Interview with Charlie of csn-uk.net

I recently added csn-uk.net on my Honest Host list and thought an interview was in order.  This guy is an active member of Hosting Discussion and is just an awesome person.  If you need a good provider, you can chose csn-uk.net without fear. Check out the interview below.

This is what I asked:

1. Was web hosting your first choice?
2. What made you decide you wanted to head into the hosting industry?
3. What were the most challenging aspects of your start?
4. What still challenges you now?
5. How long did it take for you to become financially stable?
6. Do you plan to branch out into a different field or stay in the hosting industry?
7. If you could go back in time and do something else, would you?
8. How has business been for you in 2009?
9.. Do you think business will pick up in 2010?
10. Advice for those wishing to start a hosting company?

1. Was web hosting your first choice?

No, in short webhosting was the furthest thing from my mind when venturing into what now is a hosting company, we originally where a separate group of web design firms under different names many of us individuals and some current and past students at different levels.
2. What made you decide you wanted to head into the hosting industry?

Most of us as individuals and as companies ran office based servers or hosting for clients (dedicated mainly) due to the adequate connection speeds for the databases’ or off site backups however the reliability could be shaky for some thought the support existed, after a number of bad start up attempts as separate companies and individuals we “grouped” or formed CSN-UK and as such gained the clients and equipment as a hosting provider to start with.
3. What were the most challenging aspects of your start?

Design, structure and marketing, as we as a group where web designers, network technicians, software engineers and the like we had the expertise but lacked a structure and having multiple web designers often sparked arguments as such structure was our main issue due to design however design closely effected our marketing or lack of it. For us it was the combination of the above and the time frame.
4. What still challenges you now?

Marketing is our main issue still and in our opinion always will be, due to the start-up costs we lacked a large marketing budget however we did utilise our original business and design throughput to power the webhosting as such the two complement each other.

Though structure could still be our main problem, support and the levels of it were no, it was more the understanding of some that they where no longer at the director or management level in what is their new role.
5. How long did it take for you to become financially stable?

As a startup we were stable in my eyes however this was due to design work mainly powering our ambitions though as said above we still struggled due to size to manage with marketing and the staff we had “gained” as such the design and webhosting split but are tied together none the less. The time scale would now as of January 2010 be one year.
6. Do you plan to branch out into a different field or stay in the hosting industry?

This could be easily answered as yes we did but this was both before and after, though we utilise services of other providers namely hired rack space (not the company), bandwidth, power and Comodo CA as well as others like many providers due to the use of WHMCS and similar packages.
7. If you could go back in time and do something else, would you?

Personally I would have jumped into the forums and similar places where our staff dwell under namely the same account but not always to meet more of the insightful people who I’ve shared information and received information from. As well as that on a more corporate level, hired a marketing professional earlier on as well as assign a greater marketing budget and enforce the structural changes much more vigorously then where then.
8. How has business been for you in 2009?

For us, fast originally as we gained the trust and custom of the clients of the combined companies as well as through design and local advertising, as well as that we have learnt a great deal more about the industry due to many sources though a personal favourite is hostingdiscussion.com. However all in all the year has been profitable, excitable and has lead to a number of strategic alliances and long term clients and investments.
9. Do you think business will pick up in 2010?

Yes certainly, most providers like ourselves do despite maintaining their current offerings or having Christmas sales do in January ramp up the marketing and the offers to secure as many longer (full payment for 12 months initially to receive the offers) clients but as well as this release new product ranges, services and gain new clients because of this and though I can’t reveal any secrets we are like any other provider on this front.
10. Advice for those wishing to start a hosting company?

Here is where I would like to say “DONT” but that would not be fair, personally hosting is a very competitive, interesting and ever changing industry. A reseller or dedicated wont set someone on the average wage back much however to get a return you do require some business knowledge and a good deal of marketing and or networking by which I mean you must make a “good” lasting impression on your clients in order to receive referrals.

Again Id personally reaffirm the word of many and say that hosting is not a quick quid industry, meaning it’s not a get rich quick, resellers, dedicated and vps may be cheap but they won’t lift you to the hundreds, thousands or millions unless you have a plan, a solid provider and great service backed by a good team and solid funding and marketing.

As such learn from other companies and don’t dive in head first unless you know there is a lifeguard there to pull you out, hosting isn’t for everyone!

Interview Update: Conor-Hands-on Web Hosting

I decided to get an update on an interview I did with Conor and his business seems to be doing OK for it’s self.  Check out the interview below.

First Interview

*NOTE: Questions were asked to a group and Steve responded to the ones that applied to him.*

1. How has business been for the year 2009?
2. Do you think business will get better in 2010?
3. Did you add a new service or take away a service?
4. Health care, how will this affect you and your company?
5. Has member activity increased or decreased?
6. Do you think the forum will get more active in 2010?
7. Are you a member of my blog? -.^
8. Is there anything else you would like to add?

1. How has business been for the year 2009?
Great. Actually it was better than great. We’ve seen the implementation of new products, better hardware and more reliable systems not just with our own hosting company with with other companies and the web in general. We saw a blip earlier this year with some eCommerce shops closing their doors, there were more people setting up NEW shops than there were people closing down.

2. Do you think business will get better in 2010?
Business a whole will continue to strive for 2010. There are some big pushes happening for June 2010 when it comes to PCI Compliance which will affect online commerce, so we expect to see some frantic running around by customers trying to find compliant software and compliant hosting (both of which we have and do!). The biggest issue for 2010 I think will be “The Cloud”. People are trying to push The Cloud as being the place to be, but it’s so new that when something happens, people are forced to sit on their hands and shrug their shoulders. I don’t see The Cloud taking off like VPS Hosting during 2010, maybe 2011 it’ll be tested enough!

3. Did you add a new service or take away a service?
We added more reliable systems and expanded our service offerings with more bandwith, disk space and features. Our VPS offering received a huge bump in April 2009, and another one is being implemented here in the coming days (Christmast or New Years). We didn’t remove any services from our line up, however we did improve existing ones. We also expanded into Europe with dedicated servers and shared hosting located in England and Germany. We have expanded into the Australian market with dedicated servers also.

4. Health care, how will this affect you and your company?
Health Care will play a part for our small business as we’ll be forced to provide health care to our employees. While we want to provide Health Care (and do provide it for some employees), I personally believe it should be the choice of the business and not a forced government regulation. If we’re forced to provide health care to everyone, either new employees won’t be able to receive as much money in pay, or prices for some services will have to raise in order to cover costs. We operate on a very thin line for profit margin (near zero, as our employees share in our growth), so if we’re forced to pay out on something, everyone will take a hit.

7. Are you a member of my blog? -.^
Yep.

8. Is there anything else you would like to add?
It’s cold! I live in Omaha and we had about 9″ of snow last week, and we’re gearing up for another 10-14″ this weekend. The fire is lit, the snow is falling currently, and the heat is cranked up. Thankfully our servers are located in multiples states (and countries), and all our staff work from home offices so nobody has to drive in the bad weather.

Interview Update: Steve-Hostirian

I decided to get an update on an interview I did with Steve and things seem to be going well for Steve over there   Check out the interview below.

First Interview

*NOTE: Questions were asked to a group and Steve responded to the ones that applied to him.*

What I asked:

1. How has business been for the year 2009?
2. Do you think business will get better in 2010?
3. Did you add a new service or take away a service?
4. Health care, how will this affect you and your company?
5. Has member activity increased or decreased?
6. Do you think the forum will get more active in 2010?
7. Are you a member of my blog? -.^
8. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Steve’s Answers:

1. Business is booming. With our acquisition of ATCI Hosting and NPSIS, we’ve added thousands of new accounts.
2. Business will absolutely improve in 2010. We’re going to run one heck of a dedicated server special to start the New Year right.
3. No change in services, other than those brought to the table with ATCI Hosting and NPSIS.
4. Health care – not a done deal yet, so hard to determine it’s impact. I don’t foresee any changes.
7. Yes, I’m a member of your blog.
8. Wishing the best to everyone this Holiday Season and on into the New Year and beyond.

Are your applications secure?

I just read an article this afternoon about the fastest growing security threat in the hosting industry. Apparently this threat has grown over a hundred fold in just the last year alone. What is it?

SQL Injection

Why have SQL injection attempts grown so dramatically? It was pointed out, and I agree, because the bad guys are using (very sophisticated) automated tools. More and more, we’re seeing attempts not only to be disruptive, rather to be focused on identity theft. Anyone remember Heartland Payment Systems and TJX?

Who is Susceptible?

Certainly, if you’re processing lots of credit cards, you need to guard against SQL injection, but even if you aren’t, this exploit needs to be addressed. I did a quick Google search for SQL injection prevention and stumbled upon an SQL Injection Cheat Sheet at http://www.owasp.org/index.php/SQL_Injection_Prevention_Cheat_Sheet. Since most SQL injection exploits are due to lax coding and poor application design practices, prevention measures like those outlined on this site can significantly minimize your risk of being compromised.

From Owasp.org

“SQL Injection flaws are introduced when software developers create dynamic database queries that include user supplied input. To avoid SQL injection flaws is simple. Developers need to either:
a) stop writing dynamic queries; and/or
b) prevent user supplied input which contains malicious SQL from affecting the logic of the executed query.”

Hands-on Web Hosting…GREAT HOST!

Hands-on Web Hosting offers the most affordable and reliable service around.  They specialize  in X-Cart hosting but can host your basic site and even offer you VPS and Dedicated Servers.  Why not check them out and give the a try?  THEY EVEN HAVE SERVERS IN THE U.K.!

Visit Site

Hand-ons Hosting Expands to the U.K.!!

Hands-on Web Hosting offers Web Hosting services for customers based in Europe.

Fullerton, CA, October 26, 2009 – Hands-on Web Hosting, the global leader in X-Cart Hosting, today launched HandsOnWebHosting.co.uk, a United Kingdom hosting division offering a range of business hosting solutions for customers based in Europe.

Based on significant customer demand for international hosting solutions, the company initially will offer both shared web hosting solutions and dedicated servers at the BlueSquare Data Centers in Berkshire and Milton Keynes.

“For the past 12 months we have received customer requests for hosting solutions in Europe, and after 6 months of testing data centers in England and Germany, we have selected England at this time to launch our European Hosting” said Hands-on Web Hosting’s Chief executive Officer Conor Treacy. “We’ve had a lot of customer interest in England, and with 31% of our customers located in Europe, we expect to satisfy many customers and generate new interest.”

The U.K. Hosting Solutions are modeled after Hands-on Web Hosting’s existing U.S.-based services. All hosting plans include access to hourly site backups through r1Soft’s CDP Solution at no additional charge. All servers will also include the popular control panel cPanel for ease of site management. When coupled with X-Cart Gold Shopping Cart for online commerce, the hosting package is a combination that is hard to beat!

Customers have requested U.K.-based hosting solutions for a number of reasons, namely SEO. When websites are physically located in England, it makes ranking in country specific search engines easier. It also provides a faster connection for the customers’ target market. The U.K.-based services also satisfy requirements for businesses within the European Union that require data to be stored within the EU.

About Hands-on Web Hosting
Hands-on Web Hosting is a leading web hosting provider of shared, VPS, reseller and dedicated servers. Hands-on Web Hosting provides service to tens of thousands of websites with a strong focus on X-Cart eCommerce software and similar online merchant store software. Hands-on Web Hosting is dedicated to ensuring that members receive affordable and reliable services with excellent customer support.

Artashes of Hosting Discussion Interview

Artashes is the proud owner of HostingDiscussion.com.  HostingDiscussion is a webmaster forum where you can advertise, make friends and get advice for web design/hosting field. Artashes has made this forum (in my opinion) the best forum on the web!  I love to chat on HD and I love the friendly environment it has.  Go visit HostingDiscussion sometime and I guarantee you will have a good time 

1. What made you decide to start a webmaster forum?

Actually, I never planned to start my own forum. I wasn’t the one who started HostingDiscussion.com either. I first joined HostingDiscussion.com in 2002 as a moderator. Back then the forum counted just 300+ members. I purchased the site a year later when we were at 1,200-something member level. The previous owner did not have much time to run it anymore, so it was logical of him to make sure it stays in good hands by moving it in my hands. I did not expect it, but thought it would be an engaging hobby to have, as I clearly developed big interest in the subject.

2. How many years have you owned HD?

I purchased HostingDiscussion.com in 2003, so that makes it 6 years.

3. What were the most challenging aspects of maintaining and owning HD?

As I mentioned above, I was a very active staff member before the acquisition. Actually, the only staff member outside the owner himself. The most challenging task was to bring consistent activity to the site. Obviously, every website owner struggles with that part of the business, however, it is especially true for a community type of website. The nature of a community website is that if you don’t have activity – it creates an effect of a ghost town, and consequently it turns people off. So we tried numerous techniques, anything from traditional advertising to community contests. Some things worked, while others didn’t. The situation is much better today. Apart from a multi-thousand member community, we grew to a level when we have dozens of loyal members participating on the site daily, with more new members joining the discussion every day. It has enabled me to dedicate more time on developing new and exciting tools and services for our members to enjoy, which is a whole new challenge.

4. Were there times you wanted to give up?

Of course there were. When you work your hardest and not seeing the results, it hits you hard. When I was in my infant years of managing HostingDiscussion.com, I would sometimes get frustrated that something did not happen as quickly as desired. But such is the nature of a community – things don’t happen overnight. You always have to plan for long-term changes, not short-term changes that rarely stick. Thankfully I haven’t had that feeling for quite some time now.

5. If you could go back and do something else, would you?

That is a good question. Perhaps I would take more risk on some decisions, but overall, we had a very comfortable growth. Majority of our decisions turned good for us, so I have little to complain about.

6. Any advice for those who wish to open a forum of their own?

Well, I guess the one and most important advice I can give is to never give up and always stay sharp. What I mean by staying sharp is: take care of your members, stay proactive at moderating and always think outside the box. When members see your passion – they will be happy to get involved.

7. Do you plan to branch out into something or is HD your only goal for now?

While HostingDiscussion.com is very high on my priority list (and the year 2010 will be just as busy), I am always looking for other interesting projects I can get involved in. They don’t have to be in the publishing/media field I am comfortable with the most, but perhaps more of a traditional service/product type of Internet venture.

8. What is your ultimate goal for HD?

My ultimate goal is to build HostingDiscussion.com into high-end, most-talked about and most-referred to destination in the web hosting industry. Piece of cake.

Hands-on Web Hosting!

As you know I am hosted by HandsonWebHosting. Conor (the owner) did an interview for me which you can find below somewhere; conor has an amazing business. You should all check out the site and see what he has to offer. Click HERE!

Value Strategies

Pulled from HostingDiscussion; Steve posted this.

In the hosting industry, it’s very difficult to differentiate yourself from thousands of your online competitors, or so some would lead you to believe. Actually, while some providers post relevant content, most simply offer packages – a certain amount of space, bandwidth, RAM, CPU for a specific price. Of course, price sells but you generally get what you pay for. Lower prices generally relate closely to overselling, leading to reduced server performance, slower downloads, and increased customer churn via suspensions or terminations for excessive use of the provider’s resourses.

Value Sells

If a provider offers excessively low pricing, they have to oversell their servers to turn the same profit as providers that don’t. So math aside, why select provider A over provider B. It’s all about perceived value to the prospect. Value sells – it always has and always will. Every organization I’ve ever been in tells the same story, “We’re not the cheapest place in town, but we offer value and solutions.” In the hosting industry, I read of providers going belly up almost weekly. Hosting forums are flooded with threads from members asking which provider to trust. The providers that survive are invariably the one’s that provide value. So how does a prospect perceive value online? The answer is lots of content – relevant content that’s focused to specific needs, matching your core products and services to your online marketing and SEO strategies.

Source: Click Here!

How Do You Manage Conflict?

Grabbed from HostingDiscussion; Steve posted this.

You can earn a Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, but I think most of us have earned some credits for coping with conflict on the street level, and certainly in the hosting industry.

Managing Conflict

The key is learning how to manage conflict rather than have it manage you. I avoid disputes when possible, but realize they’re inevitable – so instead of reacting on an emotional level, my solution is to manage them proactively. Part of that is being solution focused versus problem focused. It’s all about communications – understanding what your personal triggers are, then mapping out the opposing positions, finding common ground, and then proposing win-win solutions.

Conflict Awareness

First, you have to understand your own conflict patterns, then develop and practice methods to listen more effectively, map out the conflicts, and learn to differentiate difficult people from difficult behavior. We all know the type. Some clients and prospects just instinctively know what hot buttons to press.

Moving Beyond Conflict

What we’re really talking about here is developing professional skill sets to increase the success of your business operations. Customer support is very much about resolving customer conflicts or problems. While the solution could be purely technical, the perception of value rests with your client. How well you communicate relates directly to customer churn. Bad communication skills = high customer churn. Great communication skills = raving fans and a loyal customer base. The key, I think, is to actively listen, showing genuine interest and concern. Clarify the problem; ask questions, then listen – separating emotions from issues. Sometimes, you just have to say NO, it won’t work. And after conflicts are managed, it’s important to solicit feedback.

How Important is Feedback

Feedback is so important that you should reach out to your clients randomly to ascertain their comfort level with your products or services. Perhaps your perception that they’re satisfied clients is completely off tract, and they’re actively searching for a new provider. How would you know until they sent in their cancellation request? At that point, you become reactive instead of proactive. Again, it’s all about effective communications and productive interactions.

Source: Click Here!