Jan 13, 2006 : The webhost industry: week review

📅 January 13, 2006 - This week's biggest Web hosting stories weren't necessarily related in terms of theme, as some of Web hosting's biggest players introduced new plans and new pricing, but there were certainly larger trends as hosts appointed new executives and Microsoft's training and certification programs had broad impacts.


On Wednesday, Web host Affinity Internet announced that it had officially launched a new hosting brand, Gate.com, designed to take on its more tech-savvy developer and designer clientele. The new brand, which has been in beta testing since December and offers both Unix- and Windows-based hosting, will replace HostSave, one of four Web hosting brands currently operated by Affinity.

Customers of UK-based Web host Redbus Interhouse reported this week that recent communication from the company indicated that it intends to raise its prices for colocation from £350 per month to £550. The pricing change comes following Redbus's merger with TeleCity, with corresponding increases planned for power and space. Redbus had been known for having some of the lowest colocation prices in Europe, a fact that had some competitors complaining of a drag on pricing in general.

Along with the shifts in branding and pricing, several Web hosts made more internal moves this week, announcing new executive appointments.

On Thursday, ISP Internet America announced that it had named Jennifer S. LeBlanc its chief financial officer and chief accounting officer. LeBlanc was previously in audit management positions with PKF of Texas and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She was also director of finance for a unit of National Data Corporation.  The company also announced plans to relocated its headquarters from Dallas to Houston, Texas.

And on Wednesday, E-commerce technology firm Business eStore announced that it had named Rick Wilson VP of strategic development and sales for the company's domestic operations. Wilson will report to the company's CEO Diane Brandis, and will oversee channel development and partnerships. Wilson was formerly VP of sales and business development for Miva Small Business.

While not necessarily this week's biggest news, perhaps the broadest collection of updates came out of Microsoft's training and certification efforts.

On Wednesday, Web hosting software developer Ensim announced that it had attained Gold Certified status in the Microsoft Partner Program. The company says it was also recognized for its Microsoft and independent software vendor software capabilities. The company was given Advanced Infrastructure Solutions Competency for its expertise in the design and implementation of infrastructure solutions. And the Microsoft ISV/Software Solutions Competency was given for a record with a particular Microsoft solution, in this case hosted Microsoft Exchange.

Also on Wednesday, Web host HostMySite announced that it, too, had attained Gold Certification in the Microsoft Partner Program, along with competency in network infrastructure solutions and advanced infrastructure solutions. HostMySite says its competencies demonstrate its ability to deploy solutions on Windows Server 2003 and 2000, in addition to implementing Active Directory, Microsoft Integration and Microsoft Exchange.

Both announcements of Microsoft Certification came as the fourth installment of Microsoft's Hosted Exchange Roadshow took place Wednesday at the company's Canadian headquarters, located just outside of Toronto. The show was seen by more than 85 attendees, and featured contributions from several partners, including SWsoft and Ensim. The seminars featured information about Hosted Exchange, SharePoint and other collaboration services. Microsoft's solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration version 3.5 was also covered.

While the importance of this week's biggest stories of new branding and pricing was independent of any greater context, some of this week's most interesting news came from the common thread developed in the early part of Microsoft's push to promote its certification through the Hosted Exchage Roadshow.