Web Hosting Panel : wm-webhosting

1&1 Dynamic Cloud Server Enhances Scalability for SMBs

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:10:00 GMT

Web hosting company 1&1 Internet recently upgraded its 1&1 Dynamic Cloud Server that will make the solution more flexible and cost efficient. The biggest change to the server is an increased focus on scalability that allows it to meet a customer’s performance requirements at any time. This is primarily through the inclusion of dynamically adjustable resources, including Processor Cores (vCore), RAM (GB) and Hard Disk Space (GB) that can be configured up or down by the users, themselves. In addition, 1&1 Dynamic Cloud Server customers can add up to 99 virtual machines (as required) without migration under a single contract, as the new updates come with no fixed contract, at all; instead, costs are dependent upon the configuration in place, so users only pay for the resources they require and use. There are no basic fees, setup fees, minimum contract terms or transparency of per-hour costs. All servers are available in both Linux and Windows configurations, which are installed automatically, and include full root access, 2000 GB of traffic, unlimited on-demand Snapshot Backups, Parallels Plesk 11 and a $60 starting credit; they also come with fail-safe security through redundant cores and storage. These changes to the 1&1 Dynamic Cloud Server give small and medium-sized businesses the opportunity to leverage high performance for just short periods of time, while only paying for the actual requirements they use....(read more)

CloudAccess Integrates Identity and Access Management

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:30:00 GMT

Cloud-based unified security solution provider CloudAccess has recently announced version 3.0 release of its CloudIDM/AM system, featuring seamless, “unique” integration between enterprise identity management and access controls (i.e. single sign-on and access management) from the cloud. In addition, CloudIDM/AM 3.0 comes with multi-directional password synchronization between the system’s identity management solution, Active Directory and/or Lightweight Director Access Protocol (LDAP), as well as a federated gateway that allows access to an application or website, a dynamic self-service portal and centralized GUI-based workflow automation. "We've taken the next evolutionary step to integrate the key capabilities of provisioning, multi-factor authentication and role-based workflow management with an advanced single sign on for SaaS and legacy applications and manage it all from the cloud," said Kevin Nikkhoo, CEO of CloudAccess. Because of a proliferation of SaaS applications, increased complexity with “bring-your-own-deivce” and general user mobility, many organizations these days are suffering from more and more vulnerability gaps. As a result, regulatory agencies have made it a legal requirement to continuously monitor and report on user access. So, straight out of the box, the newly updated CloudIDM/AM system will include the streamlined ability to automate compulsory reporting in a way that satisfies the compliance governance for...(read more)

Deliver Enterprise Apps with Improved Performance, Speed

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:56:00 GMT

Performance is everything for enterprise organizations, particularly when it comes to delivering applications to thousands of users at once. In order to improve application delivery performance, Array Networks has announced four new enterprise-class application delivery controllers: APV2600 for small-to-medium-sized businesses, APV5600 for enterprise’s with ‘larger traffic demands,” APV10600 for global organizations and service providers and Array’s top-shelf application delivery controller, the APV10650. Each of these new appliances places a particular emphasis on providing enhanced price performance for 2048-bit SSL acceleration, which is currently the most common “advanced” feature for customers that are buying a load balancer or application delivery controller, as it helps ensure secure applications, content and transactions over the Internet. In addition, these new delivery controllers provide server and link load balancing, global server load balancing (GSLB), connection multiplexing, SSL acceleration, compression, caching, traffic shaping and application security. It also comes with a number of “next generation features” at no extra cost, such as: - ePolicy scripting that allows administrators to create custom logic to control application traffic - IPv6 Ready Forum Gold Certification that supports feature parity and the ability to operate in IPv6 networks - Support for migration from IPv4 to IPv6, along with a means for both...(read more)

Provision and Manage CloudByte Volumes with OpenStack Cinder

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:30:00 GMT

The CloudByte cloud storage service, which was the first to provide guaranteed quality of service (QoS) to every application from a shared storage platform, just announced a new major integration with Cinder , the OpenStack block storage project. CloudByte also developed a driver for the Cinder framework, known as ElastiStor, to enable service providers to provision and manage QoS-aware CloudByte storage volumes from OpenStack clients and the project’s API. This means that service providers on the OpenStack platform can create, take snapshots of and manage CloudByte storage volumes using either the Cinder API or the OpenStack Horizon client. These volumes can then be configured to meet the user’s capacity and IOPS needs. With on-demand performance from CloudByte, OpenStack users will now be able to build solutions that an more effectively compete with Amazon EBS. “Unlike legacy storage solutions, ElastiStor is architected for today’s cloud environments and allows cloud service providers to host performance-sensitive applications without creating any dedicated storage silos” explains CloudByte CTO, Felix Xavier....(read more)

Spam Web Hosting and SEO Rankings

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:30:00 GMT

Most of the Web's 150 million active domains use shared hosting. It's more accessible from a cost perspective, and in general does not come with any less features or functionality than dedicated hosting does. But when you use shared hosting you are essentially "sharing" hosting space with other websites - some of which may host spam. And as we all know, spam is bad and can result in not just poor experiences for users but could it also affect your position on the search results? In a new Google Webmaster Help video, Matt Cutts discusses the topic and whether or not a site that is hosted by a service that hosts spam has anything to worry about in terms of a negative impact on search rankings. The short answer is no, it doesn't - but there are some "fringe" cases to consider. “Typically a hosting company has a lot of different stuff on it. Some of it will be good. Some of it will be bad,” says Cutts. “There will be some spam, but just because you happen to be on an IP address or using a hosting company that also hosts some spam, that doesn’t mean that you should be affected.” See What's New in WM's Hosting Panel Channel...(read more)

Secrets for Dealing with Downtime

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:00:00 GMT

:: By Chris Heyn, KEMP Technologies :: Downtime effectively occurs for two reasons that are either planned or unplanned. Serious downtime can be caused by: • Network failure either LAN or WAN • A server fault resulting in it becoming offline Sometimes it is necessary to take servers offline for planned events including maintenance of the hardware or upgrades to applications or server operating systems. Unplanned downtime can take place at any moment and is beyond the control of the IT department administrators. Causes can be minor issues such as a hard disk or power supply that fails to a catastrophic event for example a fire , a flood or an earthquake. One of the important points to take note of is that downtime be it planned or unplanned will eventually take place and it is not a case of if it happens but rather when will it happen. Making sure your servers are located in a secure setting is of top importance, for example if your servers are located in the parts of the U.S. that are at risk of suffering the effects of hurricanes, the premises should be constructed as hurricane proof. In addition comprehensive firefighting installations should be installed to protect your servers from that risk. However you can never be 100 percent sure your premises are invincible and so making provision for back up facilities in a different location makes good sense. The intelligent use of geographic load balancers can divert traffic to your backup sites should the primary site be...(read more)

Why Green Hosting Matters

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:34:00 GMT

By Kelly Meeneghan, Manager, 1&1 Internet, Inc. When it comes to the level of technical support needed to maintain a fully functional website, not many people consider the impact it has on the environment. Just one website requires an entire server to be running 24 hours per day, seven days per week while housed and secured in a large data center. With more than 100,000 websites created each day, it is no wonder why the concept of ‘Green Hosting’ is attracting so much attention in the industry. Hosting companies should take their carbon footprint very seriously and execute steps to ensure they are operating with green energy, while providing eco-friendly technology to its users. Understanding the inherent need for significant energy conservation encourages the company to continue protecting the environment as much as possible. While this green mindset is a great strategy for hosts, customers are also benefiting from these initiatives. By supporting a sustainable environment, they are implementing a strong marketing strategy. For example, if a consumer is comparison-shopping between two similar businesses, environmentally conscious characteristics can be the deciding factor. Taking this information, hosts have developed logos for customers to include on their websites communicating that they are “Powered by Green Hosting.” Using this tool to generate a positive reputation helps to draw more profits and gain credibility as a business. What was once an...(read more)

Learn to Mitigate DDoS Attacks

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:30:00 GMT

Despite being a method which has been used for more than a decade, Distributed Reflection Denial of Service (DrDoS) attacks have recently surged in popularity across a number of verticals. Prolexic, which provides DDoS protection services, recently launched the first of several white papers that discusses and analyzes Domain Name System (DNS) Reflection attacks , specifically. According to Prolexic, the DNS Reflection DrDoS technique exploits security weaknesses in the DNS Internet protocol, an important Internet feature that allows the public to type in human-friendly domain names instead of numerical IP addresses to access websites. “DNS Reflection DrDoS attacks are an overlooked but dangerous DDoS attack method,” said Stuart Scholly, Prolexic President. “Prolexic is releasing this white paper to help make DNS server administrators, IT administrators and business leaders aware of this potential security threat against their networks. In addition, the white paper can help victims understand the technical details of what took place, so they can more quickly mitigate these kinds of DDoS attacks in the future.” Prolexic explains this type of threat as when a cyberattacker leverages zombie computers in a botnet to send domain name requests to DNS servers in a way that causes DNS servers to send a flood of responses to a targeted domain. This kind of DrDoS attack can overwhelm and slow response times, or completely stop legitimate user access, and affects both...(read more)

8 Great Green Hosting Providers

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:35:00 GMT

Selecting a Web host is a tough decision that not only affects a website’s success, but also the environment. According to HostGator (featured below), the average server produces the same emissions as a 15 mpg SUV. When you look at HostGator, the company hosts more than 4,000,000 websites on its shared and reseller Web hosting servers, which means a lot of carbon emissions. Let’s see how this company and others are making a difference in the hosting world. Host: HostGator Estimated Web Popularity*: 139 Going Green: Initially, HostGator took steps to minimize its environmental impact at the office, but the company wasn’t satisfied. HostGator expanded its eco-friendly initiatives a step further by switching to 36 percent more efficient servers, but the hosting business still wasn’t satisfied. Today, all of HostGator’s Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) have been registered, verified and retired from the market. Additionally, all of its shared and reseller servers are now 130 percent wind powered. Lastly, HostGator has purchased certified RECs representing 130 percent of the electricity used to both power and cool every one its servers. Host: iPage Estimated Web Popularity: 7,460 Going Green: iPage reduced its carbon footprint by purchasing enough RECs to offset its energy use by 200 percent. That means: Host: DreamHost Estimated Web Popularity: 8,169 Going Green: When DreamHost learned that running its company generated as much carbon dioxide as 545 average...(read more)

ownCloud Gets New Look

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:15:00 GMT

With a focus on quality, security and performance, ownCloud, the popular open-source alternative to Dropbox , released its ownCloud Server 5.0., which offers dozens of improvements, including a new design that makes the service more intuitive to use. ownCloud's new search engine also ensures a responsive user experience, as the Lucene-based full text search engine addition allows users to find files by names and also by content. The main navigation was also redesigned to clearly differentiate it from the in-app navigations, according to the company's official blog . Additionally, the settings and log-out menus were combined into a user menu on the top right, which shows the currently logged in user and makes it more intuitive to use. Concerning the new version's performance, some tests show up to 500 percent faster performance compared with ownCloud 4.5, according to the company. Other improvements include: new antivirus app, new files undelete feature, new REST APIs, display names, new photo gallery, new documentation system, LDAP/AD enhancements, enhanced external storage app, improved versioning, expanded file cache, improved apps management, improved bookmarks, improved contacts, improved syncing and other general fixes. Let's explore some of these improvements further: New Antivirus App - ownCloud reports that the new antivirus system scans uploaded files for viruses. The admin can choose if infected files should be deleted automatically and/or logged/reported...(read more)

ForgeRock Open Identify Stack in Focus

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:55:00 GMT

Open source identify and access management (or IAM for short) provider ForgeRock , one of the true pioneers of the space, has released a new version which aims to simplify identity and access management and further protect cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, SaaS, and enterprise environments through some interesting means. Most noteworthy about this latest ForgeRock release is that it extends the platform’s flexibility by adding a single, unified REST API across the entire stack, ideal for building common identity services across consumer, mobile, social and even enterprise applications. Let’s take a closer look. ForgeRock OpenAM 10.1 provides customers with support for the OAuth 2.0 standard, and gives end-users the ability to authorize third-party access to their cloud resources with sharing credentials. It’s OpenIDM version 2.1 is now much improved with a discovery engine that enables organizations to sync users across multiple data stores to ensures records are up to date. “Developers, architects, and users have been asking for a unified stack with these capabilities for the last 10 years,” said Mike Ellis, CEO, ForgeRock. “With the new release of our Open Identity Stack we have strengthened our revolutionary approach to identity and access management, providing developers with a truly integrated, open-source identity platform to tightly control their enterprise, cloud, social, and mobile systems. By providing a high value driven platform...(read more)

Hyve Delivers Performance Visibility with CopperEgg Cloud Monitoring

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:35:00 GMT

Cloud monitoring service CopperEgg , and Hyve , a cloud hosting provider in the UK, are joining forces to deliver CopperEgg’s cloud performance visibility data directly to Hyve customers. Hyve has also joined CopperEgg’s Cloud Performance Partner Program , wherein participating cloud and managed hosting providers can offer their clients discounts on CopperEgg services – which are compatible with any IaaS or PaaS environment including OpenStack or VMware hosting infrastructures. "Hyve prides itself on delivering the highest quality cloud hosting solutions to our clients," said Jon Lucas, Technical Account Manager at Hyve. "We are committed to offer only the best of breed architecture and value to our customers, and in that spirit, we are excited to now offer CopperEgg best-of-breed cloud monitoring to Hyve clients. CopperEgg provides an unbiased view of cloud infrastructure performance of the entire cloud service and application being delivered by our customers, including our own service quality."...(read more)

Windows Azure Cloud Apps Secured with Barracuda

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:15:00 GMT

Security concerns are on the rise among Web professionals. In fact, 87 percent of IT professionals surveyed in a May 2012 Intel study indicated they were “very” or “moderately” concerned when it comes to security and data protection in adopting the public cloud - and for good reason. Forrester Research estimates that more than 67 percent of Internet vulnerabilities happen at the application layer. Can anything be done? Yes, yes it can. Barracuda Networks has recently announced a relationship with Microsoft to offer protection of Web applications hosted in the Windows Azure cloud with the Barracuda Web Application Firewall. Developers using Windows Azure will be able to protect their apps against threats including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and sessions tampering in the same way they are able to do so in the on-premise data centers. “We are pleased that Microsoft is working with us to address the risks associated with deploying web applications in the cloud,” said Rod Mathews, vice president for business development at Barracuda Networks. “We are seeing an increase in the need for our customers to deploy high-level application security in their cloud environments to protect the applications themselves and the data that resides in them.”...(read more)

State of Cloud Storage – Azure Ousts Amazon S3

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:15:00 GMT

So who’s the best cloud storage provider – Azure, Amazon, Google, HP, Rackspace? Enterprise storage provider Nasuni released results from its latest State of Cloud Storage Report and found that Microsoft Windows Azure (Blob) Storage outperformed last year’s leader, Amazon S3. Surprised? Nasuni tested the speed ( write/read/delete ), availability and scalability of the top five public cloud storage providers and found that Microsoft Azure surpassed Amazon in every single category that was examined. Azure was 56 percent faster in write speed than Amazon, and 39 percent faster at reading files than HP in read speed. The average response time for Azure was 25 percent faster than Amazon S3. With Amazon cloud troubles over the past year, Web developers might ultimately find they’re using more Azure and less S3 in the future. "Microsoft's investment in its second generation cloud storage, which it made available to customers last year, has clearly paid off," said Andres Rodriguez, CEO of Nasuni. "With Amazon S3 and Microsoft Windows Azure, the cloud storage industry clearly has two strong players to choose from. Even more encouraging, however, was the marked performance improvement across the board. As CSPs continue to mature, competition among top quality providers can only benefit enterprise IT."...(read more)

Cache Anything and Speed Up Load Times

'Net Features : wm-webhosting — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:05:00 GMT

One of the most common methods that webmasters use to speed up their sites is to cache content (such as HTML pages, JavaScript, images or CSS) to reduce bandwidth and server load and speed up delivery. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of content that can’t be cached, and when websites need to utilize that it can be problematic for performance and user experience. CloudFlare , a provider of cloud-based services to help secure and accelerate websites, is looking to alleviate this problem for its users by “caching the uncacheable” through a new Web optimization software called Railgun. CloudFlare users are already at an advantage, because the service will not only cache content, but also deliver it to users from its various datacenters around the world. However, according to the company’s blog, “only about 66% of content is cacheable,” meaning the remaining 34 percent has to be recovered from the server of origin. That is why the company developed Railgun, which can cache dynamically generated and/or personalized Web pages using a scheme that reduces bandwidth and speeds up the loading process. Railgun starts the acceleration process for non-cached pages by speeding up the downloading of the initial HTML, which must happen before the rest of a page can even begin downloading. Primarily, though, Railgun is able to send Web pages across the ‘Net much more quickly because it will compress them to an astonishingly smaller version, which it’s...(read more)