Round Tale

Google, Microsoft, and The New York Times are just a few of many big names that have suffered notable security breaches in recent times.  Hacking has become an industry all its own and there is a lot of money to be made for unscrupulous characters who are good at it.  While there is a good chance your website is safe and secure, there is also the possibility that it is vulnerable and open to a wide range of threats.  Unfortunately, many new customers have the presumption that just because they have signed up with a well known web hosting firm, they are automatically protected from a security breach.  They believe that the host will handle all the security measures while they sit back and simply maintain their website.  It is this type of thinking that could make you an easy victim.  In fact, your best defense against a security breach involves taking the necessary measures to protect yourself.

A Little Common Sense Goes a Long

While many security software solutions exist, some of the best ways to defend yourself can be summed up to applying common sense.  Here are five simple tips to help keep your website safe and secure:

1.) Smart E-commerce – If you plan to sale goods or services through a shopping cart, make sure that the software used is properly figured and secured.  If you do not possess this knowledge, bring someone on board who does.

2.) Password Protection – Use secure passwords for all of your website applications that require a login.  This goes for everything from your control panel to CMS software.  A good rule of thumb is to use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols, in addition to never using something that others can associate with you for a password.

3.) Monitor Your Server Logs – By checking your server logs on a regular basis, you may be able to identify strange or unusual activity.  Because knowing what to look for can be difficult, many software solutions exist that will do the job for you.  These programs analyze your log files and automatically send alerts if strange behavior is detected.

4.) Update Your Web Applications - An outdated web application is one of the most vulnerable points of a website.  Hackers are constantly working on new ways to compromise security so if your applications are not up to date, you could be exploited.  Also keep in mind that most updates consist of critical upgrades that address known security issues.

5.) Backup Your Website – Because no website is ever 100% secure, it would be wise to frequently backup your site and all the files its contains.  Don’t overlook this.  Not only do hackers target websites, but entire web servers.  If the server your site resides on is compromised, you could possibly lose everything you worked so hard to build.  Regular backups give you the assurance that your website data can be restored should a disaster occur.  Be sure to keep a copy of your backup in a location other than your hard drive just in case ill fate happens to strike your computer.

Manchester, United Kingdom – (The Hosting News) – October 1, 2009 – UK website hosting firm 34SP.com is celebrating its ninth anniversary, by giving away 9 great prizes designed specifically to mark the occasion. The company was founded by Manchester University colleagues Daniel Foster and Stuart Melling.

Despite its growth, the website hosting industry is a relatively new business segment. With mergers, acquisitions and the threat of continuously increasing competition, it is a testament to a company’s perseverance when that firm reaches the nine year mark.

34SP.com is located in Manchester, United Kingdom and specializes in providing the highest levels of customer service and technical support for website hosting and domain names.Over the past 9 years the company has solidified a reputation for outstanding support, coupled with extremely high reliability at fair prices. A complete list of the company’s website hosting products can be viewed at: www.34sp.com/hosting.

Stuart Melling, co-founder of 34SP.com explained, ”We thought it would be great to reward clients with a truly valuable prize for each year that 34SP.com has been in the website hosting business. It has been a great challenge to grow as we have over the past 9 years and continue to offer our clients world class support, but we are gratified to have had the opportunity to serve our customers over the past 9 years. We are very much looking forward to the next 9 years.”

Anyone who purchases any 34SP.com product during the month of October is eligible to win the ‘9 Years of Hosting, 9 Great Prizes’ contest. Winners will be determined by a random drawing at the end of the month. The prizes being offered are:

* New Apple iPod nano with Camera 8GB (5th Generation)

* Toshiba Satellite L350-20G 17-inch Laptop

* Canon Powershot 12.1 MegaPixel Camera

* Western Digital Elements 1TeraByte USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

* Canon Selphy ES40, a Portable Talking Printer (yes, you read that right – it talks)

* Sony DVPFX730 7-inch Portable DVD Player

* Flip Video Ultra High Definition Camcorder With 8GB Memory

* Toshiba 19AV615DB 19-inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV

* The Beatles Rock Band – Limited Edition Premium Bundle

34SP.com was established in the year 2000. The company was founded with the aim of bridging the gap between sophisticated hosting solutions and affordable prices. The owners and core engineering staff have been with the company since its founding. In terms of reliability, independent monitoring service, Netcraft in Bath, England recently rated 34SP.com as the fifth most reliable hosting service in the world for the month of June, 2009. Additionally, a recent internal survey found that 98% of 34SP.com clients would recommend the company to others.

34SP.com offers professional website hosting services for cost conscious web developers and designers. The 34SP.com team of technical experts offers industry leading support and service coupled with a money back guarantee to ensure client satisfaction. Website hosting services offered include: UK domains, UK web hosting and dedicated servers. The company is headquartered in central Manchester, England.

To learn more about 34SP.com, please visit: www.34sp.com.

Manchester, United Kingdom – (The Hosting News) – October 1, 2009 – UK website hosting firm 34SP.com is celebrating its ninth anniversary, by giving away 9 great prizes designed specifically to mark the occasion. The company was founded by Manchester University colleagues Daniel Foster and Stuart Melling.

Despite its growth, the website hosting industry is a relatively new business segment. With mergers, acquisitions and the threat of continuously increasing competition, it is a testament to a company’s perseverance when that firm reaches the nine year mark.

34SP.com is located in Manchester, United Kingdom and specializes in providing the highest levels of customer service and technical support for website hosting and domain names.Over the past 9 years the company has solidified a reputation for outstanding support, coupled with extremely high reliability at fair prices. A complete list of the company’s website hosting products can be viewed at: www.34sp.com/hosting.

Stuart Melling, co-founder of 34SP.com explained, ”We thought it would be great to reward clients with a truly valuable prize for each year that 34SP.com has been in the website hosting business. It has been a great challenge to grow as we have over the past 9 years and continue to offer our clients world class support, but we are gratified to have had the opportunity to serve our customers over the past 9 years. We are very much looking forward to the next 9 years.”

Anyone who purchases any 34SP.com product during the month of October is eligible to win the ‘9 Years of Hosting, 9 Great Prizes’ contest. Winners will be determined by a random drawing at the end of the month. The prizes being offered are:

* New Apple iPod nano with Camera 8GB (5th Generation)

* Toshiba Satellite L350-20G 17-inch Laptop

* Canon Powershot 12.1 MegaPixel Camera

* Western Digital Elements 1TeraByte USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

* Canon Selphy ES40, a Portable Talking Printer (yes, you read that right – it talks)

* Sony DVPFX730 7-inch Portable DVD Player

* Flip Video Ultra High Definition Camcorder With 8GB Memory

* Toshiba 19AV615DB 19-inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV

* The Beatles Rock Band – Limited Edition Premium Bundle

34SP.com was established in the year 2000. The company was founded with the aim of bridging the gap between sophisticated hosting solutions and affordable prices. The owners and core engineering staff have been with the company since its founding. In terms of reliability, independent monitoring service, Netcraft in Bath, England recently rated 34SP.com as the fifth most reliable hosting service in the world for the month of June, 2009. Additionally, a recent internal survey found that 98% of 34SP.com clients would recommend the company to others.

34SP.com offers professional website hosting services for cost conscious web developers and designers. The 34SP.com team of technical experts offers industry leading support and service coupled with a money back guarantee to ensure client satisfaction. Website hosting services offered include: UK domains, UK web hosting and dedicated servers. The company is headquartered in central Manchester, England.

To learn more about 34SP.com, please visit: www.34sp.com.

Manchester, United Kingdom – (The Hosting News) – September 17, 2009 -
UK website hosting company, 34SP.com has deployed SmarterTrack customer service software to deliver customer support Ticketing and Live Chats to its fast growing base of web hosting clients.

According to the company, service feedback has improved dramatically with the adoption of SmarterTrack. In fact, 34SP.com is using the SmarterTrack software as the cornerstone of its company mandate: ”Website Hosting with Exceptional Service and Support”.

Flexibility was one reason that 34SP.com selected the SmarterTrack customer service software, as the package can be deployed as a traditional installation or in a hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model.

Stuart Melling, Co-founder, remarked, ”The adoption of the SmarterTrack customer service software has dramatically increased client satisfaction levels, and lead to ultra-fast response times in the case of Live Chat. We can now literally solve in seconds what previously may have taken hours through our previous systems. Plus, the Live Chat creates a level of interactivity previously only available over the phone. The cutting and pasting of data via live chat gives our support team a crystal clear view into what clients are experiencing, and we can instantly respond. The increase in client satisfaction has been nothing short of amazing.”

Main features of the SmarterTrack customer service software include:

A world-class Ticket solution that transforms service, sales, and support emails into a powerful information distribution system.
Live Chat, which gives businesses the ability to reduce phone calls, capture information on Web site visitors, and assist more customers.
WhosOn, which gives businesses real-time tracking of customers as they navigate Web sites, providing the opportunity to increase sales, expedite customer service, and gather information on site visitors.
A portal interface that is optimized for search engines and functions as the central hub for all communication channels.
Self-service resources, such as a Knowledge Base and news items, that allow customers to research and resolve questions and issues.
A Web-based interface that provides accessibility wherever an Internet connection is available.
An integrated survey system that can be triggered upon events.
More than 70 summary and trend reports with many levels of customization and filtering.
Support for multiple brands within a company.

Jeff Hardy, vice president of business operations at SmarterTools explained, ”SmarterTools is pleased to see International firms like 34SP.com adopting SmarterTrack as a customer service solution for their clients. ‘34SP.com is committed to the highest levels of customer service and satisfaction, and the fact that they have chosen SmarterTrack to build out their service department speaks volumes about the strength of our support and service solution for the web hosting industry.”’

Among actual 34SP.com client feedback and comments as a result of the SmarterTrack implementation are: ”Although I previously thought your phone support was good … your on-line support was even better!” – Heather D. and ”Live support superb. So easy to use and the assistance first class!” – Jeff R.

Founded in 2003, SmarterTools Inc. is an information technology-management software company based in Phoenix, Arizona. SmarterTools builds a Windows Mail Server, Web Log Analytics reporting tool, and Customer Service Software applications that simplify and automate the day-to-day IT operations of businesses and hosting environments in over 100 countries.

34SP.com offers professional website hosting services for cost conscious web developers and designers. The 34SP.com team of technical experts offers industry leading support and service coupled with a money back guarantee to ensure client satisfaction. Website hosting services offered include: UK domain names, UK hosting and reseller hosting. The company is headquartered in central Manchester, England.

For further information on SmarterTrack customer service software, please visit: www.smartertools.com/SmarterTrack/Features/Customer-Service-Software-Web-Interface.aspx.

To learn more about 34SP.com and its web hosting products, please visit: www.34sp.com/hosting.

Manchester, United Kingdom – (The Hosting News) – September 17, 2009 -
UK website hosting company, 34SP.com has deployed SmarterTrack customer service software to deliver customer support Ticketing and Live Chats to its fast growing base of web hosting clients.

According to the company, service feedback has improved dramatically with the adoption of SmarterTrack. In fact, 34SP.com is using the SmarterTrack software as the cornerstone of its company mandate: ”Website Hosting with Exceptional Service and Support”.

Flexibility was one reason that 34SP.com selected the SmarterTrack customer service software, as the package can be deployed as a traditional installation or in a hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model.

Stuart Melling, Co-founder, remarked, ”The adoption of the SmarterTrack customer service software has dramatically increased client satisfaction levels, and lead to ultra-fast response times in the case of Live Chat. We can now literally solve in seconds what previously may have taken hours through our previous systems. Plus, the Live Chat creates a level of interactivity previously only available over the phone. The cutting and pasting of data via live chat gives our support team a crystal clear view into what clients are experiencing, and we can instantly respond. The increase in client satisfaction has been nothing short of amazing.”

Main features of the SmarterTrack customer service software include:

A world-class Ticket solution that transforms service, sales, and support emails into a powerful information distribution system.
Live Chat, which gives businesses the ability to reduce phone calls, capture information on Web site visitors, and assist more customers.
WhosOn, which gives businesses real-time tracking of customers as they navigate Web sites, providing the opportunity to increase sales, expedite customer service, and gather information on site visitors.
A portal interface that is optimized for search engines and functions as the central hub for all communication channels.
Self-service resources, such as a Knowledge Base and news items, that allow customers to research and resolve questions and issues.
A Web-based interface that provides accessibility wherever an Internet connection is available.
An integrated survey system that can be triggered upon events.
More than 70 summary and trend reports with many levels of customization and filtering.
Support for multiple brands within a company.

Jeff Hardy, vice president of business operations at SmarterTools explained, ”SmarterTools is pleased to see International firms like 34SP.com adopting SmarterTrack as a customer service solution for their clients. ‘34SP.com is committed to the highest levels of customer service and satisfaction, and the fact that they have chosen SmarterTrack to build out their service department speaks volumes about the strength of our support and service solution for the web hosting industry.”’

Among actual 34SP.com client feedback and comments as a result of the SmarterTrack implementation are: ”Although I previously thought your phone support was good … your on-line support was even better!” – Heather D. and ”Live support superb. So easy to use and the assistance first class!” – Jeff R.

Founded in 2003, SmarterTools Inc. is an information technology-management software company based in Phoenix, Arizona. SmarterTools builds a Windows Mail Server, Web Log Analytics reporting tool, and Customer Service Software applications that simplify and automate the day-to-day IT operations of businesses and hosting environments in over 100 countries.

34SP.com offers professional website hosting services for cost conscious web developers and designers. The 34SP.com team of technical experts offers industry leading support and service coupled with a money back guarantee to ensure client satisfaction. Website hosting services offered include: UK domain names, UK hosting and reseller hosting. The company is headquartered in central Manchester, England.

For further information on SmarterTrack customer service software, please visit: www.smartertools.com/SmarterTrack/Features/Customer-Service-Software-Web-Interface.aspx.

To learn more about 34SP.com and its web hosting products, please visit: www.34sp.com/hosting.

San Jose, California – (The Hosting News) – September 15, 2009 – Web hosting firm, MochaHost.com, has instituted some promotions for the new Fall Season, designed for new and existing customers.

The new Fall SALE includes: 30% off from its Mocha hosting plan + 6 months of free hosting and 2 free domain names for its Business and Mocha shared hosting plans. A separate special of 15% OFF is also available for the SoHo and Business plans.

Other season specials include: a free domain name with a 10% discount for all reseller plans, special pricing on dedicated servers, and special discounts for non-profit organizations or military personnel, as well as a special SSL package (including free static IP).

In addition, starting in September of 2009 all Linux plans (including reseller and dedicated servers) come with an extra 33 free one-click-install tools such as: Magento shopping cart, MediaWiki, and phprojekt – making a total of 77 free tools.

MochaHost is a privately owned, financially stable company located in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California); specializing in providing professional hosting, web design, e-commerce, and Internet promotion services. MochaHost’s plans are designed to tailor to specific needs – from personal use/small businesses to sophisticated e-commerce sites with higher requirements for bandwidth and disk space.

For more information about the company, please visit: www.mochahost.com

San Jose, California – (The Hosting News) – September 15, 2009 – Web hosting firm, MochaHost.com, has instituted some promotions for the new Fall Season, designed for new and existing customers.

The new Fall SALE includes: 30% off from its Mocha hosting plan + 6 months of free hosting and 2 free domain names for its Business and Mocha shared hosting plans. A separate special of 15% OFF is also available for the SoHo and Business plans.

Other season specials include: a free domain name with a 10% discount for all reseller plans, special pricing on dedicated servers, and special discounts for non-profit organizations or military personnel, as well as a special SSL package (including free static IP).

In addition, starting in September of 2009 all Linux plans (including reseller and dedicated servers) come with an extra 33 free one-click-install tools such as: Magento shopping cart, MediaWiki, and phprojekt – making a total of 77 free tools.

MochaHost is a privately owned, financially stable company located in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California); specializing in providing professional hosting, web design, e-commerce, and Internet promotion services. MochaHost’s plans are designed to tailor to specific needs – from personal use/small businesses to sophisticated e-commerce sites with higher requirements for bandwidth and disk space.

For more information about the company, please visit: www.mochahost.com

London, United Kingdom – (The Hosting News) – September 10, 2009 -
Web hosting firm, UK2, has been voted 2nd place in the Top 25 most popular web hosting companies on Web Host Directory UK.

The award which is based on the number of votes a company receives and the amount of times their profile has been viewed each month was won by UK2 in June, July and now August 2009.

Martin Baker, Managing Director at UK2 remarked, ”At UK2 we are constantly thinking of ways to add value to our customers. This is why we regularly launch innovative products, unbeatable offers and invest in UK based support for our customers. It is very rewarding to see that customers are responding positively to our efforts, and I am very pleased that we have been voted one of the most popular web hosting companies for three months in a row.”

Web Host Directory established in 1997 is a brand of Serchen Interactive and a market leader in the hosting industry providing free resources and information for customers researching web hosts online.

UK2 is one of the biggest and most innovative web hosting companies in the UK with a comprehensive range of domain name registration, web hosting, e-commerce, reseller, dedicated server and cloud hosting solutions. UK2 specializes in making it easy, cheap, and quick for any consumer, small or large business to have the online presence they need.

UK2 is also a part of the UK-2 Group, a large web hosting organization made up of over 10 web hosting companies such as VI.net, VPS.net, Midphase.com and more. The group operates its services out of several state of the art, multi million pound data centers and is committed to providing reliable, secure and great value products and services underpinned with excellent support.

To learn more, please visit: www.uk2.net.

London, United Kingdom – (The Hosting News) – September 10, 2009 -
Web hosting firm, UK2, has been voted 2nd place in the Top 25 most popular web hosting companies on Web Host Directory UK.

The award which is based on the number of votes a company receives and the amount of times their profile has been viewed each month was won by UK2 in June, July and now August 2009.

Martin Baker, Managing Director at UK2 remarked, ”At UK2 we are constantly thinking of ways to add value to our customers. This is why we regularly launch innovative products, unbeatable offers and invest in UK based support for our customers. It is very rewarding to see that customers are responding positively to our efforts, and I am very pleased that we have been voted one of the most popular web hosting companies for three months in a row.”

Web Host Directory established in 1997 is a brand of Serchen Interactive and a market leader in the hosting industry providing free resources and information for customers researching web hosts online.

UK2 is one of the biggest and most innovative web hosting companies in the UK with a comprehensive range of domain name registration, web hosting, e-commerce, reseller, dedicated server and cloud hosting solutions. UK2 specializes in making it easy, cheap, and quick for any consumer, small or large business to have the online presence they need.

UK2 is also a part of the UK-2 Group, a large web hosting organization made up of over 10 web hosting companies such as VI.net, VPS.net, Midphase.com and more. The group operates its services out of several state of the art, multi million pound data centers and is committed to providing reliable, secure and great value products and services underpinned with excellent support.

To learn more, please visit: www.uk2.net.

Manchester, United Kingdom – (The Hosting News) – September 9, 2009 – Web hosting firm located in the UK, 34SP.com, has re-vamped its line of VPS hosting product portfolio. Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a mid-step between shared hosting and dedicated servers. The new products are available immediately at: www.34sp.com/vps-hosting.

Daniel Foster, co-founder of 34SP.com noted, ”Our systems engineering team has been hard at work creating a new architecture for our VPS accounts that yields more resources for each account without any increase in cost. Therefore, beginning immediately every VPS hosting account at 34SP.com will get even more disk space and bandwidth for no extra charge. It’s a way of giving back to our clients for their commitment to the 34SP.com brand.”

According to information released by the company, the new virtual server products will carry specifications that lead the VPS hosting market in the UK. The new plans were designed after months of comprehensive research into the competitive VPS products in the current UK marketplace. Virtual servers are often used in lieu of dedicated servers due to the close similarities between the two. Completely isolated operating environments, root level access, and the ability to load any operating system or software required by professional developers are characteristics of both VPS hosting and dedicated servers.

34SP.com also revealed that demand for its VPS hosting products has grown exponentially over the past year as developers and designers discover the convenience and price advantages of virtual servers. The new storage specifications on the VPS hosting products range from 25 GB to 100 GB, while bandwith ranges from 500 GB to 1,000 GB. 34SP.com VPS hosting comes with a choice operating systems including: CentOS, Debian, Fedora Core, Suse and Ubuntu. Each VPS server is guaranteed a certain amount of the server’s RAM at all times. In times of low server load, users are permitted to burst above this limit.

34SP.com offers professional website hosting services for cost conscious web developers and designers. The 34SP.com team of technical experts offers industry leading support and service coupled with a money back guarantee to ensure client satisfaction. Website hosting services offered include: UK domain names, VPS hosting and reseller web hosting. The company is headquartered in central Manchester, England.

To learn more about VPS hosting products from 34SP.com please visit: www.34sp.com/vps-hosting.