Cloud.co.za GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium, ZAR 949.00/yr.

GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium has been added on Mar 26, 2020

🔐 Domains protected :	1
💳 Payment Methods :	Credit / Debit / Prepaid Cards
🔧 Category :	DNS
✍️ Support Options :	EmailHelp DeskPhone / Toll-FreeAvailable 24/7
⚑ Targeting :	ZA

See also initial GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium plan location on their website!

📜 Plan description

📄 Editorial Review

Cloud.co.za is a South African cloud and virtual-server provider whose history goes back to 2013, when VPS Networks acquired the Cloud.co.za domain and developed the brand around cloud infrastructure. The domain itself became a notable part of South Africa's Internet business history after being purchased for approximately US$9,000, around R112,000 at the exchange rate reported at the time.

An important change followed in December 2016, when HOSTAFRICA acquired VPS Networks (Pty) Ltd together with its customer base, employees and technical equipment. VPS Networks managing director David Venter subsequently joined HOSTAFRICA as CTO, and Cloud.co.za became part of the wider Host Africa (Pty) Ltd organization.

HOSTAFRICA itself dates to 2008 and was founded by Michael Osterloh together with other hosting entrepreneurs. Osterloh remains closely associated with the group as CEO. The South African operating company is Host Africa (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2008/019975/07, with its main South African office in Somerset West, Western Cape.

Cloud.co.za is much more focused on infrastructure than conventional entry-level shared hosting. Its core services include Linux VPS, Windows VPS, Cloud Servers, Virtual Dedicated Servers, VPS Reseller services, domain registration, DNS management, managed cPanel environments, SSL certificates and backup services. Customers primarily looking for ordinary shared hosting, WordPress packages and website-builder products are better served by the broader HOSTAFRICA product range.

The VPS Reseller platform is one of the strongest parts of the service. It allows hosting companies, developers and agencies to sell Linux and Windows virtual machines without purchasing and maintaining their own virtualization clusters. The platform uses KVM virtualization, SSD storage and an integrated reseller control panel.

Provisioning can be automated through an API and free WHMCS modules. This makes it possible to connect customer ordering, billing and server deployment into the same workflow. Resellers can create their own virtual-server packages, assign resources and manage multiple customer instances from a central environment.

The commercial model is particularly useful for smaller hosting businesses because there is no large recurring reseller subscription before resources are consumed. Instead, server resources are billed according to usage, while discounts increase with reseller activity.

Windows virtual servers include the required Windows operating-system licensing within the relevant configuration. Additional commercial software can be added when required, including cPanel, Plesk, Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Office. This allows resellers to build both conventional Linux hosting servers and Windows-based business environments.

Backups form part of the virtual-server environment. Standard reseller cloud servers include a weekly backup, while Acronis Cloud Backup is available as an additional option for customers needing shorter recovery intervals or more extensive retention.

DNS management is also integrated into the server platform. Customers can manage ordinary DNS records as well as reverse DNS, an important capability for mail servers and other services where PTR configuration affects deliverability and network identity.

The regular VPS range follows the same infrastructure-oriented approach. Customers receive an isolated virtual server with administrative access and dedicated resources without the capital cost of a physical dedicated server. Linux instances work well for web applications, databases and custom server software, while Windows VPS plans accommodate Microsoft applications and remote Windows administration.

Cloud.co.za supports cPanel and WHM for Linux hosting environments. These tools can manage Apache, PHP, databases, DNS, email services and hosting accounts while the underlying virtual machine remains under the customer's administrative control. This makes the service better suited to developers, system administrators and hosting resellers than customers wanting a completely managed beginner hosting environment.

Domain registration is another established part of the business. More than 290 domain extensions are available, covering South African and international namespaces. Domains remain registered in the customer's ownership rather than being held in the hosting provider's name.

DNS hosting can be used independently from web hosting, while nameserver management, custom nameservers and glue records are supported. WHOIS privacy is available without extra cost for extensions that permit privacy protection.

Domain registrations normally operate on annual terms. Transfers use the standard authorization process, including domain unlocking and EPP/Auth codes where required. Internal transfers can be considerably faster than registrar-to-registrar transfers, which may require several days.

The primary website language is English, and pricing is mainly expressed in South African rand (ZAR). The overall service is therefore particularly well suited to South African businesses, developers and infrastructure resellers.