and provides full documentation and examples for all API functions. Resellers are also given test scripts as another way to customize the API for their business needs.

If you’re a reseller of web hosting, does your provider offer this functionality? If so, comment below and share with other Website Magazine readers.

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Real (UK) Deal on Domains at FastHosts

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:13:00 GMT

Fasthosts has a running promotion that might pique the interest of those in the UK – unfortunately for those of us in the rest of the world, we don’t qualify for the promotion – too bad, because it definitely qualifies as a real deal.

From now until May 31st, FastHosts is offering “Buy One, Get One” – buy one .com domain name, and you get a second (uk domains name – co.uk) free for two years.

The company is pushing this as a way to secure your brand in the expanding digital market. While fears of cybersquatting don’t have the punch they used to, it’s still important to ensure your brand is being used as intended.

Interesting fact: the .uk domain is currently used for more than 7 million sites.

Green Web Hosting; REC's at FastHosts

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:11:00 GMT

It's interesting how when the economy hit the skids you heard less and less (or anything at all) about the "green" movement. For those Web professionals who are still dedicated to making a difference in the environment, however, reseller web hosting provider FastHosts announced they are now participating in a green initiative which ensures all of their services run from a green data center.

As part of United Internet's Global Green Initiative, over 30K tons of CO2 are saved each year. Fasthosts has purchased enough Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from the non-profit, Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), to match 100 percent of the electricity used at the company's data center. While green purists often scoff at the idea of only "offsetting" CO2 with these RECs, it does show a commitment to the environment and is something that resellers can use as a marketing tool with green-sensitive hosting customers.

"At Fasthosts it is important for us to offer our resellers a service that will allow them to succeed. Environmentally conscious products and services are in a great demand now, so we've decided to offer our resellers the ability to sell a green product at no extra cost. Besides being a valuable selling point for our resellers, Fasthosts is proud to be an environmentally responsible company," said Steve Holford, CMO of Fasthosts.